{"id":290433,"date":"2025-06-13T04:34:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T04:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/apple-2\/the-real-system-requirements-for-%ef%a3%bfos-26\/"},"modified":"2025-06-13T04:34:02","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T04:34:02","slug":"the-real-system-requirements-for-%ef%a3%bfos-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=290433","title":{"rendered":"The Real System Requirements for \uf8ffOS 26"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Apple has released developer betas of macOS 26 Tahoe, iOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26, with public betas scheduled for July and final releases expected in September or October. Many people are eager to learn whether their current hardware will support the new operating systems or if they\u2019ll need to consider upgrading to stay current. Overall, Apple has continued its strategy of dropping support for only a few older models and limiting some advanced features to devices capable of running them. For comparison with last year\u2019s list, see \u201cThe Real System Requirements for Apple\u2019s 2024 Operating Systems<\/a>\u201d (12 July 2024).<\/p>\n

In recent years, when Apple previews its upcoming operating systems, it has provided detailed footnotes explaining compatibility for specific features; however, this year, those footnotes are few and far between. The paucity of clarification might be because most of the promoted features are compatible with all supported devices, or perhaps Apple isn\u2019t discussing the features that would require such footnotes. For instance,\u00a0external display support<\/a>\u00a0is reportedly still limited to iPads with an M-series chip, but that\u2019s not mentioned anywhere.<\/p>\n

The primary software requirement that remains is Apple Intelligence, which is compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 models, iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad and Mac models equipped with an M-series chip. That leaves out many older iPhones and iPads, as well as all Intel-based Macs. Live Translation, a major new feature, requires Apple Intelligence (see \u201cMajor Changes Coming in OS 26<\/a>,\u201d 9 June 2025).<\/p>\n

macOS 26 Tahoe Requirements<\/h2>\n

First off, let\u2019s address the Intel-sized gorilla in the room: Although macOS 26 will still run on some Intel-based Macs, it will be the last major version to do so. During its Platforms State of the Union presentation at WWDC, Apple announced that next year\u2019s macOS 27 will run only on Macs with Apple silicon. Assuming Apple maintains its current policies, macOS 26 will continue to receive security updates for an additional 2 years, meaning that Intel-based Macs will lose security viability in 2028. In short, the writing is on the wall, but there\u2019s no urgent reason to upgrade. An 8- or 9-year run for those Macs isn\u2019t too shabby.<\/p>\n

Apple also announced that macOS 27 will be the last version of macOS to include the full\u00a0Rosetta translation environment<\/a>, which enables Intel-based code to run on Macs with Apple silicon. Following that, the company will retain a limited set of Rosetta functionality to support older games.<\/p>\n

\"Rosetta<\/a><\/p>\n

(I recently encountered an unexpected need for Rosetta on my new 14-inch MacBook Pro: the Nisus File Converter app inside Nisus Writer Pro\u2019s app package still uses Intel code and thus requires Rosetta. Since I use it purely from within a Nisus Writer Pro macro, it took me some time to figure out why the macro was failing. ChatGPT eventually gave me the clue I needed.)<\/p>\n

Here is the list of Macs that can run macOS 26<\/a>, which includes all Macs with Apple silicon and four Intel-based Macs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Mac<\/th>\nChip and Model Years<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
MacBook Air<\/td>\nApple silicon (2020 and later)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MacBook Pro<\/td>\nIntel (16-inch from 2019; 13-inch with four Thunderbolt 3 ports from 2020)
Apple silicon (2020 and later)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
iMac<\/td>\nIntel (27-inch iMac from 2020)
Apple silicon (2021 and later)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mac mini<\/td>\nApple silicon (2020 and later)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mac Pro<\/td>\nIntel (2019)
Apple silicon (2023 and later)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mac Studio<\/td>\nApple silicon (2022 and later)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This list clarifies that Apple has dropped support for these Intel-based models capable of running macOS 15 Sequoia:<\/p>\n