MacOS 27 Golden Gate: All the Macs Compatible With the New OS - CNET
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Apple officially unveiled macOS 27 Golden Gate at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2026, definitively ending support for all Intel-based Macs and making its latest operating system exclusive to Apple Silicon devices. This landmark announcement, confirming years of speculation, signals the complete culmination of Apple transition to its custom-designed M-series chips, pushing a new era of AI-centric features and performance. This strategic pivot, emphasized during WWDC, highlights Apple deep integration of hardware and software, leveraging the Neural Engine capabilities inherent to Apple Silicon for enhanced Siri AI and broader Apple Intelligence features. While offering a public beta later this summer ahead of a fall release, the move forces a critical upgrade cycle for remaining Intel Mac users and a re-compilation imperative for developers still maintaining Intel-only binaries, as Rosetta 2 is slated for removal in macOS 28. The implications extend beyond user upgrades; developers must now swiftly adapt to ensure their applications remain compatible with the silicon-only future, or risk obsolescence when Rosetta 2 vanishes in 2027. This decisive shift not only optimizes the macOS experience for Apple proprietary hardware but also sharpens its competitive edge in the evolving landscape of AI-powered computing.