As Apple announced last year, this year’s macOS release will end support for Intel Macs. The macOS 27 Golden Gate update will require a Mac with an Apple Silicon chip inside, including the original M1 from late 2020 models of MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini.

Intel Mac users on macOS 26 Tahoe can expect security and Safari patches for about two more years after the release of macOS 27 Golden Gate. Those 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 this technology.

This change has been a long time coming; every new macOS release has left a longer list of unsupported Intel Mac models behind. However, many Mac owners who purchased late-model Intel machines in 2019 and 2020 could still run the latest version of the operating system. Third-party utilities like OpenCore Legacy Patcher helped more adventurous users extend their hardware's lifespan.

The transition to Apple Silicon marks a significant shift for macOS, with older chips being phased out over time. While this might be inconvenient for some users, it also ensures better performance and security in future updates.