Apple Advises Mac Developers to Stop Supporting Intel
Apple has notified some Mac App Store developers that if their universal applications require macOS 13 or higher, they may change their build settings to support only arm64 and stop providing x86_64 versions for Intel Macs; this is a development suggestion and not a mandatory removal order for all software.
This notification applies to existing Universal applications that are compiled for both Apple silicon and Intel processors. Developers can set the target architecture in Xcode to only arm64, rebuild, and submit to the Mac App Store; Apple still recommends that software that has not yet completed the migration release Universal Binaries to natively support both Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
macOS 26 Tahoe will be the last generation to support Intel Mac hardware. macOS 27 Golden Gate is expected to launch this fall and can only be installed on M1 and newer Apple silicon Macs, with Intel Macs unable to upgrade to this version.
The previous statement that "macOS 27 stops supporting Intel Macs" is correct, but the claim that "Rosetta 2 will be discontinued next year" needs correction. macOS 27 will still fully support Rosetta and is the last version to provide a complete Rosetta translation layer; starting from macOS 28, regular Intel applications will no longer be able to rely on Rosetta to run on Apple silicon Macs.
Rosetta is a dynamic binary translation layer that allows Intel version applications to run on Apple silicon Macs. If developers only release Intel versions on macOS 27 and earlier, the applications can still run on M series Macs through Rosetta; however, starting from macOS 28, un-migrated Intel applications will stop running, and Apple only plans to retain limited compatibility support for certain games that rely on old Intel frameworks and are not maintained.
Developers are not required to immediately remove x86_64 builds. Those needing to support existing Intel Mac users, enterprise intranet deployments, old peripheral drivers, audio plugins, or software with un-migrated dependencies can continue to release Universal versions or provide separate Intel versions; however, their users will not be able to use new systems after macOS 27, so the maintenance value will decline as the existing devices are phased out.
In market mechanics, the buyers are consumers and enterprises using M series Macs who need native performance and compatibility with the latest systems, while the sellers are software developers, plugin vendors, enterprise IT service providers, and development tool suppliers. Financial and engineering resources will shift from Intel compatibility testing, dual-architecture builds, and Rosetta troubleshooting to native optimization for Apple silicon, Metal acceleration, edge AI, and new system features; software vendors with complete native adaptation will benefit, while developers and enterprise IT environments relying on Intel binaries, old drivers, and unmaintained plugins will face pressure.
Source: Public Information
ABAB AI Insight
Apple announced the transition to Apple silicon in 2020, replacing Intel processors with M1; this decision is not just a typical CPU upgrade, but a shift for Macs from relying on external chip roadmaps to a vertically integrated platform controlled by Apple, encompassing chips, operating systems, development tools, power design, and AI computing units. Rosetta 2 was always intended as a transitional tool: it reduced the user cost of migrating old applications, giving developers several years to recompile and adapt, rather than maintaining an Intel software ecosystem permanently.
From a capital perspective, Intel compatibility means developers must continuously maintain two sets of CPU instruction sets, testing environments, compiled products, and third-party dependencies; Apple advises developers to switch to arm64-only, which can reduce installation package size, build complexity, and quality assurance costs. By terminating new system support for Intel Macs, Apple accelerates user migration to M series hardware, expands the scale effects of its self-developed chips, and allows developers to more effectively utilize the Neural Engine, GPU, Metal, and unified memory architecture. The migration of the software ecosystem will ultimately increase the necessity of purchasing new hardware.
Historically, Apple has undergone two major architecture migrations: from Motorola 68K to PowerPC in 1994, and from PowerPC to Intel in 2005; each time, it used compatibility layers and Universal Binaries to reduce transition friction, subsequently stopping support for the old architecture systems. Microsoft has also attempted to promote the ARM PC ecosystem with an x86 translation layer on Windows on Arm, but its control over hardware, operating systems, and chips is more fragmented than Apple's. Apple's advantage lies in the coordination of Mac hardware shipments, operating system updates, and developer distribution primarily through the same platform, allowing for a quicker establishment of compatibility endpoints.
This represents a restructuring of the supply chain. While CPU architecture may seem like a fundamental choice for developers, it actually determines software distribution, hardware upgrades, AI capabilities, peripheral compatibility, enterprise IT budgets, and the value distribution among chip suppliers. By stopping support for Intel Macs, Apple locks the future demand for systems and applications onto its self-developed Arm chips; Intel loses not only Mac CPU sales but also the motivation for developers to continue adapting to x86. After Rosetta's exit, performance optimization, edge AI capabilities, and development tools in the Mac ecosystem will increasingly form a closed loop around Apple silicon.
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