I bought a new M5 MacBook Air and want to return it because of Tahoe.

[turbineseaplane]

God, even I'm starting to think about selling this M5 and getting an M4 just to get off Tahoe.

I use my MBA docked most of the time and the HDMI audio bugs that crop up after 24-36 hours of usage are so frustrating. It starts skipping randomly and it's only solved by rebooting.

Ugh.

Tahoe is such a dumpster fire.

 

[avkills]

I would hold on to the machine. WWDC is right around the corner, so it will be interesting to see if Apple is going to double down on the excessive rounded corners or tone it back. I hope they tone it back some. There are actually some features in Tahoe I would like to have; but I see no point in upgrading until I see what the next version has in store.

 

[AslashA]

"In principle", I have to disagree. Operating systems have always "gotten in the way" of what any particular user and application want or need. DOS was basically a boot loader. You could do the same today, roll your own single-purpose apps and run them one at a time. But, we don't do that.

But, here's the real kicker. The security threat environment just jumped way back up. "AI" may not be good at actual intelligence, but, as a tool to assist someone who is already good at cracking security boundaries, it has already been shown to be a power tool. So, we are all going to have to devote not only our time, but, the time of our CPUs/systems, to protecting themselves.

I understand your point of view. In some respects, I even agree with it. However, that doesn't explain or justify what's been happening with macOS Tahoe since its release and to this day. Again, this shouldn't happen in a normal modern operating system.

Which leads me back to the original issue: an older iPad languishing is one thing, but, really, most people using MacOS systems for personal or professional business should be on the current-release track.

I disagree here. For personal use, you can use anything, even the latest operating systems. However, professional users generally prefer stability to innovation, as this carries potential risks that are unacceptable to them.

 

[BSDnostalgia]

professional users generally prefer stability to innovation, as this carries potential risks that are unacceptable to them.

I used to hear that a lot. But, the balance point for what stability means has changed wrt security.

Canvas

 

[Black_Mage]

Nik, my advice is to keep the laptop and wait for MacOS 27. That's good hardware. I trust that 27 will right the wrongs of 26.

 

[pjschmid]

Okay, I just got a new MacBook and of course it has Tahoe installed. I don't understand what the issues are that would lead someone to return a new M5 MacBook. Admittedly, my old MacBook was very old as was the OS, but I honestly don't see what the problem is. There were some UI features that I didn't like but I found the settings to make them stop irritating me. Now everything works pretty much as I remember it. Rounded window corners, which seem to be the most frequently mentioned thing, seem like a silly thing to return a laptop over. So what's the deal?

 

[BSDnostalgia]

Rounded window corners, which seem to be the most frequently mentioned thing, seem like a silly thing to return a laptop over. So what's the deal?

If it is working for you, don't worry about it. Enjoy your new computer.

 

[Nik]

Well... OP... what did you do?
Inquiring minds want to know.

I am currently testing it. My other devices are still on Sequoia.

After just a few hours of use I found several very obvious UI/UX bugs which I find really strange, especially when considering that this is a .5 release already. I do not understand how any decent UI designer would give windows different corner radii which results in light windows showing through behind the darker ones, see attached screenshot. When selecting a wallpaper, it occasionally scrolls up or down. This is just the stuff that I found after a very short period of time.

Apple used to be about minimalism and usability, this is nothing like that. Hard to believe that Tahoe is from Apple. Apparently there has to be a rounded box around everything for no apparent reason, and they aren't even consistent or properly aligned sometimes.

On my Mac, I want to get stuff done, I do not need the operating system to be in the way or distract me, Apple used to understand that.

Attached are two examples, as mentioned in the text, there is more.

I find it very perplexing that bugs – which I can find after an hour of use without even trying – are not fixed in a .5 release.

 

[dizmonk]

Okay, I just got a new MacBook and of course it has Tahoe installed. I don't understand what the issues are that would lead someone to return a new M5 MacBook. Admittedly, my old MacBook was very old as was the OS, but I honestly don't see what the problem is. There were some UI features that I didn't like but I found the settings to make them stop irritating me. Now everything works pretty much as I remember it. Rounded window corners, which seem to be the most frequently mentioned thing, seem like a silly thing to return a laptop over. So what's the deal?

Tahoe has bugs.. however I am finding that 26.5 is a lot better than 26.4.1. I'm keeping my M5 Air.

 

[pjschmid]

Tahoe has bugs.. however I am finding that 26.5 is a lot better than 26.4.1. I'm keeping my M5 Air.

Well, every OS has bugs and annoying features of some kind. Hell, I have to use Windows at work everyday but I make it work (don't get me started on copilot 🙄). There are things about MacOS that frustrate me too. I deal and learn ways to get around things I don't like. Life is a series of compromises. You can obsess on them and make yourself miserable or just get on with it.

 

[TracerAnalog]

I just bought an M5 MacBook Air. I like the hardware but really dislike MacOS Tahoe. The user interface is unfinished, distracting and it wastes space. I think other people covered these issues in detail.

The thing is: I thought that I would be able to downgrade to Sequoia somehow, unfortunately I have not found a way to do so for an M5 machine.

Hence, I am on the verge of sending the machine back for a refund.

Has anyone come across a solution to downgrade an M5 machine to Sequoia? Has anyone else considered NOT upgrading to new hardware due to the lackluster MacOS?

I don't get the 'hate' for Tahoe. But this is how MacOS will look going forward. I see no point in going back to an older OS; you'll lock yourself out of important updates and software compatibility. That's fine the first two years but then it might become an issue.

 

[Dirk Pieters]

Okay, I just got a new MacBook and of course it has Tahoe installed. I don't understand what the issues are that would lead someone to return a new M5 MacBook. Admittedly, my old MacBook was very old as was the OS, but I honestly don't see what the problem is. There were some UI features that I didn't like but I found the settings to make them stop irritating me. Now everything works pretty much as I remember it. Rounded window corners, which seem to be the most frequently mentioned thing, seem like a silly thing to return a laptop over. So what's the deal?

I don’t get the rounded corners complaints either. Sure: it would be nicer if there was some consistency in them and maybe the radius of the border is a bit weird, but how does that get in the way of actually using your computer, I wonder.

I turned off the things that I didn’t like and it pretty much feels the same as before. In the end, an operating system - for me - is just something that allows me to run the apps I need to do my work and invoice my customers.

In no way does Tahoe interfere with that.