Key Takeaways
- macOS 15 will be unveiled at 10 AM PT on June 10th, with the public launch expected in the Fall.
- AI will be a major focus in macOS 15, with updates like a revamped Siri, more powerful Spotlight, AI photo editing, and redesigned apps.
- Compatibility might require newer Macs running on Apple Silicon, possibly cutting off Intel models.
Apple is set to unveil its AI plans alongside the latest updates to macOS and iOS at its annual WWDC event. Here’s a look at what you can expect to see from macOS 15, and when you can try it out.
macOS 15 Release Date
macOS 15 will be unveiled at Apple’s WWDC developer event on Monday, June 10th. You can watch the big announcement at the opening keynote presentation at 10 AM PT (1 PM in New York, 6 PM in London) on the Apple Events website, Apple’s YouTube channel, or via the video below.
Assuming Apple sticks to its usual schedule, a developer beta will drop on the same day, and if you want to test out the update early, you’ll be able to get the public beta around five weeks later.
The final public launch will come in the Fall. macOS versions usually become available in October, although 2023’s Sonoma launch was brought forward to September.
We don’t yet know what macOS 15 will be called, although it will presumably be named after a California location like the previous 11 versions.
macOS 15 Compatibility
When it comes to the question of which Macs will be compatible with macOS 15, the speculation falls into two groups.
The oldest models Sonoma is compatible with are the iMac Pro from 2017, and the 2018 MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini. These will almost certainly be cut off this time, and it may simply be that the 2019 Macs are the oldest to receive the update.
However, we also know that Apple is keen to move beyond its Intel era, and with the expected focus on AI in macOS 15, it might be that Apple Silicon becomes a prerequisite for running the software. Given that it’s only a year since Apple stopped selling its last Intel machine (the Mac Pro), it might be a little early to end support, but we wouldn’t rule it out entirely.
macOS 15 Features
Leaks about macOS 15 have been thin on the ground this year, and there have been reports that Apple has been prioritizing bug fixes and stability over new features.
But we do know that AI will be the big focus of WWDC, as Tim Cook announced earlier in the year. We’ve already speculated on how AI could revolutionize the Mac experience, although it does appear that some of the main developments will arrive on iOS first.
The biggest of the developments is likely to be a revamped Siri, using LLMs to turn it into a proper chatbot, and enabling it to interact with Apple apps more intelligently. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, however, has said that while it will be shown off at WWDC, the new Siri might not be released until 2025, and even then it will debut on iOS first.
Safari looks set for an AI upgrade. The addition of a new “Intelligent Search” feature will summarize web content to make it more easily readable, and a “Web Eraser” feature is also mooted, which will enable you to remove content from web pages.
AI photo editing is likely to come to the Photos app. Again, rumors mostly talk about this being on iOS, but the editing tools in the Mac app would certainly benefit from an overhaul.
Other rumors talk about AI being added to other key Apple apps. This includes audio transcriptions in Notes, better integration between Reminders and Calendar, and more powerful searches in Spotlight. AI also looks set to come to Apple’s office apps, enabling text generation in Pages, or making it easier to create slides in Keynote. Apple Music could get AI-generated playlists, too.
Among other smaller tweaks will be another redesign for the System Settings, hopefully reorganizing all the categories so they’re easier to find. And there will be a new iOS-like Calculator app.
We can also expect Apple to emphasize privacy and security, especially after the less than convincing way Microsoft handled questions about its new Recall feature on Windows.
WWDC begins on Monday, June 10th with the keynote, and continues until the 14th. The software announced on the day should become available in either September or October, and though no new hardware is likely to launch now, new MacBook Pros powered by the M4 chip are expected in the Fall too.
