Why did my iMac "update" to Mavericks, when Yosemite was already installed?

[Simon Linton]

I bought a Yosemite OS iMac two days ago and as part of the updating process, Mavericks was installed as a replacement OS.

The screenshot shows my current OS.

I did have a lot of iPhoto stuff and old Office software, so did the updating take note of that and give me an OS that would make all this work better, or am I being optimistic?

I have read bad things about Yosemite, but of course people post when they are upset, not when they are happy, so these comments may be skewed.

Your views please.

 

[honestone]

This is somewhat confusing. When you say you bought a "Yosemite OS iMac" two days ago, was it a brand new machine, with the premise that Yosemite was already installed on the machine? Or, was it a used machine, but again with the premise that Yosemite was installed?

Also, what updating process occurred? If Yosemite was already installed, unless it was not the latest version (10.10.3), there would have been no need to update the OS.

AS for old "Office software", do you mean Office for the Mac? And, if so, do you have Office 2008 or Office 2011? If it's Office 2011, it works fine with Yosemite (I have it). In fact, Microsoft recently released two updates within 2 days of each other, V14.5.0 and V14.5.1.

I don't used iPhoto, but I can't remember seeing any real "bad" comp,ants about the version that is compatible with Yosemite.

We really need some clarification here, so that we can help you.

 

[Simon Linton]

The iMac was a new machine with Yosemite installed - at least that was what was advertised. It was sold in Paraguay, so I suppose it is possible that the Mac agent is using current advertising for less-than-current hardware,

Frankly I didn't check the OS number before updating, as I also had to migrate the hard drive of my previous OS 6.9 to the new machine. I ran software update and part of that update was a Mavericks install.

My Office is Mac 2008, which is currently working fine.

iPhoto also was updated to the latest version so my old iPhoto library can be read.

The complaints I saw were about Apple's new Photos package which some people have said is inferior to the old iPhoto - but as I said earlier, people tend to post when they are not happy rather than the reverse.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

We may be able to determine which version of OS X should have been installed on your iMac by using some of the system specs.

Apple > About This Mac... > System Report > Hardware Overview

Please list the following:

Model Identifier
Processor Name
Processor Speed
Bus Speed

If it is indeed a current model, there would be no way to downgrade from Yosemite to Mavericks, as the newer hardware doesn't support it.

iPhoto - does it give you an error when you try to launch it? If so, tell us what it says.

As honestone stated, we can definitely try to help you out.

C

 

[Simon Linton]

Here is the relevant data:


The model is identified as Late 2013 in the ID screen,

Model Identifier: iMac14,1

Processor Name: Intel Core i5

Processor Speed: 2.7 GHz

Number of Processors: 1

Total Number of Cores: 4

L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB

L3 Cache: 4 MB

iPhoto launches perfectly after its update from my earlier version to 9.5.1

 

[honestone]

Note that is a late 2013 model. In the US, retailers (both on-line and "brick and mortar") typically sell earlier models with the prior version of the OS on it. For example, last November, my wife and I purchased the prior 15" MacBook Pro model (brand new) for our oldest son from an on-line retailer, and it had Mavericks on it. I subsequently upgraded it to Yosemite for him. In your case, it would make sense that OS was Mavericks, but the machine can be upgraded to Yosemite. I suspect that as the case. And, what Cory says is correct, in terms to downgrading the OS. One can do that by themselves, but not automatically.

Regarding Office 2008, when I did a google search of "Can Office 2008 for the Mac run under Mavericks?", one of the links says "Yeas and No", as some folks are apparently having issues trying to do that. It also said that:

"Note, MS will not be supporting Office 2008 on Mavericks. Mavericks-related updates will be applied to Office 2011. So if you upgrade to Mavericks try Office 2008 but if there are issues be prepared to shell out $140 for the home/student 2011 version (or more for the version that includes Outlook)"

I suspect the same is true trying to use it with Yosemite. Again, though, Microsoft will still not be doing any upgrades to it for Mavericks and above. You might want to consider getting Office 2011 (I have it), or wait for Office 2015.

 

[Simon Linton]

Thank you for your help.

Now the 64,000 dollar question is having finally got the computer working on all the original Office software and with my iPhoto library operational, do I upgrade to Yosemite at all?

Is there any advantage for someone who is not going to integrate his phone, tablet, etc. etc. with his computer?

 

[Cory Cooper]

Glad you got it stable and working.

It's really up to you whether you proceed with the upgrade to Yosemite. If the new features aren't relevant to your needs and usage, you don't need to upgrade. However, at some point Mavericks will slow in its support and newer peripherals and third-party software releases/updates may require a newer version of OS X.

I also run Microsoft Office 2008, and haven't had any issues under Yosemite, other than the commonly reported slowness launching and quitting the apps.I prefer iPhoto/Aperture over Photos as well, and fortunately made a backup of my iPhoto Library before launching it the first time and converting my library. I used it for a few days, then deleted the upgraded Photos Library, replaced it with my backed up iPhoto Library, and have used iPhoto/Aperture since.

I would enjoy your new iMac for now, and after a while of using it, decide if you want to proceed with upgrading it to Yosemite. We're here if you have any additional issues or questions, so just let us know.

C

 

[honestone]

Hopefully, you'll perform disk maintenance/repairs/backups on a consistent basis. That will certainly help keep the iMac running smoothly, and give you piece of mind.

As for Office 2008, although it runs fine, you are risking the lack of updates from Microsoft with it, especially any having to do with security.