1 of the nifty benefits of Apple moving to Intel CPUs is that we have admission to Google's Chrome browser, which apace displaced Firefox equally the alternative browser of option among Windows users after its release in Sept. 2008. For some of us, that is coming to an end in April.

Warning message from Google

Google Chrome 5.0 (May 2010) was the first version available on Macs and Linux; previous versions were Windows-only. It never supportedBone Ten 10.4 Tiger and initially requiredOs X x.5 Leopard, which it abased on Sept. 15, 2012 with the release of Chrome 22. Version 39 (Nov. 2014) left behind 32-bit only Macs (Cadre Solo and Core Duo models from 2006), although it worked but fine on 64-bit Macs running OS 10 10.half dozen Snow Leopard.

This time Google isn't but leaving behind 1 or two versions of Bone Ten – it's dropping OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, x.7 Lion, and 10.viii Mount King of beasts. Those were release in August 2009, July 2011, and July 2012, respectively, with Mountain Lion last updated in Oct 2013, so betwixt them they were current for a period of more than than four years and the virtually recent version was updated only two-1/2 years ago.

Google Chrome blogAnyhow, here's what Google has to say about information technology:

Earlier this year, we announced that Google Chrome would proceed support for Windows XP through the residual of 2015. At that fourth dimension, we strongly encouraged users on older, unsupported platforms such equally Windows XP to update to a supported, secure operating arrangement. Such older platforms are missing disquisitional security updates and take a greater potential to be infected past viruses and malware.

Today, we're announcing the stop of Chrome's support for Windows XP, too equally Windows Vista, and Mac OS Ten ten.half-dozen, 10.7, and 10.viii, since these platforms are no longer actively supported past Microsoft and Apple tree. Starting April 2016, Chrome volition proceed to function on these platforms but will no longer receive updates and security fixes.

If you lot are still on one of these unsupported platforms, we encourage yous to move to a newer operating system to ensure that you go on to receive the latest Chrome versions and features.

Posted by Marc Pawliger, Director of Engineering science and Early Notifier

Google hasn't been alone at leaving behind older versions of Mac Os X. Firefox 4 didn't support Bone Ten ten.4 Tiger at all. That was way back in 2010. Firefox sixteen works with OS X x.5 Leopard, simply version 17, released November. xx, 2012, does not. Firefox nonetheless supports OS X ten.half dozen Snow Leopard with version 44 and looks like information technology will continue to do then.

Update: Firefox 47 (released June 2016, terminal version 47.0.one in June 2016) was the last version to back up Snow Leopard, merely Firefox 45esr (released March 2016, terminal version was 45.9.0 in April 2017) has more up-to-date security.

Let's not even get into how apace Apple tree drops support for legacy versions of Os X with its Safari browser. That's probably 1 of the big reasons people using older versions of OS X are looking to Chrome and Firefox instead of Safari.

I can understand Apple doing this. They want you lot to buy new hardware. That'due south why you can download OS X for free starting with 10.9 Mavericks (the outset version since ten.6 that I've used because of this). If your Mac can run Mavericks, Yosemite, or El Capitan, you tin have a fairly up-to-date version of Safari, iTunes, and Apple's other apps.

I can't empathise why Google is doing this. Since when does Google care if Windows XP, Vista, and Bone X 10.half-dozen, 10.seven, and ten.8 are actively supported past Microsoft and Apple? Perhaps it's Google's development tools that requires Windows 7 or OS X 10.nine. Possibly it'south simply that Google Chrome is the almost pop browser in the world, so what if y'all lose a few legacy users?

Our site stats for February, which exercise skew toward people with older hardware, shows 11.4% of site visitors using an Intel Mac are using OS X x.6 Snowfall Leopard, and half-dozen.2% are even so on ten.seven Lion, while 10.8 Mountain Lion is in its death throes at just iii.0%. OS X 10.9 Mavericks, only two versions old, is backside Snowfall Leopard at 8.7%, and x.10 Yosemite has already dropped from a high of 52% to 18.8% while 10.11 El Capitan accounts for nearly half our Intel Mac traffic at 49%.

Firefox logo

Firefox looks like the lone holdout amidst the big iii Mac browser makers. The Mozilla team has non announced its intention to leave backside OS Ten 10.6 Snow Leopard users, at least not yet. As one of them – I accept Snow Leopard on my 2007 Mac mini – I am grateful.

If you use Snowfall Leopard, Panthera leo, or Mount Lion, I hope you are grateful as well. Apple's Safari has abandoned you lot. Google's Chrome has abandoned you. Just Firefox has not!

If yous haven't tried it lately, maybe this is a good time to cheque out Firefox 44.

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