When is MacBook’s next update?

The Apple MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are some of the most popular laptops. They are preferred by anyone who needs a thin and light portable laptop or a powerful machine for compute-heavy tasks. All of this is made possible by the Apple M1 or M2 processor doing the heavy lifting, while macOS brings it all together on the software end. At WWDC 2023, Apple announced macOS Sonoma, the newest update for Macs and MacBooks. But when is macOS Sonoma releasing? In this article, we will tell you macOS 14 Sonoma’s release date and other key details.

Apple officially announced macOS Sonoma on June 5, 2023, but the first public stable release will come later in the year.

There are two windows possible for the stable public release of macOS 14. Apple usually releases new macOS updates in October every year, about a month after the release of stable updates for iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS and the release of iPhones for the year. This is because macOS usually takes longer to get its bugs fixed.

Apple often lines up the macOS stable update release with the launch of new Mac hardware. This would usually be in October. However, we expect no more new Mac hardware in the rest of 2023, especially after the launch of the 15-inch MacBook Air and M2-powered Mac Studio. According to leaks and rumors, the next Mac hardware release will be sometime in 2024 with new M3 chips.

So Apple does not have a Mac hardware release to line up with a macOS stable release. Coincidentally, macOS 14 Sonoma is a relatively minor upgrade over macOS 13 Ventura, and even the first beta build is relatively usable (compared to previous macOS builds). There may not be enough reason for Apple to hold back on macOS Sonoma’s release until October, so the company could decide to release it earlier in September 2023 when the new iPhone 15 launches with the latest iOS 17.

Apple is known for having excellent software support. But some updates cannot provide an ideal experience on older computers, so they cannot be updated.

Here is the list of Apple Mac computers that will be updated to macOS Sonoma:

• iMac (2019 or later)
• iMac Pro (2017)
• MacBook Air (2018 or later)
• MacBook Pro (2018 or later)
• Mac Pro (2019 or later)
• Mac Studio (2022 or later)
• Mac Mini (2018 or later)

Apple has dropped update support for some laptops and Macs from 2017. The only computer from 2017 getting the Sonoma update is the iMac Pro.

If you have purchased a Mac with Apple M1 or M2 silicon, rest assured that your computer will be updated to macOS 14 Sonoma.

Despite its relative stability, we do not recommend installing the macOS 14 Sonoma beta, especially if you need your Mac computer or laptop for work. Betas are inherently buggy and unstable, and critical features may not work when needed. Only install the macOS 14 Sonoma beta if you know what you are getting into.

Here’s how to install the macOS Sonoma beta on your iMac, Mac, or MacBook:

• Open the System Settings app, and navigate to General > Software Update.
• Click on the entry for Beta updates.
• You can now choose your beta release channels. Choose macOS Sonoma Developer Beta, as the update is available only in Developer Beta. Developer Betas require enrollment in the Apple Developer Program with a $99 yearly fee. You can choose the macOS Sonoma Public Beta once that becomes available, which does not require enrollment in the developer program.
• Click Done.
• The latest Beta should appear as an available update, and you just have to follow the usual update pattern.

We recommend that you back up all of your data to the cloud or somewhere else offline before attempting to install the macOS beta.