The processor is like your computer’s engine. If that sounds complicated, it’s because it is – so don’t worry! Here’s a simple way of thinking about it: However, you might not be as familiar with x86, ARM, or why they create compatibility issues.Įssentially, ARM (which the M1, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch chips use) and x86 (used by Intel) are two different kinds of processor architectures. I’m sure that most people who have searched for this article already have a basic understanding of the difference between the M1 chip and the previously-used Intel chips. Putting it simply, these apps have been released with support for both Intel and Apple Silicon, without needing to use Apple’s Rosetta 2 engine.Īnd that’s it! What’s the difference between x86 (Intel) and ARM (Apple’s M1)? This appears if an app has been updated (or developed) using binaries for both Intel-based Macs and those powered by Apple Silicon. Your M1 Mac can still run them, however, using Rosetta 2 (more on that further down). These are the apps that are still optimized for Intel. Again, the answer here is straightforward. As you would expect, this refers to apps that have been optimized to run on Apple Silicon. When you do find the app you want to identify, you can check which architecture it’s optimized for by looking under the Kind column. While there’s no search feature, you can sort these apps alphabetically, which should make it easy enough to find and check the app you’re looking for. This will take you to a scrollable list of every application installed on your Mac. In the left pane of this popup, you’ll find a section labeled Software and an option under that labeled Applications. This will open up a new window that shows more technical information on your Mac. For our purposes, however, we’re going to click the System Report button. You can do this by typing “About This Mac” into Spotlight or by clicking the logo in the top-left of the Menu Bar.Ī popup will appear, giving you some basic information on your Mac, such as the serial number and macOS version. How to tell if an app is optimized for your M1 Macįirst, you’ll want to open About This Mac. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to determine this information for yourself. Still, it’s useful information to have, and Apple allows you to check which architecture each of your apps uses. So you probably won’t notice much of a difference between your Intel and ARM apps. Apple has managed this with Rosetta 2, which allows Intel-based apps to run on the M1’s ARM architecture. The M1 chip is brand new, which means there aren’t a whole lot of apps that support it yet. You’ve just finished setting your new M1 Mac just how you like, installed your favorite apps, restored your last backup, and are about to put this thing to the test when a question crosses your mind:Īre any of my apps optimized for the M1 chip?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |