Every OS update has a story to tell. With macOS 27 Golden Gate, that story captures a moment when Apple is faced with multiple challenges, many of which are tied to the rise of large language models.
One of those challenges is obvious. Apple was caught off guard by chatbots, overpromised a response at WWDC in 2024, and has been playing catch-up ever since.
But this isn’t simply a story of missteps or wasted opportunities. There’s more to it than that.
Two years before ChatGPT took the world by storm and began its march to 1 billion monthly users, Apple released the first Apple silicon Macs. Whether intentional or a happy coincidence, Apple silicon’s unified memory architecture fits like a glove for running and fine-tuning LLMs.
macOS’ UNIX roots make it a great fit for AI development, too. From working with Python to coding with agents in Terminal, the Mac offers a familiar command-line environment for developers working with AI.
Apple’s strength in these areas represents a huge opportunity for it and the Mac in the AI era. However, it’s that very industry that’s also fueling the challenges Apple faces.
Developers in the AI industry and power users setting up OpenClaw servers may have juiced demand for MacBook Pros and Mac minis, but data centers have made it hard for Apple to meet the demand for Macs and hold prices steady. Wait times for some Macs stretched into weeks and months this summer, and prices have risen. Still, Apple has continued to barrel ahead with new models, most recently updating the Mac Studio and Mac mini.
The AI industry has also been a drain on Apple’s talent pool, attracting hundreds of employees from across the company. Those departures are the backdrop to Apple’s high-profile trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, which involves former employees now working on AI-focused hardware. The result is a messy, turbulent era for Apple and the entire tech industry.
At the same time, macOS is completing its transition to Apple silicon by dropping support for Intel-based Macs in Golden Gate. It’s a big milestone, but one that pales in comparison to the just-completed CEO handoff from Tim Cook to John Ternus.
Against that unsettled backdrop, macOS 27 Golden Gate has a job to do. It needs to finish the transitions Apple has already begun by:
- cleaning up loose ends from the transition to Apple silicon,
- making good on Apple Intelligence promises of 2024, and
- tightening up the Liquid Glass design refresh that began with macOS Tahoe.
There are many other changes to system apps and other parts of macOS that I’ll explore in this review, too. But these three pillars invite us to evaluate how well Golden Gate builds on Apple silicon’s already solid foundation, delivers on Apple’s 2024 AI promises, and improves the everyday experience of using a Mac.
With that, let’s dig into the details.
