This time around, Apple has limited Safari’s 4K streaming which was one of the biggest highlights of the new operating system. According to a report from appleterm, 4K streaming (at least on Netflix) will only be available to those Macs with a T2 chip. It is still unsure whether the limitation is only applicable for Netflix as the full version of the OS is not out yet. The T2 chip is Apple’s custom processors inside modern Macbooks, Mac computers that take care of the hardware encryption of data and other security features. It also has an audio processor that helps in providing a better sound experience. However, the use cases of the custom processor when it comes to 4K streaming are limited to none. Windows, on the other hand, only require a 7th gen intel processor (in the absence of a dedicated GPU) to stream 4K HDR content via Edge or other supported browsers. Currently, only iMac Pros and the iMac 2020 27-inch will be able to stream 4K HDR content as all other regular iMacs (and older Macs) do not have a T2 chip even with having either 4K or 5K displays. Lastly, it seems a forced limitation either to retire older computers or to compel people to buy Macs equipped with the T2 chip.
