Leaf&Core

This is The Last macOS for Intel Macs, and That’s Bullshit

Danielle from Leaf and Core
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Final release for Intel Mac text with a photo of a closed MacBook My personal Mac is a 2019 MacBook Pro. It has 64GB of RAM, a healthy 2TB drive that, admittedly, is getting a bit full, but I supplement it with 2TB of detachable Thunderbolt storage with a drive I assembled. The processor is a powerful i9 processor. For graphics, I usually don’t rely on the on-board AMD Radeon Pro 5500M, instead using an AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT I have in an external GPU. I’d upgrade it, but with Apple abandoning the eGPU, what would be the point? I got the eGPU to avoid planned obsolescence, but Apple found a way to get to me anyway.

In comparison, my work Mac is a 13-inch MacBook Pro with an M1 chip. It has 16GB of memory, 1TB of storage, and… it sucks. Good god does it suck. It is constantly locking up due to the “unified” (between processes and GPU) memory filling up and it thrashing with the onboard storage. It’s ridiculously slow. My older MacBook Pro is clearly the better machine.

So why the hell is Apple abandoning my Mac?

Simple, planned obsolescence.

Apple realized that people with powerful Intel Macs won’t upgrade on their own, so they’re going to start forcing us to update next year. Fortunately, we’ve still got a few years before owning and using an Intel Mac is dangerous for your security and privacy. Unfortunately, Apple’s latest operating system will be our last.

Tahoe, the Last macOS for Intel Macs

Usually leading up to WWDC, there are a few things that stand out as exciting. For the past few years, that hasn’t been true. Last year Apple touted a number of Siri and lousy Apple AI features they still haven’t delivered on. There’s a redesign. It looks like they’re trying to bring Windows Vista back. I’m sure that’ll go over well.

The real issue is what this little paint job will push to obsolescence. With my Intel MacBook Pro still outperforming my M1 MacBook Pro I got through work, it’s clearer to me than ever that Apple’s choice to abandon older, often better equipment is about pushing users to upgrade. Perhaps that was the real point of Apple’s own silicon all along. This year, Apple gave us the warning: macOS 26, Tahoe, will be the last macOS version that works on Intel Macs.

Yes, 26. This year, Apple announced they’ll now number their operating systems based on the year… after they’re revealed. Sort of like cars, I suppose. Like Windows 95, 98, or the “Millennium Edition!” Those were all great, right?

Apple’s changes won’t just affect what Macs get the new versions of macOS, they also affect what software works on macOS. With future versions, the number of libraries Apple will port using Rosetta 2 so apps made for Intel Macs will continue to work on new versions of macOS will also dwindle. Eventually, only a few exceptions, those that rely on libraries that are abandoned and cannot be ported over, will be left.

Tahoe’s limited feature set will be the last one for Intel Macs. A few shortcuts and a throwback to the aughts when everything had to look like glass because people thought it looked cool and new. This is the way the Intel Mac ends, not with a bang, but a whimper.

Security Updates Keep Macs Alive Longer

Fortunately, Apple will continue to give Intel Macs security updates until Fall of 2028. That means you can still safely use an Intel Mac until Apple has released macOS 28. However, after that, it could become risky. Without security updates, serious security flaws could eventually plague these machines. It’s never safe to continue using devices that have gone without security updates for some time.

Intel Mac users will be left with few options. Microsoft has abandoned even slightly older hardware with Windows 11, and 9-year-old Macs likely won’t make their list by Windows 12. Linux is always an option, although, the kind of person who likes using a Mac likely won’t be impressed by Linux. Linux is a lot of setup and work. People who use Macs like them for how easily they typically “just work.” There’s no replacement for that yet, unfortunately. It could help keep your Mac running safely until you can afford to fork over a small fortune to buy a new Mac, but it can never fully replace your workflow if you’re doing anything serious with your computer.

What Are You Gonna Do About It?

Apple’s prices are increasing rapidly. To get anything close to my Mac in performance in a modern MacBook Pro, I’d be spending about 50% more than I did in 2019. Apple’s in-house silicon should have allowed the company to control the supply chain and pricing better, but they just used it as an excuse to increase prices. All while you lose things like user-serviceable storage, memory, or an eGPU that could make your investment last longer.

But what are you going to do about it? Use Windows? Linux? Yeah, good luck with that. Maybe you can complain enough that legislators will catch on and punish companies for doing things like this. But not likely in the United States, where Apple’s headquarters is based. Perhaps in Europe? Citizens have a bit more rights and protections against greedy corporations there.

Besides, you can just throw away that old Mac and buy a new one every few years, right? Who really cares about the planet, anyway? Certainly not Apple.

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