Apple is giving Mac developers permission to leave Intel hardware behind, another clear sign that the company’s long transition to Apple Silicon is reaching its final stages.
Developers distributing universal apps through the Mac App Store can now remove Intel compatibility when their software requires macOS 13 Ventura or newer. Instead of shipping binaries containing code for both Intel’s x86-64 architecture and Apple Silicon, developers can configure future builds exclusively for Arm-based Macs.
For developers, the immediate advantages are fairly practical. Apple says dropping Intel support can simplify development while reducing app download and installed sizes. Developers making the switch need to set their build architecture to “arm64,” rebuild the application and submit the new version to the Mac App Store.
That does not mean existing Intel Mac users will suddenly lose software already installed on their machines. They will still be able to use the most recent compatible version of an app, although they will increasingly miss future updates as developers adopt Apple Silicon-only releases.
The timing is hardly surprising. Apple began moving the Mac away from Intel processors in 2020 with the M1 generation, kicking off one of the biggest architectural changes in the platform’s history. The transition progressed rapidly across MacBook, iMac, Mac mini and professional Mac hardware, eventually eliminating Intel processors from Apple’s current computer lineup.
Software support has taken longer to unwind because millions of Intel Macs remained in active use. Universal applications provided an effective bridge, allowing developers to ship a single Mac app capable of running natively across both processor architectures.
That bridge is becoming less necessary. macOS 27 Golden Gate drops support for Intel Macs altogether, meaning those computers have reached the end of the road for major macOS releases. Apple has also outlined plans to discontinue general Rosetta 2 support after macOS 27. Rosetta has been a crucial part of the Apple Silicon transition because it allows software written for Intel processors to run on Arm-based Macs, although Apple intends to retain limited Rosetta functionality for some older games.
The Mac App Store policy change arguably matters more to Intel Mac owners than the technical details suggest. Developers previously required to maintain universal compatibility now have an official route to stop doing so. As more apps move to Apple Silicon-only builds, the usable software ecosystem around Intel Macs will gradually become frozen alongside their operating systems.
None of this makes an Intel Mac immediately obsolete. Existing applications and older compatible releases can continue working, and users who do not require new software may get considerably more life from their machines. Security support and web compatibility will eventually become bigger concerns.
Still, Apple Silicon has spent six years replacing Intel inside the Mac. Apple is now making it easier for developers to complete the same transition in their software.
