Farewell, Old Friend: macOS Tahoe Marks the End of an Era (and the Beginning of Dongle Hell?)

The rumors, once whispered in hushed tones over lukewarm coffee at Apple Park, have finally been confirmed: macOS Tahoe will indeed be the last macOS iteration to grace the venerable Intel processor. For years, we've watched Apple slowly but surely usher out the Intel era, first with the "It Just Works" M1, then the "No, Seriously, It Really Works" M2, and now, presumably, the "Your Intel Mac Is Now a Very Expensive Paperweight, But a Pretty One" M-whatever-comes-next. So, pour one out for your MacBook Pro (2019 model, you beautiful brick), for it will forever be frozen in time, a digital fossil of a bygone era.

While the move to Apple Silicon has brought undeniable performance gains and battery life that no longer requires you to carry a dedicated power station, one can't help but feel a pang of nostalgia. Remember the simpler times? When you could just plug in a USB-A device without needing an entire ecosystem of dongles? Ah, memories. macOS Tahoe, therefore, represents not just the end of Intel's run, but perhaps the last bastion of true plug-and-play simplicity. Get ready to embrace the dongle life, my friends, for it is the future, and it is glorious (and probably requires a separate carrying case).

So, what does this mean for you, the loyal Intel Mac user? Well, it means your current machine is officially a collector's item! Or, more realistically, it means you've got a perfectly good computer that will continue to function admirably, just without the latest bells, whistles, and whatever revolutionary new feature Apple unveils next that requires a neural core the size of a small car. But hey, think of the money you'll save not upgrading! That's more cash for, you guessed it, more dongles! The circle of Mac life continues.