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To release an app to the App Store or build one you need a Mac. So my sister offered me her 13" 2013 MacBook Air (128GB) for €200 (~$230). It's still running pretty well, so price-wise it's worth it (I guess).

But I heard that to use Xcode, you need the latest version, which is usually bound to the latest OS version.

Is this true? Do I need the latest OS version (High Sierra as of now) to develop and publish Mac/iOS apps?

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  • Welcome to Ask Different! :) I hope you come to find this site a valuable source of knowledge! However, I just wanted to alert you on a couple of things. First, because of the Q&A format of this site, each question should really only be one question, while you've got two distinct questions. And secondly, your second question is actually off topic here because it's primarily opinion-based (see What types of questions should I avoid asking?). For now I've taken the liberty of editing the second question out to reduce the risk of this being closed.
    – Monomeeth ♦
    Jun 14, 2018 at 9:00
  • Oh okay, thanks, I thought this was easier so people have some context, but I'll ask the other question or quora then.
    – Noodles
    Jun 14, 2018 at 9:02
  • With regard to the 2nd question you originally had, no-one can give you a definite. However, if it helps, the 13" 2010 MacBook Air supports macOS High Sierra while the 2009 MacBook Air doesn't. Your sister is offering you a 2013 model, so you should get some time out of it. However, unless this is just a way for you to test the water, so to speak, you'd really have to ask yourself whether a MacBook Air is really the right tool for the job.
    – Monomeeth ♦
    Jun 14, 2018 at 9:20

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The short answer is no, not necessarily.

Versions of Xcode, like any software, will have a minimum version of the operating system it requires to run. However, that isn't necessarily the latest version of the OS.

Some examples:

  • Xcode 9.2 requires as a minimum macOS Sierra 10.12.6 to run
  • Xcode 9.3 requires as a minimum macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 to run

This highlights the crux of the assumption in your question - that you need the latest version of Xcode to develop and publish apps. However, this assumption is false. Developers do not have to use the latest version of Xcode to develop and publish apps to the Mac or iOS App Stores. In fact, you don't necessarily have to use Xcode at all.

Having said all that, the latest release version of Xcode (9.4.1) requires macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 to run, so in that sense it does require the latest major version of macOS (although not the latest minor version). But, as I said, you don't need to use the latest version of Xcode to develop/publish an app.

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