If you received your M3 MacBook Pro already, chances are it came with an outdated OS

Some M3 MacBook Pros are outdated already

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Early adopter customers have already begun receiving their14-inch M3 MacBook Prolaptops, but there’s one caveat: some of them won’t let you installApple’s latestoperating system,macOS Sonoma.

It seems there were a good portion of buyers who received M3-powered MacBook Pros equipped with an outdated OS, namely macOS Ventura. When attempting to update to the most recent version through the System Settings app, they found that macOS Ventura 13.5 was listed as the latest version. And apparently, it’s not just MacBook Pros either, as the recent24-inch M3 iMachas been encountering the same issue as reported by9to5Mac.

Even trying to update through the Mac App Store fails, with one of the error messages stating: “The requested version of macOS is not available. Please check if your Mac is compatible with this software.”

This strange problem has been encountered byDaniel Rotarwho hosts theYouTubechannel ZONEofTECH, as well asother users from around the world.

Though it can be remedied bydownloading the Install Assistantfor the M3 version of macOS Sonoma 14.1, it’s still an odd issue to have in the first place. However, according to researcher and Twitter/X userAaron, the reason might have to do with what version of macOS Ventura those malfunctioning Macs have.

Apple has just mysteriously released 2 new versions of Rosetta for macOS 13.5 (which came out in July)The original Rosetta 13.5 from July has a build number of 22G74 pic.twitter.com/GQWYDgm5TYNovember 7, 2023

As the tweet points out (and has since been verified by theMacRumors forums), those Macs shipped with an unreleased build of Rosetta 13.5 with a build number of 22G74. This is significant because most likely it means those laptops have been sitting in a warehouse since July 2023.

Apple needs to do better

Even if those MacBook Pros and iMacs had been sitting in a warehouse for months before shipping out, the idea of them being released with such a major issue is still disappointing. Apple should have properly inspected these devices, especially if they’ve been in storage for so long.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

Presumably, Apple will release a patch soon to allow affected users to update their Macs through the System settings app or the official Apple website. Considering how much these products cost in the first place, I couldn’t imagine getting a product that can’t even update to the latest OS.

Let’s hope this will be a lesson learned for Apple to be more thorough in the future, as multiple cases like this can seriously affect its reputation.

You might also like

Named by the CTA as a CES 2023 Media Trailblazer, Allisa is a Computing Staff Writer who covers breaking news and rumors in the computing industry, as well as reviews, hands-on previews, featured articles, and the latest deals and trends. In her spare time you can find her chatting it up on her two podcasts, Megaten Marathon and Combo Chain, as well as playing any JRPGs she can get her hands on.

MacBook Air OLED reportedly delayed until at least 2028 – here’s why

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024) review: one of the best Pro laptops around just got better

Belkin’s Travel Bag for Vision Pro has pockets and is way cheaper than Apple’s own case