Apple unveiled macOS 27 'Golden Gate' at WWDC 2026, bringing Siri AI to Macs with conversational capabilities and access to both personal data and web information. The update replaces the old Type to Siri feature, routing AI requests through Spotlight instead. Users can ask follow-up questions and maintain cross-platform conversations across Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

The operating system continues Apple's Liquid Glass design language introduced in 2025, featuring a redesigned sidebar and automatic tab grouping in Safari. Child protection features from iOS also migrate to macOS, giving parents app access controls. However, Golden Gate focuses more on refinement than major departures from previous versions.

A significant change arrives with hardware support: macOS Golden Gate drops Intel Mac compatibility entirely, requiring Apple Silicon for the first time. This marks the end of six years of Intel support since Apple began its transition away from Intel processors. The move affects older Mac users who will need to upgrade to access the new features.

Betas are available now but Apple warns against using them on production machines due to performance issues and bugs. The final release arrives this fall, though early adopters should proceed with caution given the typical stability concerns with prerelease software.