macOS Golden Gate Marks the End of an Era
macOS 27 Golden Gate is not compatible with any Macs with Intel processors, marking the end of an era. The update, which was released today following three months of beta testing, is limited to Apple silicon Macs with an M1 chip or newer.
Last year, Apple said that macOS 26 Tahoe would be the final macOS release compatible with Intel-based Macs, so this was an expected development.
Intel Macs that can run macOS Tahoe, but not macOS Golden Gate:
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
- 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019)
- 27-inch iMac (2020)
- Mac Pro (2019)
Apple said Intel-based Macs will continue to receive security updates for three years.
macOS 27 Golden Gate can still run Intel apps on Apple silicon, as it is the final major macOS release to include Apple's full Rosetta translation layer.
Here are the Macs compatible with macOS Golden Gate, according to Apple:
- MacBook Neo (2026)
- MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
- MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
- iMac (2021 and later)
- Mac mini (2020 and later)
- Mac Studio (2022 and later)
- Mac Pro (2023 and later)
macOS Golden Gate features Siri AI, design improvements, performance enhancements, and more.
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