> The termination of device support tends to be for devices that are 7+ years old. That’s quite a reasonable support lifetime.
I disagree. My 2014 MacBook Pro still works perfectly fine, but it doesn't run Monterey, which I need for work purposes, so I had to buy a new MacBook Pro. I certainly didn't want to drop all that money right now.
> Also, as of today, battery replacements for all supported iPhone devices costs less than $70. That’s a very good price and basically includes the labor for free. Nobody is getting ripped off here.
I've had to replace the battery twice out of warranty on my 2014 MacBook Pro, and it cost more than $70. Moreover, the pandemic has made getting repairs significantly more difficult. Who wants to ship their device off and be without it?
> If it’s supported, it’s getting security updates, period. If you have contrary evidence, I’d like to see it.
I said they don't get all the security updates; I didn't say they get no security updates.
> which I need for work purposes, so I had to buy a new MacBook Pro. I certainly didn't want to drop all that money right now.
I can sympathize with being frugal. That said, if you're buying a laptop for work, I recommend both financing it and depreciating it on your taxes, if that's an option for you. It's a cost of doing business, and many tax codes treat computers as depreciable assets. In fact, in the U.S., the tax code has a 5-year depreciation schedule for computers - less than the support lifetime.
As for the security updates question, if you have information that Catalina is lacking a critical security update, I'm sure Apple would like to know about it and fix it. They care a lot about this stuff. The article you posted complains about a lack of transparency as to the "why" certain patches aren't backported, but it doesn't declare that there are active security vulnerabilities in those versions, either.
I disagree. My 2014 MacBook Pro still works perfectly fine, but it doesn't run Monterey, which I need for work purposes, so I had to buy a new MacBook Pro. I certainly didn't want to drop all that money right now.
> Also, as of today, battery replacements for all supported iPhone devices costs less than $70. That’s a very good price and basically includes the labor for free. Nobody is getting ripped off here.
I've had to replace the battery twice out of warranty on my 2014 MacBook Pro, and it cost more than $70. Moreover, the pandemic has made getting repairs significantly more difficult. Who wants to ship their device off and be without it?
> If it’s supported, it’s getting security updates, period. If you have contrary evidence, I’d like to see it.
I said they don't get all the security updates; I didn't say they get no security updates.
This differential in vulnerability patching is very well known among Mac security researchers. For example: https://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/apples-poor-patchin... users-security-and-privacy-precarious/