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Intel Macs Won't Get Updates After macOS Tahoe
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Mint condition does not mean new or less that 6 years old. You have a 1950 car in Mint Condition 😂
Coins are also classified by condition and you could have a 1909-S VDB penny in mint condition. Age has nothing to do with it.
To me, a computer is obsolete as soon as it can no longer get Security Updates. Whether it’s 1 year old or 10 years old if it’s no longer secure while accessing the Internet it’s no longer safe to use. Also, it doesn’t matter if it’s a planned obsolete scam by the manufacturer or not, it may suck but I dont have control over that. My 2018 MacMini i7 Intel still works perfectly but I’m realistic in knowing it’s 8 years old and it was just a matter of time before an old machine would no longer be supported. After many years of great service I’ll find a new use for it.
skodises
Contributor
Each of us who have and love vintage hardware have a choice to make. Time has essentially stopped now for my loaded 2010 Mac Pro with OCLP/Sequoia. I’ll do whatever the final update for that turns out to be, and I have no intention of updating to Tahoe: it does not appeal to me.
After all, I’d been happy with Catalina until just recently. And with Sequoia, I have access to newer versions of the small handful of apps I need for my workflow, and all the support I need for the open-source tools I also need. I’ll be well-content staying right where I am now for a few more years.
Everyone's mileage will most certainly vary, of course. Apple was inevitably going to EOL Intel support, just as they EOL’d PowerPC and 68k previously. Tempus fugits, whether we like it or not..
After all, I’d been happy with Catalina until just recently. And with Sequoia, I have access to newer versions of the small handful of apps I need for my workflow, and all the support I need for the open-source tools I also need. I’ll be well-content staying right where I am now for a few more years.
Everyone's mileage will most certainly vary, of course. Apple was inevitably going to EOL Intel support, just as they EOL’d PowerPC and 68k previously. Tempus fugits, whether we like it or not..
I look at it from a different angle. Last year I picked up an iMac Pro for $210. In 2017 the machine I got retailed for $5800. By 2025 the iMac Pro was put out to pasture by Apple, with no updates beyond Sequoia. I knew this and snagged one, the best value computing purchase I've made in years. It should be fine with occasional security updates when warranted. Chrome should be good for several years given Google's track record, Safari probably less. Plus I can Boot Camp into Windows 10 (also deprecated) if I like. If you need to be on the latest Mac OS version, be prepared to pay some sort of premium for the privilege.
chucker23n1
macrumors G3
You can replace a lot of components on a 1950 car.
Most Macs don't have user-replaceable storage and battery any more. So no, odds are that 2020s' Mac won't be "mint condition".
mreg376
macrumors 65816
Interesting to still get email notifications for this thread.
If you still have one and works great for your needs, have at it. Otherwise probably not a good idea to shop for one as your main Mac as you are down to security updates at this point.
If you still have one and works great for your needs, have at it. Otherwise probably not a good idea to shop for one as your main Mac as you are down to security updates at this point.
Frixo Cool
macrumors regular
I don't care much about security updates, in over 30 years of using Mac I never had single security issue. Usually the first problem is up-to-date web browser but I guess that we'll have rather large Intel Mac user community that will fix that, the same way as OpenCore helped us use all those great Mac Pro (5,1) machines even today.
I do care about them though I haven't had any problems either. Just have to practice good computing hygiene. The end of Intel support is still probably 1.5 to 2.5 years off and I'll enjoy it until the end.
Yup, true. And as long as it’s getting Updated I can connect it to the Internet when needed.
….same goes for my 2018 iPad Pro (both bought at the same time and still going strong).
Tenkaykev
macrumors 6502
I have a 2012 MacBook Air formatted with HAOS. It's running home assistant and drawing 10-15 watts. It's sitting on a shelf and only makes its presence known due to the glow of the Apple logo ( lids closed but there's no way to turn off the screen and thus the logo under HAOS)
macOS 27 Will Mark the End of an Era
During its Platforms State of the Union segment at WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that macOS 26 Tahoe is the final major macOS version for Intel-based Macs. The upcoming macOS 27 release will be compatible with Apple silicon Macs only, meaning that you will need a Mac with an M-series chip or a...
www.macrumors.com
We know. Its why the title of the thread is :macOS 27 Will Mark the End of an Era
During its Platforms State of the Union segment at WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that macOS 26 Tahoe is the final major macOS version for Intel-based Macs. The upcoming macOS 27 release will be compatible with Apple silicon Macs only, meaning that you will need a Mac with an M-series chip or a...
Intel Macs Won't Get Updates After macOS Tahoe
I have a 2019 MBP 16" Core i7 14nm 16GB DDR4 512GB
My option is buying last month released 2026 MBP 16" M5 Pro 3nm 24GB LPDDR5X 1TB
Or wait 9-18 months from today for the MBP 16" M6 Pro 2nm 32GB LPDDR6 1TB.
Why do I expect 32GB base model memory?
Apple is finally ending the era of memory stinginess because the math of LPDDR6 (the high-speed RAM coming in 2027) simply demands it. This isn't a gift but a technical hostage situation. The new chips use 24-bit channels instead of the old 16-bit ones. To keep the plumbing efficient Apple has to stack the memory in buckets of 12GB or 16GB. Offering a 24GB base would mean intentionally breaking the chip's symmetry so they're being forced into the 32GB floor to keep the performance benchmarks looking pretty.
Then there is the AI tax. By the time the M6 arrives macOS will be a scavenger hunt of local Large Language Models running in the background. These models aren't apps you can quit as they’re permanent residents that sit in your RAM hogging 12GB to 16GB just so Siri doesn't sound like a dial-up modem. If Apple stayed at 24GB you'd effectively have the same usable memory as a 2012 MacBook Air. To keep the Pro in the name they have to raise the ceiling so you have room to actually work after the AI has taken its cut.
My next phone, the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be the canary in this coal mine. Because it shares the same A20 Pro architecture and LPDDR6 constraints it’s destined to be the first iPhone to jump to 12GB or 16GB of RAM as a baseline. It will feel less like a phone and more like a pocket-sized server solely to handle the same resident AI models. If the Mac is the house then the iPhone 18 Pro Max is the studio apartment built with the same expensive high-bandwidth bricks.
I expect another $100-200 in price...
My option is buying last month released 2026 MBP 16" M5 Pro 3nm 24GB LPDDR5X 1TB
Or wait 9-18 months from today for the MBP 16" M6 Pro 2nm 32GB LPDDR6 1TB.
Why do I expect 32GB base model memory?
Apple is finally ending the era of memory stinginess because the math of LPDDR6 (the high-speed RAM coming in 2027) simply demands it. This isn't a gift but a technical hostage situation. The new chips use 24-bit channels instead of the old 16-bit ones. To keep the plumbing efficient Apple has to stack the memory in buckets of 12GB or 16GB. Offering a 24GB base would mean intentionally breaking the chip's symmetry so they're being forced into the 32GB floor to keep the performance benchmarks looking pretty.
Then there is the AI tax. By the time the M6 arrives macOS will be a scavenger hunt of local Large Language Models running in the background. These models aren't apps you can quit as they’re permanent residents that sit in your RAM hogging 12GB to 16GB just so Siri doesn't sound like a dial-up modem. If Apple stayed at 24GB you'd effectively have the same usable memory as a 2012 MacBook Air. To keep the Pro in the name they have to raise the ceiling so you have room to actually work after the AI has taken its cut.
My next phone, the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be the canary in this coal mine. Because it shares the same A20 Pro architecture and LPDDR6 constraints it’s destined to be the first iPhone to jump to 12GB or 16GB of RAM as a baseline. It will feel less like a phone and more like a pocket-sized server solely to handle the same resident AI models. If the Mac is the house then the iPhone 18 Pro Max is the studio apartment built with the same expensive high-bandwidth bricks.
I expect another $100-200 in price...