A fresh coat of paint, new apps, and Apple Intelligence integration
Apple releases the very latest version of their California-themed operating system software for Macs, MacOS Tahoe 26 on September 15th. As always, there is a laundry list of new features and shiny things to experience. Whether or not it is a good choice for you to upgrade to MacOS Tahoe has a lot of contributing factors worth considering. Some users experience performance issues after updating their Macs, so it’s worth researching it first before diving in. Note: All of Apple’s OS releases coming out this year use “26,” which reflects the 2025–2026 release season for the new software.
Can my Mac take this upgrade?
Not sure if you’ll have the option? Apple says these are the Macs that will support macOS Tahoe:
- MacBook Air: 2020 models with Apple silicon or later.
- MacBook Pro: 2020 models with Apple silicon or later, plus the 2019 16-inch model and the 2020 13-inch model with four Thunderbolt 3 ports (both Intel-based).
- iMac: 2020 models and later.
- Mac mini: 2020 models with Apple silicon or later.
- Mac Studio: All models.
- Mac Pro: 2019 models and later.
As of this writing, Mac OS Sequoia 15.6.1 is the latest version of their previous Mac OS.
Apple has their own page, MacOS Tahoe, which gives all the highlights.
A Very Important Note to Mac Server Users
Mac OS Tahoe discontinues the ability to connect to a Mac or Synology server using the same AFP protocol that has been in place for 30 years. The replacement is the SMB or “Samba” protocol that has been used by Windows users for years. This requires users to also install VPN software for security reasons. If you think this may be you, contact us and we can get you taken care of.
Reasons to upgrade to MacOS Tahoe
MacOS Tahoe’s main features include the new “Liquid Glass” design with frosted, transparent elements and rounder corners, enhanced Apple Intelligence features like Genmoji and Live Translation, a dedicated Phone app for Mac, a cross-platform Games app, and a redesigned Spotlight with enhanced features and an integrated Applications view. Other updates include an expanded control center, more personalization options for icons and folders, and better Continuity experiences across devices.
Design
- Liquid Glass: A new visual style across the system with frosted and translucent elements, making windows, the Dock, and toolbars feel more integrated with the content.
- Customization: Users can now customize app icons with dark, clear, or tinted color options and change the color of system folders for a personalized look.
- Control Center: The control center is updated with the new liquid glass design and offers more ways to add, arrange, and resize controls.
- Menu Bar: The menu bar is now fully transparent, providing a larger perceived screen space.
Apple Intelligence & Productivity
- Apple Intelligence: Expanded capabilities include new features like Genmoji and Image Playground for creativity, and Live Translation for communicating across languages. Note: requires a Mac with Apple Silicon.
- Spotlight: The system search has been supercharged with enhanced intelligent ranking, integration with Apple Intelligence, and a browse view.
- Applications View: Launchpad is replaced with an App Library-style interface that organizes apps by category, with a new “Applications” section integrated into
Continuity & New Apps
- Phone App for Mac: For the first time, the Phone app comes to the Mac, providing access to iPhone contacts, voicemails, and new features like Call Screening.
- Games App: A new cross-platform Games app is introduced, offering a dedicated place to play and manage games on your Mac.
- iPhone Mirroring: Live Activities from iPhone can now appear in the Mac’s menu bar, allowing for quick interaction with iPhone content.
Here’s a good video highlighting 30 of Sequoia’s new features.
One big reason to upgrade
As Apple releases new models of Macs, from this point forward, they will only run the Tahoe OS. Apple’s security and stability support for previous versions of the Mac OS will dwindle. That makes Tahoe the most stable and secure version of OS software to run on your Mac.
One reason to NOT upgrade
If you have a mission-critical app that you use in your daily business, you may want to wait until the authors of that software have released a version confirmed to be compatible with Tahoe. Reverting your Mac system backwards to a version pre-Tahoe is a non-trivial task. It will likely involve hours of labor and some major headaches.
Also, unless there is a specific new feature in Tahoe that you are wanting to take advantage of, your current Mac operating system will continue to work just fine. It will likely be supported by Apple for at least another two years with small security and stability updates.
An Ounce of Prevention…
If you are ready to dive in, the very first thing to do is to make a solid backup of your existing data, using TimeMachine or other backup software. RoaringApps has a full listing of which apps are compatible with Tahoe and which are not. The installer download is huge, and you will need plenty of hard drive space for the install to complete.
Go to Apple Menu:System Preferences:Software Update or on a newer Macs, Apple Menu:System Settings:Software Update to allow your Mac system to update to Sequoia.
Want some help with that?
Contact Us if you would like some help with making your transition to Tahoe as smooth and as safe as possible. We will get it done!
