Updates to macOS 27 Golden Gate are going to be a bit more confusing than last year’s cycle for Tahoe. This is because the new iPhone Duo due to ship in ten days has its own version of iOS 27.1, which won’t appear as a general release for other models. To keep version numbers in sync, Apple is therefore intending not to release x.1 updates for its other operating systems. So macOS 27.1 won’t be coming to any Macs, and we’ll go straight on to 27.2 instead, as is already progressing in beta-test versions.
My predictions last year proved uncannily accurate, particularly towards the end of Tahoe’s cycle:
- 26.0 – 15 September 2025, already known at the time
- 26.1 – 27 October 2025, actually 3 November
- 26.2 – 15 December 2025, actually 12 December
- 26.3 – 26 January 2026, actually 11 February
- 26.4 – 30 March 2026, actually 24 March
- 26.5 – 11 May 2026, actually 11 May
- 26.6 – 27 July 2026, actually 27 July
- 26.7 – 14 September 2026, actually 14 September, alongside Golden Gate 27.0.
If Apple keeps similar timings, that would bring minor version release dates as follows:
- 27.0 – 14 September 2026, already released
- 27.1 – not to be released, to retain parity with iOS
- 27.2 – 5 November 2026, although that may be delayed until 9 November because of US elections
- 27.3 – 14 December 2026
- 27.4 – 1 February 2027
- 27.5 – 22 March 2027
- 27.6 – 10 May 2027
- 27.7 – 26 July 2027
- 27.8 – 13 September 2027, first security-only update for Golden Gate, alongside the public release of macOS 28.0, with Tahoe in its second and final year of security-only support.
Each of those could be one week earlier or later, and you must also add a large pinch of salt.
Those who delay upgrading from an older version of macOS need to be careful to allow for the missing 27.1, or you could upgrade a version earlier than you intended, although that might be a good thing for some.
Security updates for macOS Sequoia and Tahoe are likely to coincide with those, although there’s always the possibility of extras alongside a 27.x.x patch update.
If press reports are accurate, next year should see the introduction of the M7 family, complete with Pro and Max variants, and eventually an Ultra as well. Although that doesn’t appear to have been confirmed by Apple, this plan is claimed to make even-numbered chips like the new M6 only in base variants for entry-level models, and odd-numbered chips after the M5 in higher power variants up to the Ultra.
If that’s correct, next year’s range should start with the existing M6 and its 2 S, 4 P and 6 E cores, for a total of 12. That will be joined by M7 Pro and Max models through 2027, culminating in an M7 Ultra.
We’ll see how close reality comes to those expectations.
