Apple made the leap towards its own chips, the Apple Silicon, back in 2020. Since then, the difference with the old Intel processors is brutal, both in terms of performance and in terms of efficiency, so the question of until when They plan to support said equipment is up in the air, but the answer is becoming clearer.
With the arrival of macOS Sequoia a few weeks ago, the answer seems to point towards 2026, as a key date for the end of full support for these devices. What does this mean for users who still have an Intel-based Mac? We tell you everything we know.
Until when you can update your Mac Intel
Apple usually offers software updates for its devices during approximately five yearsso it’s reasonable to think that many Intel-based Macs could no longer be supported in the near future. With macOS Sequoia, the latest version of Apple’s operating system, support has been reduced to a handful of devices with Intel processors, all released between 2017 and 2020. Among these still supported models are:
- Mac mini (2018)
- iMac (2019-2020)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- MacBook Air (2020)
- MacBook Pro (2018-2020)
- Mac Pro (2019)
As for the MacBook Pro, for example, the 2018 and 2019 models continue to receive updates, in part because they share similar versions of the low-power 8th generation Intel Core i5 and i7 chipsets. However, these models are likely to be among the last to receive new versions of macOS, given the rapid advancement in Apple Silicon adoption.
However, the case of the iMac Pro is different, which Apple presented at WWDC 2017, a curious exception in Apple’s support cycle. This device, which normally would have already fallen outside the range of five or six years of software updates, continues to receive support in Sequoia. This seems to respond to Apple’s intention to meet the needs of professional users who still depend on this model for demanding tasks.
2026 will be the last year for Intel chips
Apple plans that macOS 16, scheduled for 2025, will be the latest version compatible with Mac Intelguaranteeing users of these devices about five years of support from the launch of their devices. However, older models, such as the 2019 iMac or 2018 Mac mini, may be left out of this update.
If everything goes as planned, macOS 17, in 2026, will be the first exclusive version for Apple Silicon, leaving Intel Macs limited to old versions of the operating system and only security patches. This transition marks six years since the change of Apple towards its own chips and three since the last sale of Mac Intel.
For Intel Mac users, Apple will offer additional security patches for approximately two more years, until 2028, keeping their computers safe but without the new macOS. The transition means that many users will have to decide whether to continue with their Intel devices or consider upgrading to models with Apple Silicon to stay up to date on software.
