macOS 15 release date speculation, Mac compatibility, and all the latest rumors (2024)

It's been nearly a year since Apple released the latest version of macOS, and that means we're about due to meet the sequel.

If past launches are anything to go by, Apple will likely unveil the next version of macOS at its WWDC 2024 developer conference in June. But unlike the introduction of macOS Sonoma at WWDC last year, this time there's likely to be a lot of AI talk involved.

That's because competitors like Microsoft have been pushing AI hardware and features hard over the past year, and the surge shows no signs of slowing in the back half of 2024.

If anything, the recent debut of newWindows 11laptops with new AI-focused Copilot+ features powered by Qualcomm's promising newSnapdragon X PlusorSnapdragon X Elitechips has only amped up the AI craze currently coursing through the tech industry.

So while we don't yet know what to call macOS 15 or what features it will bring to your MacBook, we can make some pretty well-educated guesses about what the focus will be and when it will be available for you to try out.

macOS 15: Expected release date

Apple's software release schedule is pretty reliable and rarely changes, so we can make a pretty safe bet about when you'll get to meet macOS 15 for yourself.

If prior years are any indication, Apple will formally unveil macOS 15 at WWDC 2024, give us the proper name and walk us through all the new features. We'll be covering it live, and you should also be able to watch along at home now that Apple has confirmed the WWDC 2024 keynote is happening June 10 at 1 PM ET/10 AM PT.

An early beta version for developers will be made available at the same time, with a public beta likely to follow in July. If you're not comfortable installing and running beta software on your Mac, you'll likely have to wait until September 2024 for the public release of macOS 15.

macOS 15: Predicted Mac compatibility

Every new macOS release leaves a few old models of MacBook behind, and it's likely that macOS 15 will be no different.

In fact, if there end up being a lot of fancy AI features which require powerful hardware like the Apple M4 chip we may see more Macs than usual cut from the macOS 15 compatibility list. For that reason, we're speculating that the only Macs which will support macOS 15 are those that have Apple silicon (aka M-series chips) inside.

This would finally remove the aging Intel-powered iMac and iMac Pro from the list of Macs compatible with the latest version of macOS, which would be a big step. Apple might not be willing to make it yet, but it will have to at some point, and the ongoing AI race could be a good excuse since old Intel chips lack the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) that's available on all Apple M-series chips as part of the Neural Engine.

With that in mind, here's our predictions for what Macs will support macOS 15:

• iMac: 2021 and later
• MacPro: 2023 and later
• MacStudio: 2022 and later
• MacBookAir: 2020 and later
• Macmini: 2020 and later
• MacBookPro: 2021 and later

macOS 15: Expected new features

While reports of new features coming in macOS 15 have been remarkably scarce this year, we have heard some pretty believable leaks about what to expect.

First and foremost, we expect macOS 15 to feature a big redesign of System Settings and Siri that will add new Settings to the menu, change up how they're arranged and more. Siri is expected to get a light visual redesign as well as improved performance thanks to upgrades Apple is believed to be making to its Ajax generative AI.

We also expect a handful of other apps to get visual updates and new AI-focused features, including the Calculator, Notes, Safari and Voice Memos apps. Expect features like improved transcription, a better menu bar in Safari and a new Math Notes feature that makes mathematical notation easier to use in the Calculator.

But the most exciting thing we've heard is that Apple is planning to show off how good AI can be on macOS. Apple chief Tim Cook claimed the company will"break new ground in generative AI” this year, and while iOS 18 will likely get the lion's share of any AI features which debut at WWDC 2024 we expect at least some to come to Macs as well.

This speculation is backed up by reports we've heard that Apple is ramping up AI acquisitions and recruitment ahead of rumored Siri 2.0 reveal at WWDC 2024, as well as word from Apple expert (and Bloomberg reporter) Mark Gurman that Apple software chief Craig Federighi has told Apple engineers to fill iOS 18 “with features running on the company’s large language model", features we hope will also come to the Mac.

Such new AI-powered features could include an actual chatbot, a la Windows Copilot, which you can summon to ask for help with questions or tasks. But it's more likely that we'll see more subtle integration of AI-powered chatbots in apps like iMessage, where you might get AI-generated suggested responses or have the ability to generate custom emoji on the fly using AI.

We've also heard reports of Apple working on AI-enhanced features like automated photo editing, better voice message transcriptions and a more capable Spotlight Search.

Any such AI features will almost certainly tap the power of Apple's M-series chips, but it's possible that they may also be able to run on remote servers, which would be good if you're using an older Intel-powered Mac that can't run these kinds of AI workloads locally very well.

However, there's recently been reports that Apple's upcoming iOS 18 AI features may carry a ‘preview’ label, and that could mean a similar label will be applied to macOS 15 AI features for the foreseeable future.

macOS 15: Outlook

We still know very little about Apple's plans for macOS 15, which is par for the course. While new iOS features and updates tend to get leaked and talked about months ahead of WWDC every year, Apple typically does a better job of keeping things mum about what's coming to macOS.

But while we may be a bit off in our predictions about what features to expect in macOS 15, there's no doubt that AI will be a key talking point. Even if Apple somehow fails to show off any compelling new AI-powered features for its hardware at WWDC 2024, it will almost certainly have to respond to the claims made by its competitors. Notably, Qualcomm says Snapdragon X Elite blows away Apple’s M3 chip with 28% faster performance while Microsoft believes Snapdragon X Elite laptops will beat the MacBook Air M3 in performance tests.

And while these chest-thumping moments were undercut somewhat by Apple releasing an even more powerful M4 chip just before Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips were unveiled, the fact remains that the M4 is only available in the new iPad Pro 2024. If you're a Mac user, the Apple M3 chip is currently the most powerful chip you can get for even the best MacBooks around.

With competition breaking down the performance barriers separating MacBooks from Windows laptops, Apple could be feeling pressured to demonstrate AI features and capabilities that are only possible on macOS. We'll just have to wait until we attend WWDC 2024 ourselves to find out—stay tuned!

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