After the iPhone 17 event, Apple made the Release Candidate version of macOS Tahoe available. With that, the company is days away from launching one of the biggest macOS releases since Big Sur. At that time, the company was about to unveil the first M1 Macs. Now, it’s preparing to stop supporting Intel computers, as the focus will shift completely to Macs with its own processors.
However, more than just offering a final glimpse of the future of macOS to Intel Mac users, Apple designed software that’s more integrated with iOS and iPadOS than ever before. After all, macOS Tahoe features the new Liquid Glass design, which is also available on the other operating systems. Additionally, Apple is adding new apps to the Mac, including Phone, Journal, and Preview.
That said, not only is Apple making the transition between hardware more seamless, but also better integrated. For example, iPhone Mirroring expands Live Activities to the Mac, so you can see when an Instagram post has been uploaded, when your Uber driver is arriving, or how your team is performing in a big game, all from your Mac’s display.
macOS Tahoe RC expands the Mac experience
Apple Intelligence is a big part of macOS Tahoe RC. It brings Live Translation for FaceTime calls, phone calls, and messages. An AI-powered Shortcuts app lets you create your own chatbot with Apple Intelligence, and GPT-5 can take it to the next level with Writing Tools, onscreen awareness, and Image Playground.
Another important feature is the all-new Spotlight. While the iconic Launchpad is being removed, Apple says the new Spotlight can help users take action, such as creating a shortcut, sending a file through Messages, and so much more. That said, if you’re missing the old Launchpad, you can effectively bring it back by reverting to the previous Spotlight experience.
Alongside the Release Candidate version of macOS Tahoe, Apple is seeding the RC versions of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26. We will let you know if we find anything new while poking around in the latest RC versions.
