It’s fascinating to compare how software applications have changed over time. And in just seven years, the list grew by 50 apps. To give you an idea of how much things have changed, 75 applications from 2014 are no longer part of the list. ? The list below contains just 86 applications. When we first published the “100 Mac Applications We Can’t Live Without” list in 2014, it was 111 apps long. Getting rid of unnecessary clutter and bloat fits with our strategy of simplification. The immediate result is that our list of recommended apps has shrunk by 23%. There is one other compatible category of M1 software, “iOS” apps, which includes Notion and VLC in the list below. In Apple lingo, that means the app is either “Universal” - it runs on both M1 and Intel-based Macs, or “Apple Silicon” only. For our loaded M1 MacBook, equipped with 16GB RAM and a 2TB SSD, we decided that good enough was no longer acceptable and initially only sought out apps that were M1 compatible. Underpromising and overdelivering is rare in the technology industry. Whether reviewing a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac Mini, the consensus is that Apple lived up to the June Worldwide Developers Conference’s claims when it unveiled Apple Silicon. The press unanimously raves about the M1 experience. Photoshop, in particular, opens in blistering fashion, noticeable because the Intel version was so pig-in-a-poke slow. They’re much faster and more responsive than ever before and rock-solid, most of the time. Apple’s emphasis on a seamless experience shines here.īut it’s the apps that have been optimized for M1 that truly stand out. When you start an Intel application, Rosetta 2 will convert the app in realtime and seamlessly make it M1 compatible, resulting in just a slight delay the first time the app is launched. A software conversion utility, called Rosetta 2, lets a Mac with Apple Silicon use apps designed for a Mac with an Intel processor. What is most remarkable about this radical architectural change is Apple’s smooth application transition. The M1 is based on the microprocessor developed for the iPhone, the “A” series.
In November, the company launched a 13-inch MacBook Pro, a MacBook Air and a Mini, all using an “M1” chip that runs cool and boasts long (laptop) battery life. In 2020, Apple took the world by surprise, launching a new RISC-based technology, dubbed “Apple Silicon,” which set a new standard for microchip performance and compatibility.