Apple’s upcoming macOS 28 release marks the beginning of the end for Intel-based Macs as the company phases out Rosetta 2, signaling the final stage of its shift to Apple Silicon. The news, announced at Apple’s recent WWDC event, reveals that macOS Tahoe 26 will be the last update fully compatible with Intel chips, after which software support for Intel-based Macs will be discontinued.
Rosetta 2, a crucial bridge for apps designed for Intel-based Macs (x86 architecture) to run on the new ARM-based Apple Silicon, will continue to be available in a limited form for legacy gaming titles even beyond macOS 28. 
Apple emphasizes that it will keep some Rosetta functionality intact, specifically targeting older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel frameworks. However, general Intel app support will officially end with macOS 28, leaving only security updates for Intel Macs for a few more years.
This decision has drawn mixed reactions from the tech community. While some see it as a necessary move towards optimizing macOS for Apple’s custom M-series chips, others feel the transition is happening too quickly for those still using Intel Macs. In any case, Apple’s shift to its own architecture has already begun to dominate the market, with many apps already ported to Apple Silicon, making the transition smoother for users.
For now, macOS Tahoe 26 remains compatible with a wide range of Intel Macs, including the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro, 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro, the 2020 27-inch iMac, and the 2019 Mac Pro. However, once macOS 27 arrives, Intel Macs will no longer receive feature updates, leaving only security patches for the next few years.
If you’re still rocking an Intel-based iMac or MacBook, it’s time to start considering the future. Let us know in the comments how this change impacts your setup!