Apple to kill app support for Intel-based Macs next year

IT admins and decision-makers take note: Apple has confirmed it will terminate Rosetta support for Intel-based apps starting with macOS 28 in 2027. That means any remaining Intel apps your company relies on must be replaced to maintain business continuity and security. It’s also important to note that macOS 26 will be the last OS upgrade to support any existing Intel-based Macs, so both Intel-based Macs and apps should now be replaced to avoid problems down the road.

Rosetta has enabled Apple Silicon Macs to run Intel-based apps during the transition to Apple’s own chips. This was useful when the first M-series Macs appeared, as it enabled us to continue running most Intel-based apps, giving developers time to create updated versions — something most good developers have done, at least in the retail section of the app economy.

However, some businesses might still depend on proprietary software that hasn’t been updated. The good news is there are still 12 to 18 months to revise or replace these apps and upgrade any remaining Intel-based Macs. Apple is making a couple of exceptions. It will continue to provide security updates for some Mac models for another two years after support ends; and Rosetta functionality will be available only for certain older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks with macOS 28. 

A long time coming

Apple seems to have been quite reasonable in its support plans. The first Apple Silicon Macs appeared six years ago in late 2020, which means the company continued to support Intel Macs for six more years. When it comes to application support, Apple’s move means developers will have enjoyed seven years during which they could have made the transition. This was all perfectly predictable and the company has made every attempt to warn developers and customers of its intentions.

The number of affected Macs and applications is likely to be small, as Apple Silicon Macs are selling in vast quantities. Mac market share continues to increase and Macs now dominate the AI PC market, with perhaps a 54% share of all AI-capable computers.

The urgent and visible drive to Apple Silicon has not escaped the attention of developers, most of whom have now made the transition. Still, some edge cases remain; those users should take steps now to protect themselves as the support windows close.

So, are you running any Intel apps?

Are you concerned that you or your company may be affected by this switch? Rather than checking each one individually, the easiest way to identify any Intel-based apps running on your Mac is as follows:

Open System Information (Option+Apple Menu > System Information).

Select Applications under Software.

Explore the Kind column to identify any apps marked as being Intel. 

Apps marked as Apple Silicon or Universal will continue to work fine — it’s only the Intel apps that need to be replaced.

If you manage a fleet of devices using Mobile Device Management (MDM) software such as Jamf Pro, you will use commands such as mdfind, or third-party tools such as those from iMazing to identify any apps that need replacing. 

Time to hit the switch

If we’re honest, Apple’s decision to force the final few customers who have not yet upgraded to Apple Silicon is a good one. Apple’s newest Macs have been universally praised for their price, performance, resilience, computational power, and more. They perform significantly better than the Intel Macs they replaced, and the next-generation M5 Macs now coming on stream offer ample performance and productivity benefits.

While it might be different for proprietary applications, most commercial apps that haven’t yet been updated to work natively on Apple Silicon probably never will be, so it makes complete sense to migrate to other solutions. Decision makers should also use the termination of support for Intel as an argument to secure additional budget to have those pesky proprietary apps updated.

With just months to go before Apple completely abandons Intel support, there is no time left for further prevarication. It is time to invest in Apple Silicon.

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