macOS Tahoe Marks a Sleek Turning Point for the Mac
After months of beta testing, macOS Tahoe is here — bringing design refreshes, smarter tools, and a sense that Apple is ready to move full-steam into its silicon future. While the update introduces plenty of improvements, the review finds it’s also a bittersweet moment for users of older Intel-based Macs.
What’s New and Most Notable
Apple introduces a suite of visual and interface updates under what it calls “Liquid Glass.” Clearest changes include translucent sidebars, a lighter, more modern look for app windows and folders, and refreshed icon styles. These tweaks don’t overhaul how you work, but they make things feel more polished — especially on Macs equipped with newer hardware that can handle the effects smoothly.
Continuity is beefed up. Tahoe adds features like showing Live Activities from iPhones, iPads, or Watches directly on the Mac’s screen. There’s a new Phone app that lets you make and receive calls, view voicemails, and manage contacts entirely on the Mac, so long as your iPhone and Mac share the same Apple ID and local network. The Journal app also arrives, integrating across Apple’s devices so that notes, media, and location-aware content sync cleanly.
Spotlight gets a substantial upgrade. With AI enhancements, it now lets you perform tasks directly without opening apps — for instance, sending a file via Messages or triggering shortcuts. Search results feel smarter: it picks up on routines, suggests actions, and is overall more responsive than previous versions. The old Launchpad design has been quietly retired, with Spotlight stepping in to cover many of its functions.
Apple Intelligence features also expand. Writing tools, live translation across apps like FaceTime and Messages, and improved image editing and generative options are all part of Tahoe. Third-party app support is growing, meaning more developers are embedding Apple’s AI models into their apps on Mac.
What Works Well & What’s Less Smooth
Stability in this version is generally strong. For those with newer Macs, performance stays solid; battery life, in many tests, is on par with the previous version, Sequoia. The promise is that once third-party apps catch up, those machines will benefit from even greater efficiency.
On older Macs, especially Intel machines, some users will see slower UI animations, delays in rendering effects, or longer load times for apps that haven’t fully optimized for Tahoe. The “Liquid Glass” visuals, while attractive, demand more from the hardware and sometimes stretch the capabilities of mid- or lower-tier Macs.
Another downside: features that require recent hardware are off limits to Intel Mac users in many cases. Apple makes it clear that Tahoe will be the last major macOS release with broad Intel support. Users of older Macs will soon find themselves cut off from future updates or certain advanced features.
Should You Upgrade Now? Who It’s Best For
If you’ve got a newer Mac with Apple silicon, or one of the later Intel models, there’s a lot to like. The aesthetics, smarter search, stronger cross-device continuity, and smoother workflows make Tahoe feel like a meaningful update.
If you’re using an older Intel Mac and your workflow depends on apps that might lag or misbehave, you might want to wait a bit — especially until those apps are fully updated for Tahoe. Be ready for trade-offs in speed and responsiveness.
