What’s New and What’s Next for Apple and Your Devices
This week Apple hosted their latest World Wide Developer’s Conference. This is their yearly opportunity to announce (mostly to their developer audience) what’s coming to all their platforms in terms of software innovations and changes.
It’s also a look forward in terms of what those changes will mean to their global user audience and how it might impact you and your near-term purchasing decisions.
OS27 and Golden Gate
The next round of updates will be labeled 27, as in iOS27, iPadOS27 and MacOS 27 “Golden Gate.” Last year’s iOS26 and MacOS 26 “Tahoe” versions have matured as far as they are going to go, and now it’s time for a big shift. Apple narrowed down what their three main areas of focus will be in these updates:
- Platform improvements
- Trust and Safety
- Apple Intelligence and Siri
MacRumors created a 10-minute video that distills down everything that’s new and notable, which you can watch here.
We could devote many pages to all the upcoming changes announced at WWDC. But this article is to alert to you some changes that might affect your Mac and iOS hardware choices moving forward.
The End of the Intel Era (again)
Apple announced last year that MacOS 26 Tahoe would be the last operating system to support Intel-based Macs. That means that almost all pre-2020 Macs will not be able to take this upgrade. Those users will continue to be able to work using the Tahoe software, and Apple will likely continue putting out security patches for the next two years. (You can check your Mac’s processor by going to Apple menu:About This Mac.)
Besides all the other improvements coming with Golden Gate, Intel Macs cannot take advantage of any of the new AI features.
Here are the Macs compatible with macOS 27 Golden Gate:
- MacBook Neo (2026)
- MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
- MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
- iMac with Apple silicon (2021 and later)
- Mac mini with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
- Mac Studio with Apple silicon (2022 and later)
- Mac Pro with Apple silicon (2023 and later)
Anyone sticking with Tahoe will continue to get the necessary security patches. But for the latest features, though, the only path forward is a newer Mac.
Just like a used car, the Intel model you have now probably does most basic functions fine. For those who have paid a lot for their Intel Mac and feel it still suits them fine, I implore you to check out Apple Silicon Macs, and be thinking about replacing that model in the near future.
Rosetta 2 goes on, for now
For Macs that have Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4 and now M5), they use a trick called Rosetta 2, which is a macOS feature that translates Intel-based Mac apps to run on Apple Silicon Macs.
The whole point of Rosetta 2 was to buy some time for both app developers and Mac users. The users get to keep running their existing collection of Intel macOS apps, while developers update them to work on Apple Silicon.
The upcoming MacOS 27 Golden Gate will be the last version of the Mac software that will run Rosetta 2. That means for people who run rare and very old software from developers who are not planning to update their code will be out of luck next year. Most commercial developers have already updated their apps to Apple Silicon versions, but it’s worth checking out if your favorite (ancient) software will work. You can check it out at doesitarm.com
iPhones and AI
All iPhones that are able to run iOS 26 can also run iOS 27, though the older models will have a much reduced feature set. All iPhone models equipped with the A17 Pro chip or newer can run Apple’s AI, known as Apple Intelligence.
The specific iPhone models that support these built-in AI features include:
- iPhone 17 Series: iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17, and iPhone 17e
- iPhone 16 Series: iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16, and iPhone 16e
- iPhone 15 Series: iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro
So Many Decisions, So Little Time
Would you like some help considering your options and what your next, best Mac and/or iPhone might be for features and for your budget? Contact Us and we will get you set up!
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