4 ms·

No, you don't have to sign in with an Apple ID, but the O/S certainly strongly encourages you to do so upon installation (or first boot of a new Mac)

• olyjohn 5y ago
  It's damn near as annoying as Microsoft's harassment.
• josefresco 5y ago
  It sounds like Windows and macOS are similar in this regard, except Apple has more customers who would see this as a "convenience" because their smartphone/tablet world is tied to Apple.
  • cromka 5y ago
    Well that, but also things like "Find my", which are a genuinely valuable and cannot function without some sort of account you can access online.
    • Joeri 5y ago
      You could pair devices to each other instead of to an account. There is no reason an account needs to sit at the core of the find my experience.
      • dannyw 5y ago
        actually there is plenty of reason. like you lose your backpack with your macbook and iphone in it .