It's been over a month since Tim Cook's merry band of devs dropped the latest update for the Mac -- macOS 26 Tahoe -- and it's... okay. No, it's not the greatest thing since sliced apples, but it's okay, and in a tech world were every major update from every company seems to be a dumpster fire of epic proportions, Apple did well here. It will make your M-Series Mac a little snappier and play nicer with your iOS/iPadOS 26 powered devices.
There are some significant visual changes that may be frustrating. Apple is leaning hard into the transparent text over a transparent background thing. Just like in iOS/iPadOS 26 you will need to spend some time tweaking the interface to get it to where you want it. I don't understand why they do this, but I did hear a rumor that macOS 27 Blythe will have a white on white theme. Stay tuned for that one...
So, if you are a rank and file Apple user and don't employ any complex 3rd party software, then it's okay to update if you want. As always, make sure you have a backup of your Mac before proceeding just to be safe. A Time Machine Backup is your safety net if things go sideways.
There are a few other things to consider before you hit the update button.
Check Your Software, Especially Business Users If you use Quicken, Quickbooks, Parallels, Adobe, or any 3D or design software make sure that it will run in macOS Tahoe. Many developers are late to the train when prepping for a new Apple release, so check and double-check that your critical software will run in the new operating system. In fact, if you use your Mac for business, we suggest that you wait to update. macOS Sequoia is stable and if you are working, don't rock the boat.
Backup, Backup, and then Backup Like I mentioned above, before any move to any new operating system make sure that you have a Time Machine Backup of your Mac. If stuff is going to go sideways, it will during a major system update. Having a backup will take the stress out of the whole process. It's just good insurance.
Intel Mac Users Beware There are only a few Intel-powered Macs that are compatible with macOS Tahoe. If you have one we strongly recommend avoiding the update. The testing pool of those machines was so small, and given Apple's history of "decommissioning" old machines, you may find your old Intel Mac struggling with the new OS. With the 5th generation of the M-Series processor being announced this month, it is getting time to think about putting that old Intel Mac on the back burner. | 