My iMac is too old to talk to my updated iPhone ?!?

[Kaolinium]

Hi, I'm a self realized stick in the mud. I tend to get comfortable with the OS I'm using and I don't like to budge unless I'm forced to.
It started with my iPhone 4 was acting funny so I "finally" updated it to OS7. But now my computer and iTunes wont talk to my phone. It said I must update iTunes. So I go to update iTunes. It tells me my OSX is too old and I need a 10.7 or 8 or greater. So, I'm trying to update my iMac from 10.5.8.
I tried to download the latest version, that was a joke. finding that perhaps I should start from the bottom up, I try to download 10.6 but now my iMac wont recognize how to use the program. Arrg! I do realize I've had my iMac since 2008 but is there any way to make this thing functional?

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

Before you can upgrade to 10.7 you need 10.6 (Snow Leopard) first, & then you just update it to 10.6.8 for free (using Software Update), because higher OS versions are only availble in the App Store/online, starting with 10.6.8 or greater.

AUS: Apple Store - 10.6 Snow Leopard $24.99

US: Apple Store - 10.6 Snow Leopard $19.99

UK: Apple Store - 10.6 Snow Leopard £14.00

Alternatively you can call the phone number found on the Apple Online Store website for your region.

After upgrading to 10.6.8, check the system requirements for Lion and Mountain Lion:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4949

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5444

It's soooo cheap to update, compared to the old days!