Apple Intelligence is the best reason yet to finally upgrade to an Apple Silicon Mac

Back in 2020, Apple entered a new era. It released its first Apple Silicon chips and with them said goodbye to the Intel chips that had powered its Mac computers since the early 2000s. Apple Silicon chips, also known as the company’s M-series chips, gave Macs a major boost over their Intel counterparts, not just in processing power but in energy efficiency, too.

The latest Apple Silicon MacBook Air with the M3 chip is a staggering 13 times faster than the most powerful Intel-base MacBook Air. The M3 chips’ energy efficiency also gives the laptop up to a third more battery life (18 hours for the Apple Silicon MacBook Air versus 12 hours for the Intel MacBook Air).

But Apple Silicon Macs don’t just benefit from hardware advantages over their Intel counterparts. Ever since 2020, Apple has limited some software capabilities to its Apple Silicon Macs. And with the release of macOS Sequoia this fall, one of the latest Apple Silicon Mac software exclusives is also the best reason those who still have Intel-based Macs should upgrade.

Apple Intelligence won’t run on Intel Macs

This fall, Apple will bring its long-awaited AI platform, dubbed Apple Intelligence, to its iPhones, iPads, and Macs. However, when it comes to Macs, there’s a big caveat: only Apple Silicon Macs will gain Apple Intelligence support. Even though many Intel-based Macs will be able to run macOS Sequoia, those Macs won’t be able to run Apple Intelligence.

Now, it’s easy to be cynical about this and claim that Apple is placing artificial restrictions on which Macs can and cannot run Apple Intelligence in order to boost sales, but the truth is there are fundamental technical reasons Apple Intelligence won’t run on Intel Macs. Most notably, Intel chips in Macs are all at least four years old and nowhere near powerful enough to reliably run artificial intelligence tasks. But Apple Silicon chips are.

You’ll need a Mac with at least an M1 processor to run Apple Intelligence. Apple Silicon chips will be able to handle the processing power for the new, advanced Siri; the generative text tools that help you refine your emails and messages; and the generative art tools that can create custom images and even custom emojis on the fly.

AI isn’t the only Apple Silicon Mac-exclusive feature, either

As already mentioned, Apple Intelligence isn’t the only exclusive software limited to Apple Silicon Macs. The Mac’s next operating system, called macOS Sequoia, has another Apple Silicon-exclusive feature. The Notes app on Apple Silicon Macs gains live audio transcription, so your M-series Mac can automatically transcribe an audio recording you insert into the note—a great productivity feature.

And Apple Silicon-exclusive features aren’t even limited to the upcoming macOS Sequoia. If you still have an Intel Mac, you are missing out on other existing macOS capabilities including the ability to use hand gestures to create augmented reality effects when on a FaceTime call and the ability to overlay yourself on top of content, such as slide decks, that you share while on a video call.

Dictation features built into macOS are vastly superior on Apple Silicon Macs. You can dictate text in any text field without an internet connection. Another great feature exclusive to Apple Silicon Macs is called Live Captions. This feature displays real-time subtitles on your Mac’s screen across various apps including FaceTime when on a video call or when listening to podcasts in the Podcasts app. Real-time captioning makes it easier to follow along if you have trouble hearing someone or are in a place where you can’t boost your Mac’s volume up too loud.

And if you’re an Apple Maps fan, know that the Mac Apple Maps app displays a lot more details in its maps on Apple Silicon Macs than it does on Intel Macs. These include additional elements like trees, roads, landmarks, buildings, and elevation in select cities. Finally, Apple Maps on Apple Silicon Macs allows you to view the earth as an interactive 3D globe—something Intel Macs miss out on entirely.

If you’ve been waiting, now is the perfect time to upgrade to an Apple Silicon Mac

One of the main benefits of buying a Mac over a PC is its incredibly long lifespan. I’ve had Macs that were completely usable even 10 years after purchasing them (even though the Macs could no longer receive software updates).

But in 2024, the technology landscape is changing and we are entering a new era of computing—one driven by artificial intelligence. So even though your Intel Mac may still be able to run the upcoming macOS Sequoia, there’s a good argument to be made that it’s time to upgrade to a modern Apple Silicon Mac—you’ll need to if you want to use Apple Intelligence.

Of course, the drawback of upgrading to a Mac, as opposed to a PC, is the price. An entry-level Apple Silicon M3 iMac starts at $1,299 and an M2 MacBook Air starts at $999—not exactly cheap.

But there are deals to be had if you know where to look. Apple sells refurbished items on its online store, where you can often save hundreds of dollars on Apple Silicon Macs. And if you have an existing monitor and keyboard, the $599 entry-level M2 Mac mini is an affordable option to get into Apple Silicon (and it’s only $499 with an education discount). 

Finally, perhaps the best Apple Silicon laptop deal you can get comes not from Apple, but from Walmart. The retail giant currently exclusively sells the M1 MacBook Air for just $699, and often has it on sale for even less than that.

macOS Seqoia will be released to the public next month. An update to macOS Sequoia with Apple Intelligence included is expected to be released in October.