Despite all my tech-savvy friends warning me, I went ahead and installed macOS Tahoe. Developer Betas, especially the first release, aren’t made for everyday users. And sure enough, I ran into issues. Some were personal annoyances, like the awkward new design and overly playful animations. However, most were real performance issues: lagging, app incompatibilities, and overheating. Worst of all, the highly anticipated Apple Intelligence features aren’t live yet.
So if you’re thinking of upgrading (if you can even call it that), I suggest taking a step back. Between the bugs, design quirks, and missing AI features, macOS Tahoe feels more like a work-in-progress than a proper update. Here’s what you’re actually signing up for.
1. Unfamiliar New UI
The first thing I noticed was how oversized and intrusive everything looked. The buttons, sliders, and control surfaces all feel cartoonishly large, especially in System Settings and Finder. Apple’s leaning hard into the rounded, almost iPadOS-style design language, and honestly, it doesn’t suit macOS.
I’ve been using Mac for nearly a decade, and what initially drew me in was the subtlety of its user interface. It was minimal without being bare. Functional without being flashy. macOS used to respect your focus. It didn’t shove giant toggles and bloated menus in your face. Now, everything feels louder. I feel like the OS is constantly trying to show off how touch-friendly it could be, even though MacBooks still don’t have touchscreens.
Sure, Apple might refine the sizing and spacing in later betas, or maybe we’ll all just get used to it. But right now, it’s a jarring shift. If I had a say, I’d argue that scaling everything up and rounding off every corner isn’t the visual upgrade the Mac needed.
2. Lack of New Apple Intelligence Features
Maybe I could forgive everything on this list if macOS Tahoe actually had something to show for. But it didn’t. Most of the Apple Intelligence features announced at WWDC 25 are still unavailable in the Developer Beta. And considering AI is supposed to be the headline feature of this entire release, it’s a pretty major letdown.
That said, the delays aren’t surprising. Apple Intelligence had a staggered rollout last year too, starting with iOS before slowly making its way to macOS. That was understandable then because Apple was still introducing its first LLM-powered features and figuring out the infrastructure. with macOS Tahoe, however, they’ve had a year of experience and clearer expectations. It just feels like marketing got ahead of engineering.
3. Reduced Performance
Right after installing macOS Tahoe, I noticed a massive drop in responsiveness. Apps that usually launched instantly now take a few extra seconds to open. Even switching between desktops, which is something I do constantly using Mission Control, feels noticeably sluggish.
I know bugs are part of any Developer Beta, and maybe I’m being overly pedantic, but compared to previous early builds, this one feels more laggy than usual. Animations stutter, loading indicators hang longer than they should, and overall the system just doesn’t feel as snappy.
4. Sluggish Animations
The new UI in macOS Tahoe comes with refreshed animations, and sure, some of them look sleek. However, they feel half-baked. Animations stutter constantly when switching between apps or triggering Mission Control. If I have a couple of RAM-heavy tools running, like Figma and Chrome with multiple tabs, macOS just freezes up. I’m talking about a full UI lockup for several seconds.
I rely on my Mac for work, so lag-free animations are non negotiable. Apple really needs to optimize these transitions, or at least offer a way to tone them down until the system can handle them properly.
5. Poor Battery Life
Between the laggy performance and overly animated transitions, you can probably guess what came next: terrible battery life. I wasn’t even running anything demanding, just my usual mix of Safari, Notes, and Slack, yet I still had to plug in by early afternoon. Battery drain has been brutal since the update.
Apple usually addresses battery efficiency in later beta cycles, so there’s hope this gets fixed. But for now, if you need your Mac to last through a full workday, macOS Tahoe Developer Beta isn’t a reliable option.
6. Device Heating
It’s pretty predictable at this point that my device would overheat. Sure, it’s summer, but it’s not normal for my Mac to feel hot to the touch just from opening a few tabs. At one point, I wasn’t even doing anything intensive and could already hear the fans kicking in.
That said, overheating isn’t unusual for early betas. Even iOS gets hot on developer releases too, so it’ll probably get patched in later builds. Still, for a daily driver, that heat makes long sessions nearly unbearable.
7. App Compatibility Issues
Now, this one isn’t entirely Apple’s fault, but it still drove me nuts. A lot of apps just don’t work well on macOS Tahoe yet. Some crashed on launch, others froze mid-use, and a few had UI elements completely misaligned or overlapping with the system’s new design.
To be fair, Apple Intelligence’s open LLM framework suggests a more engaging, intertwined ecosystem between native and third-party apps. But that’s still a ways off. For now, we’re stuck with broken apps and a developer ecosystem that’s still catching up.
It’s pretty clear that macOS Tahoe isn’t ready for daily use. Unless you’re testing, developing, or writing about Apple software, there’s no real reason to update yet. It’s better to wait for the stable release later this year. In the meantime, stick with macOS Sequoia, which is still getting minor and point updates.
If you already made the mistake of jumping in too early, you can still downgrade to a previous macOS version. It’ll take a bit of effort, but your Mac (and your sanity) will thank you.