We weren’t thrilled by Apple’s lacklustre WWDC showing this year. Most disappointing was the news that the latest macOS update, named Tahoe, would be the last big hurrah for the company’s line-up of Intel-based Macs. It’s only been five years since Apple ditched Intel’s hardware and opted for something in-house, but that hasn’t stopped the company from putting the old hardware out to pasture.
Bros before Tahoes
All Intel Tahoe-supporting Macs still in operation will be privy to the features included in macOS Tahoe 26 when it arrives later this year. Beyond that, it’s just security updates for three more years before Apple disinvites it from the family braai. Many of the older Intel Macs are already out of the running, update-wise, but this change marks the final moments for the stragglers still hanging on.
The promise of three more years of security updates is something. Your ageing Mac may miss out on the latest Apple Intelligence features in three years — or not if Apple doesn’t get its AI wits together — but it will still at least be protected from the outside world. The change was originally announced during WWDC at a Platform State of the Union, following the main showcase from Tim Cook.
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“Apple Silicon enables us all to achieve things that were previously unimaginable, and it’s time to put all of our focus and innovation there,” Apple announced during the SOTU presentation. “And so, macOS Tahoe will be the final release for Intel Macs.”
Currently, only four Intel-based models are even worthy of upgrading to macOS 26. Those are the 2019 16in MacBook Pro, the 2020 13in MacBook Pro, 2019 Mac Pro, and the 2020 iMac. Otherwise, the news of Apple ditching regular software updates probably won’t come as a surprise if you’re still using anything older.
