{"id":29342,"date":"2020-06-23T16:54:44","date_gmt":"2020-06-23T20:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=29342"},"modified":"2020-06-23T16:54:44","modified_gmt":"2020-06-23T20:54:44","slug":"apple-silicon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2020\/06\/23\/apple-silicon\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple Silicon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apple<\/a> (also: TidBITS<\/a>, MacRumors<\/a>, Hacker News<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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Apple today announced it will transition the Mac to its world-class custom silicon to deliver industry-leading performance and powerful new technologies. Developers can now get started updating their apps to take advantage of the advanced capabilities of Apple silicon in the Mac. This transition will also establish a common architecture across all Apple products, making it far easier for developers to write and optimize their apps for the entire ecosystem.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

To help developers get started with Apple silicon, Apple is also launching the Universal App Quick Start Program, which provides access to documentation, forums support, beta versions of macOS Big Sur and Xcode 12, and the limited use of a Developer Transition Kit (DTK), a Mac development system based on Apple’s A12Z Bionic System on a Chip (SoC).<\/p>\n

Apple plans to ship the first Mac with Apple silicon by the end of the year and complete the transition in about two years. Apple will continue to support and release new versions of macOS for Intel-based Macs for years to come, and has exciting new Intel-based Macs in development.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

I think this is going to be great in the long run (except for those who use abandoned apps or need Intel virtualization), but I’m not looking forward to the transition period or to converting all my apps on such a short schedule.<\/p>\n\n

Eric Slivka<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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The program requires a brief application, with limited availability and priority for developers with an existing macOS application. The program costs $500 and includes access to beta software, developer labs, private discussion forum, technical support, and other resources.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I applied yesterday. It took a while, as the site was hammered.<\/p>\n\n

Apple<\/a> (via Hacker News<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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Rosetta can translate most Intel-based apps, including apps that contain just-in-time (JIT) compilers. However, Rosetta doesn’t translate the following executables[…]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Jesper<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Making a big deal of virtualization still being there is necessary, but the way it was presented totally gave the (wrongful) impression that virtualizing Intel from Apple Silicon was possible.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

OpenGL support will be present-but-deprecated from the start<\/a>, which essentially means the full OpenGL stack (beyond OpenGL ES) is available.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

Being able to use XPC to support Intel and ARM plugins separately is inspired.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

See also:<\/p>\n