Despite all of its power, the M3 Ultra Mac Studio appears to be incompatible with Apple’s latest OS.

User reports are flooding into Apple’s Community forums stating that M3 Ultra-powered Mac Studios are unable to install macOS 26 Tahoe, which was released on September 15. The user that started this thread, Boschje79, states that the installation runs smoothly until the very end, at which point the Mac Studio simply loads macOS Sequoia instead of Tahoe. 

Many other users commiserated with Boschje79, stating they also could not update their M3 Ultra Mac Studios. The issue seems to be limited to that particular configuration of that particular machine, as users with other Apple devices (such as the M4 MacBook Pro 14, curr. available on Amazon for $1499) were able to install Tahoe without incident. 

A user by the name of FilipOfficial posted that the installation issue may be due to a failure of the installer to recognize the M3 Ultra’s Neural Engine. The original post included a panic message which stated that the installer cannot validate the Apple Neural Engine. As of press time, it has not been confirmed that this is the root issue.

Apple is aware of the problem and is currently working on a fix. As of now, though, it seems that Apple’s most powerful desktop is stuck on (slightly) outdated software.

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Sam Medley – Senior Tech Writer – 1478 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2016

I’ve been a computer geek my entire life. After graduating college with a degree in Mathematics, I worked in finance and banking a few years before taking a job as a database administrator. I started working with Notebookcheck in October of 2016 and have enjoyed writing news and reviews. I’ve also written for other outlets including UltrabookReview and GeeksWorldWide, focusing on consumer guidance and video gaming. My areas of interest include the business side of technology, retro gaming, Linux, and innovative gadgets. When I’m not writing on electronics or tinkering with a device, I’m either outside with my family, enjoying a decade-old video game, or playing drums or piano.