Soon, you won’t be able to run supported macOS versions on Intel x86-based PCs. How long before someone finds the next clever hack to merge the Mac and PC universes?
Apple’s 2025 WWDC keynote teased many exciting changes to all of its operating systems, primarily focused on visual upgrades and long-requested features. However, it also seems to have marked the end of an era for Macs.
The new macOS Tahoe 26 also marks the last release to support Intel-based Macs, from the affordable MacBook Air to the Intel Xeon-powered Mac Pro. Apple is in the final stretch of transitioning entirely to its own Arm-based M-series processors, quickly ending support for aging models based on Intel’s x86-based Core processors. Apple’s Platforms State of the Union confirmed what many feared: This is the last stop for the Intel-based Mac.
That means the days of running macOS on x86-based PCs, often called Hackintosh, are also coming to a close—at least as we know them. Here’s what’s changing with macOS 26, why the Hackintosh doesn’t look like it will survive much longer, and the fight to keep it alive.The End of Intel Macs
This just-announced update is the last one that will come to any Intel-based Macs, already leaving more behind, like all Intel-based MacBook Airs and most MacBook Pros with Intel inside. Apple has confirmed that macOS Tahoe will be the final release for Intel Macs, and only four Intel Macs are even supported by the new OS: the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro, the 2020 Intel 13-inch MacBook Pro, the 2020 iMac, and the 2019 Mac Pro.
