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If you're using an older Mac or MacBook with an Intel chip, then we have bad news, as Apple has quietly killed off support for any device sold before 2020 that doesn't have an Arm-based Apple silicon chip (that is, Macs with M1 chips or newer, or the A18 Pro, in the MacBook Neo's case).
Apple announced macOS 27 Golden Gate at WWDC 2026, and highlighted new features and performance improvements. However, it didn't reveal which Macs would be getting the upcoming operating system, which is due to release 'this Fall', so expect it about October.
Instead, we found confirmation tucked away at the bottom of the macOS news site. This is a bit cheeky, as it's a major change that will impact a lot of people, though it's also not that surprising, as it was only a matter of time before Apple dropped support for older Macs.
This also means there's no Mac Pro or iMac Pro model which can run macOS 27. Will Apple silicon models come out this year for those super-powerful workstations? Let's hope.
Bye bye Intel
Here is the list of Macs and MacBooks that will be able to run macOS 27 Golden Gate:
- MacBook Air M1 or later
- MacBook Pro M1 or later
- MacBook Pro 13-inch M1 2020 or later
- MacBook Pro 14-inch M1 Pro 2021 or later
- MacBook Pro 16-inch M1 Pro 2021 or later
- MacBook Neo
- iMac M1 2020 or later
- Mac mini M1 2020 or later
- Mac Studio 2022 and later
By concentrating on its own chips, which use Arm architecture, Apple also no longer has to worry about Macs running on Intel's x86 chip tech, which will hopefully mean the macOS team has more scope to improve the performance of the software and add features in the future.
If you have an Intel Mac, you can continue to use it with macOS 26, though running an older operating system that might not get security updates in the future isn't recommended. So, it might be time to consider a new Mac — see below for some top deals.
➡️ Read our full guide to the best MacBooks and Macs
1. Best MacBook overall:
MacBook Air 13-inch M5
2. Best budget MacBook:
MacBook Neo
3. Best Mac:
Mac mini (M4)
4. Best MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro 14-inch M5
5. Best Mac for professionals
Mac Studio M4 Max
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- MacBook Air M1 or later
- MacBook Pro M1 or later
- MacBook Pro 13-inch M1 2020 or later
- MacBook Pro 14-inch M1 Pro 2021 or later
- MacBook Pro 16-inch M1 Pro 2021 or later
- MacBook Neo
- iMac M1 2020 or later
- Mac mini M1 2020 or later
- Mac Studio 2022 and later
