- macOS 16 (or macOS 26) could drop support for some Intel Macs
- Rumors suggest these will include my 2018 MacBook Pro
- But it likely won’t be the end of the road for all Intel-powered Macs yet
My trusty 2018 MacBook Pro has served me well over the years, processing thousands of photos and more without complaint – but the latest macOS 16 rumors suggest its days are, like most Intel-powered Macs, very much numbered.
WWDC 2025 is now just days away and, according to a report from Apple Insider, macOS 16 – or macOS 26 Tahoe, as it seems likely to be named – will drop support for many Intel Mac models, including (sniff) mine.
Apple Insider says that “people familiar with the matter” have told it that only the Macs listed below will be able to run macOS 16. Notable by their absence are the 2018 MacBook Pro, 2020 Intel-based MacBook Air, 2017 iMac Pro, and 2018 Mac mini, all of which currently support the current macOS Sequoia.
- Rumored macOS 26 compatibility list
- MacBook Pro 2019 or later
- MacBook Air M1 or later
- iMac 2020 or later
- Mac Pro 2019 or later
- Mac mini M1 or later
- Mac Studio
There are two other things to note about this list. One is that, if it is indeed accurate when Apple announces macOS 26 on June 9, it wouldn’t yet mark a significant end for all Intel-powered Macs.
The 2019 MacBook Pro, 2020 5K iMac, and 2019 Mac Pro would all soldier on until 2026. Next year, macOS 27 may presumably then become the first desktop OS to exclusively support Apple Silicon-powered Macs, which would be a big moment if so.
Secondly, those four Intel-powered Macs that are seemingly on the chopping block for macOS 26 wouldn’t necessarily be obsolete. Apple typically continues to provide another two years of security-only updates for machines in that position, so I wouldn’t necessarily have to wave goodbye to my 2018 MacBook Pro.
And yet, macOS 26 will likely be the excuse I’ve been looking for to do just that…
My next MacBook
Moving to an Apple Silicon MacBook has been on my wishlist for a few years now, but buying one isn’t exactly a $20 challenge. Still, if Apple does announce on June 9 that my 2018 MacBook Pro isn’t invited to the Tahoe party, it’ll likely be the nudge I need to make the leap – the other being that my MacBook is now very much showing its age.
There’s all the usual seven-year-old laptop signs, like needing to be constantly connected to a charger and the fan going into overdrive at the merest hint of anything more taxing than three Chrome tabs. And yes, it does also have the much-maligned Touch Bar, which I’ve grown to like despite it being largely useless.
But it’s really photo and video editing where my MacBook Pro is showing its advancing years. Adobe Lightroom’s AI-powered noise reduction, for example, is very impressive, but applying it to one photo can take several minutes and makes the base of my laptop feel hot enough for cooking a steak dinner.
The question for me will likely be whether to get a MacBook Air 13-inch M4 or wait for the M5 MacBook Pro, which is expected to land later this year alongside M5 chips (possibly in “the fall” of 2025, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman).
With the former sitting at the top of our best laptops guide and likely offering everything I’ll need (Liquid Retina display with P3 color gamut, 10-core Apple M4 chip and all-day battery life), I’m leaning towards that – particularly as it starts at a pretty reasonable $999 / £999 / AU$1,699. Which will somehow double when I add more RAM and storage.
There are also the rumors that this year’s MacBook Pro M5 might be a slightly disappointing upgrade. The real fireworks are likely coming with a redesigned MacBook Pro M6 that’s been tipped to land in 2026 with an OLED display, according to rumors at least.
So while my tired 2018 MacBook Pro isn’t completely obsolete yet, the switch to an M4-powered MacBook would likely feel like a night-and-day difference – and those are now pretty rare.
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mark.wilson@futurenet.com (Mark Wilson)
