Apple's Next OS Officially Ends the Intel Mac Era

Apple's next major macOS update will officially drop support for all Intel-based Macs, ending a nearly two-decade-long era in computing.

Apple is officially ending major software support for its Intel-based Macs. The next version of its desktop operating system, macOS 27, will be the first to run exclusively on machines with Apple Silicon chips. This move completes a multi-year transition away from Intel, which began in 2020. While the upcoming OS marks a definitive cutoff for new features, it's not an immediate shutdown. The last generation of Intel Macs capable of running the current macOS 26 will continue to receive critical security patches for another two years. Additionally, Apple’s Rosetta 2 technology, which allows modern Macs to run older Intel-based applications, will remain available for the foreseeable future to ensure a smoother transition for legacy software.

For IT, security, and leadership teams, this announcement serves as a final deadline for hardware lifecycle planning. Any remaining Intel Macs in a company's fleet must be scheduled for replacement to maintain access to the latest features, performance improvements, and full OS-level security. Relying on aging hardware beyond the support window introduces significant security vulnerabilities and compatibility issues. For developers, this solidifies Apple's platform direction, reinforcing the need to build and optimize applications for the ARM-based architecture of Apple Silicon. The performance and efficiency gains of the new chips are now the sole focus of the Mac ecosystem's evolution.

The end of the Intel era mirrors Apple's previous successful platform shift from PowerPC to Intel in 2006. That transition was driven by a need for better performance and thermal efficiency, the same reasons cited for the current move to Apple Silicon. By controlling the entire hardware and software stack, Apple can achieve tighter integration, optimize performance, and introduce custom capabilities not possible with third-party processors. This long-term strategy gives organizations a clear signal about the future of the Mac, ensuring that investments in the platform are aligned with Apple's technical roadmap.

This move solidifies Apple's full commitment to its own silicon, forcing the entire Mac ecosystem—from developers to enterprise IT—to complete the transition away from Intel-based hardware and software. It marks a definitive end to a major era in personal computing.

Businesses must now finalize hardware refresh plans to replace aging Intel Macs, as they will no longer receive feature updates and will eventually lose security support. This requires budget allocation for new Apple Silicon machines to avoid future productivity and security risks.