Apple has announced its final version of macOS for Intel

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Intel Macs’ Future, Value, and Linux

  • Some are happy about a clear final-Intel macOS signal: they expect cheaper used Intel Macs and plan to keep using existing macOS/x86 software stacks.
  • Others question buying Intel Mac Pros or used Intel Macs at all, arguing equivalent PCs are cheaper and faster.
  • Debate on Linux: some say Intel Macs “work great” with Linux; others point to T2-era machines where keyboard/trackpad/webcam aren’t upstream and suspend/audio/graphics are only “partially working.”

Support Timeline, Xcode, and Development

  • macOS 26 “Tahoe” is last for Intel; supported Intel models get ~3 more years of security updates.
  • For iOS developers, estimates suggest about 2.5 years of full App Store/Xcode integration on Intel, based on Apple’s usual “latest SDK only” policy.
  • Questions remain: when Xcode drops Intel as a deployment target, when Rosetta 2 fully disappears, and how long Intel containers and universal binaries remain practical.

Rosetta 2, Gaming, and Wine

  • Rosetta 2 is central to running many x86 games and x86 Linux containers on Apple Silicon. Its phaseout is widely seen as bad for Mac gaming and some dev workflows.
  • Reported plan: general Rosetta support until around macOS 27, then a reduced subset focused on legacy, unmaintained Intel-only games.
  • Some fear that limitations here will cripple Wine-based solutions; others note Apple’s Game Porting Toolkit (built on Wine) as evidence that some compatibility path will persist.

Windows, Boot Camp, and ARM

  • End of Intel macOS also marks the end of native x86 Windows/Boot Camp on new Macs.
  • Several note that Windows on ARM with built‑in x86 emulation via Parallels/UTM works “surprisingly well,” softening that loss for many use cases.

Planned Obsolescence, Security, and Environment

  • Strong criticism that Apple and Microsoft collectively push “premature” obsolescence, driving e‑waste and limiting old-but-capable hardware.
  • Others argue 5–8 years of OS support for Intel Macs (and 10 years for Windows 10) is reasonable, and machines keep working afterward.
  • Security is a central tension: outdated browsers/SSL stacks and unpatched CVEs make old systems risky, especially iOS devices stuck on ancient versions. Some accept this risk for offline or highly controlled uses.
  • Several call for: longer vendor support, releasing hardware docs when support ends, or legal mandates tying support duration to installed base size.

Hackintosh and Ecosystem Lock‑in

  • Many see macOS 26 as the practical end of Hackintosh: no new Intel macOS, shrinking supported hardware, and a community focused on “latest macOS” rather than retro.
  • Others counter that niche communities will stabilize around a “good” Intel-era macOS, as has happened with PowerPC and even classic Mac OS.

Hardware Experience, Keyboards, and Re‑use

  • Long thread on keyboards: pre‑2016 scissor mechanisms are widely praised; butterfly is condemned for reliability but liked by some for feel; current scissor keyboards are seen as an improvement over butterfly but still polarizing.
  • Multiple anecdotes of decade‑old MacBooks and iMacs still in daily or occasional use, often extended via OpenCore or Linux.
  • Frustration that iMacs cannot easily be reused as external monitors; software (Luna, AirPlay) or hardware hacks exist but often add latency or complexity.

Apple’s Strategy and Trade‑offs

  • Some refuse to buy Apple products because of aggressive deprecation, cloud-tied features, and perceived indifference to long-term ownership.
  • Others explicitly like Apple’s aggressiveness: frequent deprecation keeps macOS visually and functionally cohesive, unlike Windows’ accumulation of legacy UI.
  • Counterpoint: under the hood, macOS still ships very old command-line tools, and users often must rebuy/replace apps after major transitions.

Performance and Metal / GPU Future

  • Benchmarks shared show M‑series chips are multiple times faster (CPU and ~10× GPU) than 2015 Intel Macs, used to justify retiring Intel.
  • Some developers welcome a Metal stack that can focus purely on Apple GPUs, simplifying alignment rules and resource models and acting as a “test bed” for future 3D APIs.