Yesterday, Bloomberg broke the news that this year’s software update for the Mac will be macOS 26 rather than macOS 16. The update is expected to bring a sweeping redesign to the Mac, and now we have the first rumors on which models will be able to update to macOS 26.
The report comes from AppleInsider, and cites anonymous “people familiar with the matter.” According to the report, current pre-release versions of macOS 26 are compatible with these Macs:
- MacBook Pro 2019 or later
- iMac 2020 or later
- Mac Pro 2019 or later
- Mac mini M1 or later
- Mac Studio
- MacBook Air M1 or later
If this pans out, there are a few notable things about this list. First, it means that macOS will continue to support Intel machines for another year. This is in line with expectations, as Stephen Hackett outlined at 512 Pixels last week.
On the flip side, this list suggests that macOS 26 will cut off several Macs currently supported by macOS Sequoia:
- 2018 MacBook Pro
- 2017 iMac Pro
- 2018 Mac mini
- 2020 Intel MacBook Air
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that just because a Mac is supported by macOS 26 doesn’t mean it will get all the flagship features of the release. For example, Apple can (and will) limit certain features to Macs powered by Apple Silicon.
Apple will announce macOS 26 at WWDC, which kicks off on June 9.
My favorite Mac accessories:
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