End of an era: The last remaining macOS install CDs are officially extinct
2 min readHey kids, come have a seat around my rocking chair, and let this old timer tell you of a time of yore, a time when that high-speed internet connection you always use for the Ticky Tockys and whatnot didn’t exist. Back then, when we had to do something like install Mac OS, we used a thingamajig called an optical disc, which had the software on it.
Well, as ClassicII_MrMac on X (formerly Twitter) put it perfectly, “Today is a sad day.” That’s because Apple no longer sells the optical disc installers for OS X Lion 10.7 and Mountain Lion 10.8.
Apple either finally sold out its stock or decided to dump the discs to make warehouse space for FineWoven iPhone cases.
The signs were there that this was going to happen–you can’t stop the future from coming. Two years ago, Apple started to offer Lion and Mountain Lion as free downloads. They’re available on Apple’s support site, and if you need ’em, here are the links:
And two years ago, I wrote that it was strange that Apple still offered the Lion and Mountain Lions discs for $19.99. The older me now thinks it wasn’t so strange because lots of older Macs are still in use–plus, it’s an easy $20 for Apple to make.
If you need to put those installers on a disc or USB drive, we have instructions:
Lion runs on Macs that came before Mountain Lion in 2012. Mountain Lion works on the following:
- MacBook (Late 2008 to 2010)
- MacBook Air (Late 2008 to mid 2012)
- MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 to mid-2012)
- Mac mini (Early 2009 to 2011)
- iMac (Mid-2007 to 2011)
- Mac Pro (Early 2008 and 2010)
If you desperately want an official Lion or Mountain Lion disc, you’ll have to turn to online marketplaces such as eBay. And if you have one, here’s some advice from this old timer: You might want to hold on to it for a while. Chances are, years from now, someone will be willing to pay big bucks for it at an auction.
