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

[Nik]

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?

 

[BSDnostalgia]

You can turn off/adjust things also, which helps. Try to make some adjustments before you return. No way to turn off the rounded window corners, unfortunately. Yet. I'm hoping there will be a way before too long. Regardless, some of it is dumb, but, I don't really notice any more.

 

[dmr727]

There's no way to downgrade, so your best bet is to return your Air and find a good deal on an M4 model. That's still a pretty rockstar machine (I have one, and love it).

 

[gilby101]

Old versions of macOS are never updated to supported newer hardware. In your case Sequoia was no longer fully supported when your MBA was released.

If you want stay with a Mac, I suggest you need to find ways of making the Liquid Glass interface tolerable.

 

[Nik]

Well, apparently a downgrade is indeed not possible. 🙁

 

[pax-eterna]

tbh, I really do not see the issue with LG...seems perfectly acceptable to me, and certainly nothing to "throw the baby out with the bathwater" attitude I seem to keep reading about here 🙂

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

Your choices are:
1. Keep the m5 and live with Tahoe.
or
2. Return the m5, and get an m4 or earlier.

Choose.

 

[bluespark]

Can we stop calling Sequoia a "downgrade"? I honestly can't think of anything in Tahoe that I prefer over Sequoia.

If I were buying right now, I would take an M4 over an M5 simply to be able to run Sequoia. OP, that's probably your best bet as well.

 

[fisherking]

hang on to it; tahoe, once you get used to the look of it, works just as recent Mac Oses did, and before you know it, OS 27 will be here, and you'll able to upgrade to that.

just (seems to me), the idea is to move forward, not backward. anyway, just my thoughts 🤔

 

[turbineseaplane]

My main complaint continues to be the excessive corner rounding and padding in Tahoe.

I’m on an M5 so I’m stuck.

 

[BSDnostalgia]

Well, apparently a downgrade is indeed not possible.

I'm used to it on MacOS. (Not so much on the more limited iPad.) The performance hit on an M5 shouldn't be a big deal.

 

[gilby101]

Can we stop calling Sequoia a "downgrade"?

No. By definition, installing a new more recent version is an upgrade. So the reverse is a downgrade. Also the processes involved in a downgrade are different, and more complex, than those in an upgrade.

Terminology is nothing to do with your like or dislike of changes incorporated into the upgrade. Upgrade/downgrade is a technical difference.

 

[AslashA]

I'm used to it on MacOS. (Not so much on the more limited iPad.) The performance hit on an M5 shouldn't be a big deal.

In a normal modern operating system, performance degradation (even minor) shouldn't occur in principle. But in Tahoe's case, it does. Even after almost a year, Tahoe still has several issues that haven't been fixed since its release (such as loading/caching of icons and folders, unclickable pop-up menu buttons (sometimes), frequent memory leaks, lower performance and responsiveness compared to previous Mac OS versions, issues with WindowServer, etc.). These issues persist even in 26.5. This list used to be longer, but some have been fixed in recent updates. However, the remaining list of issues is unacceptable for a seemingly mature operating system like 26.5.

 

[glen-the-grey]

This is a bit worrying...I had been considering the M5 Air as my next machine but also quite liked Sequoia on my old Mini and liked all the previous OS versions...is Tahoe really that different?

Anyone know a good reputable review comparison between the two that would help people who are currently sitting on the fence like me?

 

[AslashA]

This is a bit worrying...I had been considering the M5 Air as my next machine but also quite liked Sequoia on my old Mini and liked all the previous OS versions...is Tahoe really that different?

Anyone know a good reputable review comparison between the two that would help people who are currently sitting on the fence like me?

I won't say that the difference is very big, but it is there and noticeable.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

TBH I would not recommend dealing with the hassle of returning the computer just to buy an old one, just to install an older operating system on it.
Sonoma will likely be losing support this year, sequoia next year.
At the end of the day, one way or another, you are going to have to use the new design language eventually.
Unless you just absolutely never plan on updating, in which case there is absolutely no point in spending hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on the new computer itself.

Sure, there has been recent reporting that the next version of macOS Will polish the rough edges of Tahoe, but that can meanpretty much anything. That could mean them fixing every problem you have with it, but it could also mean them doubling down on the things you absolutely hate about it.
Simply put, Apple usually sticks with a design language for a good 7 to 10 years, might as well rip the Band-Aid off now and get used to it because it’s probably not going anywhere anytime soon.

This is a bit worrying...I had been considering the M5 Air as my next machine but also quite liked Sequoia on my old Mini and liked all the previous OS versions...is Tahoe really that different?

Anyone know a good reputable review comparison between the two that would help people who are currently sitting on the fence like me?

You can check out the Mac Stories review…

macOS 26 Tahoe: The MacStories Review

I'm going to cut to the chase – I like macOS 26 Tahoe a lot. No, it's not perfect, and yes, I wish Apple had done even more, but that's the case every year. What I love about Tahoe is its balance. It's not the sort of thing you can draw up a set of

www.macstories.net

Generally, from what I’ve found, the majority of average consumers can’t tell a difference between sequoia/iOS 18 and Tahoe/iOS 26 unless you literally sit two devices running the different operating systems right next to each other and one by one point out the differences. Obviously places like here where if Apple tweaks a single pixel of the finder icon it’s going to be analyzed, debated, hooted and hollered about for weeks objective reviews of the new operating systems are pretty much impossible to come by, but I wouldn’t really worry about it that much. Sequoia to Tahoe isn’t even the most major revamp of the design of macOS.

 

[noblesoul117]

Well, you’ve got 14 days to decide on returning it (if you got it directly from Apple).

If it’s that important to you, just find an M4. The performance difference is not huge versus M5. You might even be able to find a new-in-box M4 out there. Or else consider Apple Refurbished if they have M4s.

As a fanboy who’s typically fond of upgrading with the developer betas, I had moments of disliking Tahoe, and also finding it too “large”/padded. However I realized most of my issue derived from switching directly between Sequoia and Tahoe when I was dual-booting. When I stuck around in Tahoe more and more, I came to like it, regardless of any other little design quirks.

So to each their own. But I became fond of Tahoe once I stopped comparing it to Sequoia and my brain got over the old look. Sequoia now looks quite outdated to me, almost like System OS 9 level of outdated.

In other words, how might you feel after using it for a while? Have you even tried? (Maybe try for 14 days!)

Or else just make the decision to return it in the timeframe.

 

[throAU]

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?

No, and i’d prefer Tahoe tbh with the new features for call screening. Suspect the next macOS will fix a bunch of the UI inconsistencies

 

[hieubui]

just return it and get an m4 pro, just like i did 🤣

 

[xhantos]

No. By definition, installing a new more recent version is an upgrade. So the reverse is a downgrade. Also the processes involved in a downgrade are different, and more complex, than those in an upgrade.

Terminology is nothing to do with your like or dislike of changes incorporated into the upgrade. Upgrade/downgrade is a technical difference.

By definition 'An "upgrade" is the process of improving something or replacing it with a newer, better, or more advanced version.', Tahoe is the opposite of that, which is called a 'downgrade'. (Yes, normally in tech an upgrade is the newer version but as in this case, there are clear exceptions).

 

[DCIFRTHS]

hang on to it; tahoe, once you get used to the look of it, works just as recent Mac Oses did, and before you know it, OS 27 will be here, and you'll able to upgrade to that.

just (seems to me), the idea is to move forward, not backward. anyway, just my thoughts 🤔

...tahoe, if you get used to the look of it...

 

[gilby101]

By definition 'An "upgrade" is the process of improving something or replacing it with a newer, better, or more advanced version.'

I score Tahoe as 2.5 out of 3. Newer - yes by definition - score 1. Better - a matter of opinion - score 0.5. More advanced - yes it has features not present in previous version - score 1.
😀

 

[Fishrrman]

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

 

[fisherking]

By definition 'An "upgrade" is the process of improving something or replacing it with a newer, better, or more advanced version.', Tahoe is the opposite of that, which is called a 'downgrade'. (Yes, normally in tech an upgrade is the newer version but as in this case, there are clear exceptions).

within a few days, i was no longer thinking about LG, and was simply working... as i did in sequoia. same experience every time apple's graced us with a new look.

 

[BSDnostalgia]

In a normal modern operating system, performance degradation (even minor) shouldn't occur in principle.

"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 mention this because:

But in Tahoe's case, it does. Even after almost a year, Tahoe still has several issues that haven't been fixed since its release (such as loading/caching of icons and folders, unclickable pop-up menu buttons (sometimes), frequent memory leaks, lower performance and responsiveness compared to previous Mac OS versions, issues with WindowServer, etc.). These issues persist even in 26.5. This list used to be longer, but some have been fixed in recent updates. However, the remaining list of issues is unacceptable for a seemingly mature operating system like 26.5.

I agree that there is no excuse for this much crud to still be there after this time. But, I also suspect, or conjecture, that a lot of people in Apple have been busy trying to robustify MacOS/iOS against these new threats. I'm sure most people are now aware of this, but: MacOS exploit

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.