The Intel Mac is one step closer to joining the likes of the iPod and the Apple Newton. Following the launch of the new Mac Pro at WWDC 2023, powered by the new M2 Ultra chip, it means all Apple’s desktops now run on Apple-made chips. Now the only question is, how long will it be before the Intel machines are officially declared obsolete?
Hopefully that changeover won’t come for some time. The M1, Apple’s first in-house desktop chip, didn’t launch until November 2020 — just over two and a half years ago. Meanwhile macOS 14 Sonoma, which launches later this year, still supports plenty of Intel machines.
It’s not a huge list, since Apple has been very keen to push its products onto Apple Silicon. Still it suggests that Intel Macs still have a few years left in them, certainly in terms of the latest and best macOS updates.
Apple does maintain older versions of macOS for a time, as evidenced by updates to macOS 11 and macOS 12 whose latest updates rolled out last month. But there’s no telling how long that support will last. macOS 10.15 Catalina was first released in 2019, and now hasn’t had a major update since July 2022.
It’s clear that Intel-powered macs, like any high-tech product, do have an expiration date — and the older your device the sooner it will be. But you’ve probably got another couple of years before that actually becomes a problem — especially if you bought an Intel MacBook in 2020.
So there’s no rush, but maybe start saving those pennies for an upgrade if you can.
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