C’est la vie, as older hardware support becomes deprecated, so that Apple can focus its resources on newer models. Not exclusive to Apple by any means, it is a standard industry practice to end support for older hardware, and this time around, the reaper is coming for Intel-based Macs. It’s truly the end of an era in which these particular machines introduced lower-cost models. Anyone who thinks that these were high-priced ought to compare the previous IBM-based models. Meanwhile, this era introduced “Hackintosh”, a community of PC users who managed to run macOS on their PC builds. Well, after this year’s “Tahoe” OS gets released, that will all be a thing of the past.
According to MacRumors, Apple is ditching support for its Intel-based machines as of next year’s OS release. Moving forward, Apple is expected to design operating systems for Macs using its Apple Silicon. A beta of this OS should arrive in a couple of months, in June, but specific details regarding compatibility with all Apple Silicon have yet to be provided. It’s believed the M1, Apple’s first new SoC following Intel, which was debuted in 2020, will be supported. The Cupertino company could provide more info at its upcoming WWDC 2026 event.
Meanwhile, “Tahoe” will be able to run on Intel-based machines such as the 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019, 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020, featuring 4x Thunderbolt 3 ports), and 27-inch iMac (2020). Although it’s unlikely anyone is still running one, the first Intel-based Mac launched 20 years ago with the 15-inch MacBook Pro, along with 17-inch and 20-inch iMacs. The Intel Core Duo processors marked a change in performance and pricing, which saw the Mac become more widely used in homes, offices, and studios. Below is a promo clip from 2006 where Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and then Intel CEO Paul Otellini show off the new processor’s launch.