Apple Silicon is fast. Macs with Apple M1 chips outperform just about every other laptop on the market in most benchmarks, while consuming less power. Even Mac apps that were designed to run on x86 chips run faster on the new Macs than they do on equivalent models with Intel processors.
Not every Mac app is compatible yet. But it’s likely just a matter of time before most popular apps are ported to the new platform.
But what if you want to run a different operating system? Apple’s Craig Federighi recently told Ars Technica that it’s up to Microsoft to decide whether to support Apple’s new hardware. Previous-gen Macs with Intel processors had a feature called Boot Camp which allowed users to install Windows on their Apple computers and dual boot, choosing which operating system to run at launch.
That’s not possible on the new Macs yet, but it’s not due to a technical limitation on Apple’s part. Microsoft would just need to work with Apple to make it happen.
In the meantime, it’s already possible to run many GNU/Linux distributions that support ARM architecture on the new Macs by installing them in a virtual machine. And it turns out you can run already run Windows in a virtual machine too.
Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.
- Windows on Apple Silicon (with QEMU) [@_AlexGraf]
Apple’s Macs with M1 chips don’t have Boot Camp, the tool that let you dual boot Windows on Intel-powered Macs. Apple says it’s open to letting users install Windows, but it’s up to MS. But some folks have already made it happen via virtualization. - Microsoft’s ‘Project Latte’ aims to bring Android apps to Windows 10 [Windows Central]
More details on Microsoft’s plans to (possibly) bring Android apps to Windows. Called Project Latte, it would let developers package Android apps as MSIX files to be distributed via the MS Store. Play Services probably won’t work. Sideloading… might? - The Original Jolla Phone turns 7 today [Jolla]
The original Jolla Phone (the first device to ship with Sailfish OS) turned 7 years old this week. It’s received 34 software updates over the years, but support is winding down. No more OS updates are planned, but users can still access the Jolla Store. - MNT Reform Production Update November 2020 [mntmn]
This modular, open hardware laptop has been under development for a few years, and the creator raised several hundred thousand dollars through a crowdfunding campaign earlier this year and then shipped 8 prototypes to solicit feedback. Here are some of the latest updates on the project. - Ubuntu support for laptops based on Intel’s QC7 reference design [Tuxedo Computers]
Tuxedo Computers now provides full Linux installation support for all laptops based on the Intel QC7 reference design, including the XMG Fusion 15, Eluktronics MAG-15, and Maingear Element. That includes drivers and instructions for Ubuntu-based distros.
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