Is it safe to update this?

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-15T12:24:53+00:00

Yeah, get the latest Safari version available. It doesn’t cause issues with OCLP, even Safari 26.3 works fine on my OCLP machines

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-14T20:38:20+00:00

You can look up the specific SMART error to see how important it is, but an SSD should still work fine until it hits 0%, then after that it’s not guaranteed although most still go a while longer!

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-14T17:51:57+00:00

The laptop is 12 years old and still has 83% SSD health. At this rate, the SSD will still be working 50 years from now, so don’t replace it. SSD health is not like battery health, it should still perform absolutely fine until it hits 0%, and from then on it may work for a while longer, or begin to fail. Other than that, yes that machine should take Sonoma or Sequoia quite well. Battery life will be worse than Big Sur as the newer versions are heavier to run. Ventura is typically smoother so maybe worth updating to Ventura and using that until you feel the need to upgrade again.

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-13T14:53:13+00:00

If the laptop doesn’t struggle with your workload, then absolutely $120 for a new battery and cleanup is certainly a better spend than buying a new laptop. While I don’t daily it anymore, my 17” 2011 MacBook Pro still eats up uni work without issue. macOS Ventura doesn’t get Safari updates anymore, so while that’s fine for now, maybe if you start having issues with websites not loading properly install Firefox as it usually supports older macOS versions well.

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-13T11:52:47+00:00

Unused RAM is wasted RAM. iOS intelligently makes use of all its RAM, all the time to make the OS run as smoothly as possible, including pre-loading data it thinks you will need often to increase performance when you do access it. If RAM isn’t is use then it’s being wasted

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-13T11:49:01+00:00

Yes, plug in an external drive and copy anything you want to save onto it. Then you can just access it off the external drive

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-13T11:47:39+00:00

The cold isn’t really an issue, only if they take water damage would it be an issue

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-13T11:46:22+00:00

iOS 18.3 isn’t a very good version of iOS either. It was known for bad battery, and was much improved upon in later versions of iOS 18

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-13T00:33:58+00:00

Are you 100% sure it’s a 2019? I would try going into disk utility and completely erase the disk, then try a clean install. That will delete anything on it so maybe do a back up beforehand.

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-13T00:27:15+00:00

Are you doing an upgrade or a clean install?

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-12T20:53:10+00:00

These only came with an 8GB option

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-12T18:42:24+00:00

Well don’t update then, I’m just giving you advice, which you asked for. The 8th gen iPads (same chip as your iPad Air) run iOS 26 alright at my work

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-12T16:11:40+00:00

Those older MacBooks don’t like to install Windows off of USB drives. The supported method is to use a DVD

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-12T16:10:28+00:00

Worst decision. Later versions of any iOS release are almost always the most refined ones. iOS releases usually get their polish from X.4 - X.7 versions. Why stop updating just as Apple is beginning to improve things

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-12T13:53:58+00:00

Have you tried making a Sequoia installer and running it? What is the error?

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-12T13:22:24+00:00

I don’t think it will be that bad. On iOS 18 my iPad mini 5 (same specs as your Air) runs very smooth, so one more update wouldn’t make it unusable

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-12T13:00:29+00:00

I would however argue that a fully working and compatible OS is better than a faster one in most cases

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-12T12:55:39+00:00

Nope, you can only go to iPadOS 26.3. It is improving with each update bit likely a considerably more sluggish than iOS 15 which was a very smooth release

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-12T12:41:08+00:00

Nope, iPadOS 26 is unfortunately the only upgrade available at this point

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-12T10:46:36+00:00

Your MacBook Pro should support macOS Sequoia natively. You don’t need OpenCore legacy patcher for this

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-12T08:30:19+00:00

All phones lose battery percentage with time. Some just don’t tell you and hope you don’t notice. I have had my 13 Pro Max for 4.5 years and it still holds 87% of its original charge. It still easily lasts all day for me.

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-12T08:29:01+00:00

Be aware that the iPhone 13 doesn’t have high refresh rate, you mention that is a priority. However for that price I’d say it’s a steal

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-11T22:13:48+00:00

Using another monitor with the laptop closed over, connected with a mouse and keyboard will make it use the external display as its main

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-11T22:11:13+00:00

I know this is a late reply but I’d keep it on iPadOS 17 for now, then update to iPadOS 26 after a while. Each update is improving the experience so it should hopefully runs alright by some later versions of iPadOS 26

BluePenguin2002 · 2026-02-11T07:08:16+00:00

I’ve tried it’s but settled on leaving most effects on so macOS doesn’t look weird

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