Compatibility / Qualification status / September 19, 2026
No qualified model yet.¶
Current Status: Zero real Intel Macs have completed NextCore product qualification. There is no supported model list for the engineering preview. macOS boot, physical desktop, Metal and installation acceptance remain false.
Target State: A documented set of real Intel Macs with model-specific admission, installation, reboot, graphics and recovery evidence for each claimed capability.
Default release-policy preview
Unsupported or unqualified platforms are refused.¶
The public ISO and EFI use the default release policy. No hardware family has been qualified for installation. A refusal is not a completed installation or a successful compatibility test.
Intended hardware scope¶
The project targets macOS 27 through the unfinished NextCore compatibility layer on real Intel Macs. This is a development objective, not a claim that Apple's native support policy includes those machines or that NextCore currently runs the OS on them.
Generic PCs and virtual machines are not release installation targets. Internal OVMF tests provide repeatable firmware checks; they do not qualify a physical Mac. An Apple-silicon computer is not a substitute for the required real Intel Mac acceptance target.
The archived firmware ZIP predates the current policy. Its existence does not establish support for any platform or mean that it enforces the current release restrictions.
What qualification must establish¶
Hardware admission¶
Identify the real machine and supported configuration, validate the admission decision, and test refusal paths. Model names, serial strings and copied SMBIOS identifiers alone do not prove genuine Apple hardware. One VM refusal does not establish universal non-Mac exclusion.
Installation and reboot¶
Bind explicit confirmation to the exact target device and proposed changes. Verify writes, preserve unrelated disks, handle interruptions, and demonstrate a working installed-system reboot on the identified computer.
Usable operating system and graphics¶
Verify target-matching macOS kernel and userspace, visible interaction, and the device functions being claimed. Metal needs actual guest device creation, submitted work, completion and correct output. Firmware display or a client build is insufficient.
Recovery appropriate to the hardware¶
Qualify Recovery and any applicable DFU operation separately. Native DFU depends on the hardware; ordinary Intel EFI Recovery is not Apple-silicon DFU. Neither capability is currently accepted.
Reading a future support entry¶
A support entry will need an identified model and configuration, the tested release, the demonstrated operations and their limits. A model catalog, an EFI launch or a screenshot alone cannot supply that evidence. Until qualification is complete, the status stays unverified.