Apple’s shift away from Intel chips followed a now-familiar playbook: a public multi-year timeline, a translation layer to run old software, and new machines starting with the lowest-power models first.
Rosetta 2 allowed Intel-only apps to keep running during the transition, buying developers time to release native Apple Silicon versions without breaking user workflows overnight.
The full lineup, from MacBook Air to Mac Pro, eventually moved to custom silicon, closing out an era that had defined the Mac’s internals for over a decade.