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Here Are the macOS Sequoia Features Intel Macs Don't Support

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When Apple released macOS Monterey in 2021, some key features required a Mac with Apple silicon. The same scenario played out with macOS Ventura in 2022, and then again the following year with the release of macOS Sonoma. With macOS Sequoia now released, there are again new features that aren't available to Intel Mac owners.

Apple-WWDC24-macOS-Sequoia-hero-240610.jpg

Apple says that macOS Sequoia is compatible with the same Macs as macOS Sonoma other than the 2018 and 2019 MacBook Air, but Apple's fine print reveals that certain new features won't work on Intel machines that are otherwise compatible with macOS Sequoia. If you're still on an Intel Mac, here's what you won't have access to.

Apple Intelligence

apple-intelligence.jpg

Apple Intelligence, a deeply integrated, personalized AI feature set for Apple devices that uses cutting-edge generative artificial intelligence to enhance the user experience, won't be available on Intel Macs. Apple says the advanced features require its M1 chip or later, so if your Mac was released before November 2020, you're out of luck. Apple is expected to begin adding Apple Intelligence features to macOS Sequoia in a macOS 15.1 update that should arrive sometime in October.

Live Audio Transcription

apple-notes-live-audio-transcription.jpg

Live audio transcription lets you record audio sessions within notes in Apple Notes, and generate live audio transcriptions that can be searched through or combined with other documents, checklists, or documents. According to Apple, support for live audio transcription in the Notes app is limited to machines powered by Apple silicon.

What Else?

Surprisingly, nothing! Apple is not withholding any other new features in macOS Sequoia, meaning users with supported Intel Macs will be able to enjoy things like the ability to schedule messages to send later, Reminder integration with Calendars, a new standalone Passwords app, window tiling, and more. Even Apple's latest continuity feature, iPhone Mirroring, works on Intel-based Mac computers that have a T2 Security Chip. For all the details, be sure to check out our macOS 15 roundup.

Article Link: Here Are the macOS Sequoia Features Intel Macs Don't Support
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/09/17/macos-sequoia-features-intel-macs-wont-support/
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It’s amazing they kept Rosetta alive this long. Unfortunately most of my Intel apps have some 32bit libraries. Wish we could compile missing 32bit libs like you can with Ubuntu, even on newer 64bit versions. :rolleyes:
Because of this limitations I have to keep an Intel Mac mini around.
 
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So even if you buy a new Mac or iPhone, you're not going to get a full year of use of new AI features as Apple is delaying them to 2025, at which point, there will be updated Macs and phones to buy.

Bit tired of Apple announcing features that won't come for a long while.
 
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Ad47uk said:
not supporting Apple Intelligence is maybe a good thing. If I update my Mac mini to Sequoia I will disable all the AI rubbish.
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I keep seeing this, how come yourself and so many people seem to shut down AI stuff as rubbish? Have you tried chatgpt or any alternatives? It can be really powerful and I’m very excited for Apple Intelligence. Genuinely interested to hear your perspective.

- I don’t really understand why people have clicked ‘disagree’, you disagree with a question? 😅
 
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Two features I don’t care about. Just like the few features in previous releases that I would never use. It’s great that Apple has provided much longer support than PowerPC Macs, which only got two macOS releases (Tiger and Leopard), before they went Intel only.
 
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*The only compatibility change between macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia is...Apple dropped support for the MacBook Air 2018 and 2019.
 
Fraserh02 said:
I keep seeing this, how come yourself so many people seem to shut down AI stuff as rubbish? Have you tried chatgpt or any alternatives? It can be really powerful and I’m very excited for Apple Intelligence. Genuinely interested to hear your perspective.
Click to expand...
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Always has been, always will be.

If you like something, use it and be happy. The fact that other people don’t like or don’t find useful what you do shouldn’t ruin anything for you. Cheers 🥂
 
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Fraserh02 said:
I keep seeing this, how come yourself so many people seem to shut down AI stuff as rubbish? Have you tried chatgpt or any alternatives? It can be really powerful and I’m very excited for Apple Intelligence. Genuinely interested to hear your perspective.
Click to expand...

Yes I have tried many of them, including chatGPT, and I don't find them any more useful than a good DDG or Google search query. I also really dislike the superfluous chatter and chat-like responses, the use of training of data without the creators consent and the lack of referencing the original sources. I have zero need for virtual assistants.

In addition, I want nothing to do with any Sam Altman affiliated companies.
 
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josselinco said:
Sure, but that's extreme nonetheless.

A 999$ Macbook Air bought the same year gets more support is what I find funny. ;)
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Yeah, it is a bit counterintuitive.

We'll probably see the same with ARM Macs. The Ultra chips come last. So the M1 Ultra from March 2022 has the same microarchitecture as the A14 from September 2020, and that means if you bought a 2022 Mac Studio, your support is likely to get cut off around the same time as if you bought a 2020 MacBook Air.
 
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MacOS on Intel is living far longer than I expected. On the other side, it has only been since 3/2023 since Apple stopped shipping Intel-based Macs. At the upper bounds, this implies that a few Intel Macs might be able to run the latest OS until 3Q2028, with security patch support until 3Q2030.

That further implies that the full transition to Apple Silicon from the public perspective would be about 10 years from announcement to Intel sunset. PPC was not so fortunate.
 
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TwoBytes said:
So even if you buy a new Mac or iPhone, you're not going to get a full year of use of new AI features as Apple is delaying them to 2025, at which point, there will be updated Macs and phones to buy.

Bit tired of Apple announcing features that won't come for a long while.
Click to expand...
This is really a Cook strategy. Jobs tried hard to not do this, sure a few times problems meant extending the delivery, but Jobs was clearly not happy about it and in most cases people that failed to deliver were held accountable.

Not in Cooks world, as long as he gets credit for the keynote, appears in magazines, and feels good, the customer does not matter.
 
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I forgot that there was new features in Sequoia. Played with it briefly as a VM but nothing wow, if anything disappointed that the snap to feature is nowhere near as good as what Windows has done or years now. A little sluggish, though this can be because it is a beta still. I can only get a snapped window to go with half the screen, nothing into 4 quarters. Hopefully this smoothes out before final release.
 
JosephAW said:
It’s amazing they kept Rosetta alive this long. Unfortunately most of my Intel apps have some 32bit libraries. Wish we could compile missing 32bit libs like you can with Ubuntu, even on newer 64bit versions. :rolleyes:
Because of this limitations I have to keep an Intel Mac mini around.
Click to expand...
Original Rosetta was kept around for about 5-6 years; it was dropped in 10.7 Lion in 2011. We're only a bit over 3 and a half years past the introduction of the M1 in late 2020. Given that Apple is using Rosetta 2 for things like the Game Porting Toolkit, and the fact that the Apple Silicon transition was only completed a year ago (whereas the PPC to Intel transition was completed in 8 months between January and August 2006) we might see Rosetta around for a few more years.
 
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JitteryJimmy said:
MacOS on Intel is living far longer than I expected. On the other side, it has only been since 3/2023 since Apple stopped shipping Intel-based Macs. At the upper bounds, this implies that a few Intel Macs might be able to run the latest OS until 3Q2028, with security patch support until 3Q2030.

That further implies that the full transition to Apple Silicon from the public perspective would be about 10 years from announcement to Intel sunset. PPC was not so fortunate.
Click to expand...
Really nice to see indeed, Intel users are given way more time than PowerPC users back then.
 
TeaOem said:
*The only compatibility change between macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia is...Apple dropped support for the MacBook Air 2018 and 2019.
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This is really weird. I'm on a 2018 MacBook Air. Why are they saying Sequoia supports the same systems as Sonoma, yet I'm currently running Sonoma and my MacBook Air is not included? They need to get their messaging right.

I don't care so much about Apple Intelligence right now, but missing out on the passwords app stinks.
 
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