What you need to know
- Microsoft Edge will support Apple's new M1 chips in the future.
- Developers can choose to run apps through emulation or recompile apps for Apple's own silicon chips.
- Microsoft Office already supports Apple's M1 chips.
Microsoft Edge will soon support Apple's new M1 chips. New devices, such as the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini run on new silicon. The new chips can already run any Mac app through Apple's Rosetta 2 emulator, but developers can choose to recompile their apps for Apple's new silicon to provide an even better experience.
Microsoft seems eager to support the new hardware. Microsoft Office already supports the new M1 chips, and Microsoft Edge will follow at some point in the future. The Microsoft Edge Dev Twitter account confirmed that M1 support is on the way. Microsoft hasn't stated when support will come but says it's in the works.
M1 support is in the works, stay tuned 😊M1 support is in the works, stay tuned 😊— Microsoft Edge Dev (@MSEdgeDev) November 18, 2020November 18, 2020
This story might sound somewhat familiar to fans of Windows 10. Microsoft has its own push to get developers to recompile apps for Windows 10 on ARM, though Apple is diving into its custom chip efforts more aggressively than Microsoft is diving into Windows 10 on ARM. Apple plans to transition entirely to its own silicon over the next two years, so developers will probably feel more of a need to recompile apps for Apple's M1 chips than Windows 10 on ARM.
There is a difference between Apple Silicon and ARM, but the push to get developers to recompile apps is still there. Apple wants people to have the best experience on its devices, and recompiling apps for Apple's custom chips does that. Microsoft also wants to deliver the best experience across platforms, so it's jumping on board the M1 train.
