Engadget
Golden Gate supports a lot of Mac models, but it's the end of the line for Intel machines.
The latest version of macOS, dubbed Golden Gate, has arrived. macOS 27 isn't an update available to all MacBook users. Depending on the age of your machine, you might be stuck with macOS 26 Tahoe indefinitely. However, this doesn't mean that some older MacBook models aren't worth the investment anymore — it depends on the specific chipset inside.
Golden Gate introduces several new features and improvements to your Mac, perhaps the biggest of which is an AI-centric Siri overhaul aimed at making the digital assistant more useful in everyday tasks. Other changes include a more customizable (and in theory, less contentious) Liquid Glass, AI photo editing tools, automatic tab organization in Safari, general performance enhancements and much more. You might need to free up some room for macOS 27, which takes up more space than Tahoe — that is, if your device can run the OS at all.
Golden Gate draws a line at the start of the Apple silicon era, so if your Mac uses an Intel chip, macOS 27 is incompatible across the board. Generally, this means if your MacBook is from 2021 or later, you're all set to upgrade your OS. There are a couple of 2020 release exceptions: the M1 chip versions of the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air can also run Golden Gate.
In case you're not sure what you have, click the Apple menu at the top-left of the screen and choose About This Mac. If you see Chip followed by a M-series processor like M3, you're on Apple silicon. Intel Macs will instead say Processor, followed by a CPU model like Intel Core i5.
This discontinued support comes as no surprise, considering the Mac transition away from Intel hardware has been in the works since 2020. Though the change may have been sparked by a desire for more in-house tech, according to a former Intel engineer, it may have also come down to bad quality assurance with Intel's Skylake line. As inconvenient as it may be for those with older MacBooks, Golden Gate being the first macOS release that's Apple silicon-only is the final step in this transition.
If Apple's recent support timelines continue, macOS Tahoe will receive two more years of security updates, so those with an Intel Mac will be covered through September 2028. At that point, it will be time to upgrade. Alongside six-year-old computers getting the latest software update, it's safe to say Apple's older hardware support has been strong.