macOS 27 drops Intel Mac support, requires Apple Silicon

Apple's macOS 27 Golden Gate release will mark the end of support for Intel Macs, as announced last year. This year's operating system will require a Mac with an Apple Silicon chip, including the original M1 launched in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini in late 2020. Intel Macs running macOS 26 Tahoe can expect security and Safari patches for about two more years after the release of macOS 27 Golden Gate.

Macs running macOS 15 Sequoia will receive one more year of updates. Apple Silicon Macs will still be able to run Intel Mac apps via the Rosetta 2 compatibility layer in macOS 27, but future releases will begin to limit the technology, mainly to support older games that still use Intel code. This change has been a long time coming, and every new macOS release has left a longer and longer list of Intel Macs behind.

Many Mac owners who purchased late-model Intel machines in 2019 and 2020 could still run the latest version of the operating system, and third-party utilities like the OpenCore Legacy Patcher helped more adventurous Mac owners use their unsupported hardware a bit longer. Why this matters: The transition to Apple Silicon has significant implications for the Mac ecosystem. As Apple continues to phase out Intel Macs, developers will need to adapt to the new architecture to ensure compatibility with future macOS releases.

Businesses and consumers with older Intel Macs will need to consider upgrading to newer Apple Silicon models to receive security updates and support. The two-year support window for Intel Macs running macOS 26 Tahoe provides some breathing room, but it's clear that the industry is moving towards Apple Silicon. Open questions remain about the long-term viability of Rosetta 2 and the potential for compatibility issues with certain applications.

As the Mac ecosystem evolves, one thing is certain – Apple Silicon is here to stay.