Many popular apps still don’t have native Apple Silicon support

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Since Apple announced the transition away from Intel processors, only some apps have made the transition themselves.
Some popular apps such as Google Chrome and Photoshop have already gained support.
Most apps without native support are still compatible via Rosetta 2.

Just over a year ago, Apple announced that it will be switching from Intel processors in its Macs to custom silicon chips over the next two years. These new chips are much more efficient and have since proven they are here to stay. Now, with Apple more than halfway into this transition, many users are finally switching over and using the new Macs.

It is known by many that one of the only reasons to not buy a new Mac right now, besides the cost, of course, is that if you are using many pro applications, some of your apps may not be supported on these new chips yet. This has become less of an issue than it was in the fall when the first Apple Silicon Macs were released, but it is still an issue for some pro users.

For most apps that have not yet gained native support, Apple created Rosetta 2, which makes it possible for apps originally intended for Intel processors to work on these new Macs. Even though this exists, some apps reportedly have much worse performance than on Intel Macs, and some just don’t work altogether. For the average consumer, though, this method is okay and will work most of the time.

Starting right when the first Apple Silicon Macs were released this past fall, big apps such as Google Chrome and Final Cut Pro adopted native support right away. But for most apps, it has taken longer. Now, over a year after the transition was announced, nearly half of all popular apps have not yet released a native version for Apple Silicon Macs.

On a website created by developer-services company Mac Stadium, it has been reported that many apps still do not support Apple Silicon in any way, even via Rosetta 2. The website has found only just over 500 apps with native support. Although this may seem like not very many, new apps are being added daily, and many others are available now via Rosetta 2.

Although many still don’t have support, popular apps such as Photoshop and Microsoft Word have recently gained native support. Also, just recently, it was reported that Spotify will be releasing a new version of their desktop app with native Apple Silicon support very soon.

Here is a list of some popular apps that already have native Apple Silicon support:

Google Chrome
Adobe Photoshop
1Password
GitHub Desktop
Visual Studio Code
Opera
Microsoft Word
Slack
Telegram
zoom.us

A full list is available iPad and iPhone natively! They, on average, also have better battery life than their Intel counterparts. The list of Apple Silicon Macs available now is increasing, and currently includes the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13”, Mac Mini, and iMac 24”.

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Published to Apple Scoop on 19th July, 2021.