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'Armac' Apple Silicon Q&A

Published July 20, 2020

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Will Intel Macs run the same operating system as ARM-based Apple Silicon Macs?

Yes, in basic terms. Although there likely will be technical build differences, recent Intel-based Macs -- going back to around 2013 -- and the initial release of ARM-based Apple Silicon Macs both will run macOS Big Sur (macOS 11).

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (macOS Big Sur)

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Many of these Intel-based Macs also can run an earlier version of the macOS, like macOS Catalina (10.15) or macOS Mojave (10.14), whereas ARM-based Apple Silicon Macs will not be able to run versions of the macOS before macOS Big Sur (macOS 11).

Will applications written for ARM-based Apple Silicon Macs run on Intel-based Macs?

Yes, in many cases, even natively if recompiled as a 'Univeral 2' binary.

However, going forward, there are unlikely to really be 'Mac apps' in the traditional sense. Because iOS apps also run on ARM-based Apple Silicon Macs, and the iOS has so many more apps and a much larger user base, the iOS inevitably will be the primary developer focus. These iOS apps can be tweaked to support Intel-based Macs, too.

Apple software developer documentation explains:

Although you can run your iOS apps unmodified on Apple silicon, Mac Catalyst lets you build your app specifically for macOS and customize your app's behavior on that platform. Mac Catalyst also supports deployment on both Apple silicon and Intel-based Mac computers.

Effectively, ARM-based Apple Silicon Macs can run just about all modern iOS apps written for the iPhone and iPad unless the developer opts-out. Intel-based Macs running macOS Big Sur (macOS 11) -- or macOS Catalina (10.15) in many cases -- likewise can run these iOS apps if the developer chooses to use Mac Catalyst.

Will Apple continue to release new Intel-based Macs? Which ones?

In the company press release, Apple claims that the company 'has exciting new Intel-based Macs in development.' In the WWDC 2020 keynote (1:46:16), CEO Tim Cook says that the company has 'new Intel-based Macs in the pipeline' that they are 'really excited about.'

An attorney might argue that having products 'in development' and 'in the pipeline' actually is not an explicit promise of shipping said products to consumers. Without a doubt, Apple has had numerous products in development that the company never released, but these statements do seem to indicate that the company likely will ship at least some new Intel-based Macs.

There also is historical precedent from the PowerPC-to-Intel switch for Apple shipping new Mac models with PowerPC processors after announcing the switch to Intel ones.

In fact, Apple refreshed nearly its entire product line between June 6, 2005, when Apple announced the switch to Intel, and January 10, 2006, when the company shipped its first Intel-based Macs:

Some of these updates, like the iMac G5 with a slimmer housing and an integrated webcam and the Power Mac G5 with an innovative, albeit ill-fated, liquid cooling system were significant, too.

Apple continued to ship an existing PowerPC-based Mac until it had an Intel-based replacement in each series, and in many cases, for at least a month or two afterwards until supplies were exhausted, but Apple did not release any new PowerPC-based Macs after it shipped its first Intel-based ones.

In many respects, Apple is not the same company it was back in 2005. These days, it would not be surprising for Apple to continue to sell an Intel-based Mac or two with largely outdated specs -- even for months or years -- while simultaneously shipping new ARM-based Apple Silicon Macs. However, it would be odd for the company to introduce new Intel-based Macs after shipping ARM-based Macs. Companies typically do not dedicate significant resources to a product line that they have deemed to be a legacy offering.

If the assumption that Apple will not introduce new Intel-based Macs after shipping ARM-based models is correct, and Apple meets its 'plan' to ship the first ARM-based Apple Silicon Mac 'by the end of the year' (2020), it seems most likely that the company would introduce any new Intel-based Macs this summer or autumn (in the northern hemisphere).

Apple always could do minor refreshes of many models -- perhaps faster processors or graphics or even just upgrades to RAM and storage -- but the iMac and iMac Pro models look like the most viable candidates for a more significant Intel update because they have not been revised in quite some time.

Will Intel-based Macs be supported in the future? For how long?

In the corporate press release and the WWDC 2020 keynote (1:46:10), Apple reports that the company 'will continue to support and release new versions of macOS for Intel-based Macs for years to come.'

For the PowerPC-to-Intel switch, Apple only provided those who bought the last PowerPC-based Mac -- the Power Macintosh G5 -- toward the end of its run a mere 15 months or so of current operating system support. However, in recent years, Apple has been providing Macs with support for the current operating system for at least four years.

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No further information is available, but the safest assumption is that 'years' means at least two years of support and three or four years would not be without recent precedent.

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Keep in mind that Apple commonly provides a couple more years of bug fixes and security updates for Macs that aren't running the current operating system, as well.

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