Microsoft has updated its Edge browser with native support for Apple Silicon, promising optimized performance for Macs with the M1 chip.
The update was announced through the official Edge developers Twitter account, which invited users to download the new version from the Microsoft Edge Canary Channel, a subsection of the Microsoft Edge Insiders website.
You asked, and we delivered! 💪 Native support for Mac ARM64 devices is now available in our Canary channel. Download it today from our Microsoft Edge Insiders website! https://t.co/qJMMGV0HjU
— Microsoft Edge Dev (@MSEdgeDev) December 16, 2020
Microsoft didn't specify what kind of performance improvements users can expect from the M1-optimized version of its browser, but if it's anything like Firefox's supercharged Apple silicon update, loyal Edge users should have something to celebrate.
Earlier this week, Apple shared a list of popular apps optimized for M1 Macs that are available in the Mac App Store, such as Pixelmator Pro, Adobe Lightroom, Affinity Designer, Darkroom, Fantastical, OmniFocus, BBEdit, Instapaper, and Twitter. Apple boasted that apps optimized for the M1 chip deliver "game-changing speed and capabilities."
Last month, Apple released its first Macs with the M1 chip, including a new 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini.
Faster Uses far less memory with all the same tabs and extensions enabled (around 1/3 the total Chrome uses) They stripped out all of Google's tracking services, using strictly the rendering engine To that previous point, there's far more Privacy settings that are very easy to find, like Brave, to give more granular control Has PlayReady DRM in addition to WideVine, so you can use it for more media sites Tracking Prevention (like Safari) by default And for those in an older Enterprise Corpo world... IE mode
One of the biggest problems with Windows 10 for ARM was the lack of updates to existing software making it a difficult transition to make (along with poor chip support - the processors that were chosen were not good ones).
One of the biggest worries with moving to the ARM chips was going to be software support. And the turn around from developers has been absolutely fantastic. It's already becoming a non-issue only a month into to the transition.
Subjective opinion incoming: I really like Microsoft Edge (and have been using this Canary release most of the day). Edge features many of the benefits of Google Chrome (website compatibility, etc) without having to use a Google product. This M1 version is very quick indeed and feels snappy. According to Activity Monitor, memory usage is on par with Safari in terms of general browsing (sits around 10% of CPU usage). I haven't tested video playback within each browser, mind, and I'm on a Mac Mini, so I can't speak to any effects on battery life.
One of the biggest problems with Windows 10 for ARM was the lack of updates to existing software making it a difficult transition to make (along with poor chip support - the processors that were chosen were not good ones).
One of the biggest worries with moving to the ARM chips was going to be software support. And the turn around from developers has been absolutely fantastic. It's already becoming a non-issue only a month into to the transition.
At this point I'm more worried about Intel support in a few years. Can't be long before there are ARM-only apps.
Tuesday January 19, 2021 12:58 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Popular media player VLC for macOS was today updated to version 3.0.12, bringing native support for Apple silicon Macs, including Apple's latest M1-equipped MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini models.
VLC 3's capabilities include automatic hardware decoding for 4K and 8K playback, support for 10-bit HDR, 360-degree video and 3D audio, and Chromecast streaming with support for...
Microsoft is out with yet another ad highlighting the new Microsoft Surface Laptop 4, but rather than primarily focusing on the features of the machine, Microsoft has chosen to pit it against Apple's MacBook Air.
In the spot, the same Windows user who was in previous ads, shows off his new Microsoft laptop to his sister. She continually asks questions about how it compares to the MacBook...
Microsoft has updated Visual Studio Code with official support for M1 Apple Silicon Macs, offering developers the ability to use the software without the need for emulation on Rosetta.
The support is coming to the web and cloud app code editor as part of its February 2021 1.54 build, which alongside Apple Silicon support, includes several improvements and updates. Microsoft says that with...
Apple is readying its more powerful, next-generation "M2" chip for redesigned MacBook Pro models, according to recent reports.
According to Nikkei Asia, Apple's next-generation custom silicon chip for the Mac, tentatively dubbed the "M2" chip, entered production in April. The processors take at least three months to produce and could begin shipping to Apple as early as July, in time for...
Tuesday December 15, 2020 9:38 am PST by Juli Clover
Microsoft today announced that it is releasing new updates for many of its Microsoft 365 for Mac apps to introduce native support for Apple's M1 MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini.
Core Office apps, including Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote are now able to run faster on M1 Macs. Microsoft has used the Universal app binary so the apps will also continue to run as normal on...
Tuesday December 15, 2020 8:31 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Mozilla today released Firefox version 84 with native support for Apple Silicon Macs with the M1 chip, touting "dramatic performance improvements" over the previous, unoptimized version of the web browser.
Specifically, Firefox now launches over 2.5 times faster and web apps are now twice as responsive, according to Mozilla.
If you are using a Mac with the M1 chip, Mozilla says you will...
Microsoft has today announced that it will launch its browser-based Xbox Cloud Gaming service in beta to selected testers on iPhone and iPad tomorrow.
Starting tomorrow, Microsoft will begin sending out invites to selected Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to test the Xbox Cloud Gaming limited beta for iPhone, iPad, and Windows 10 PCs using a web browser. Invites will be issued on a continuous ...
Malware specifically tailored to run on Apple's M1 chip has been discovered, indicating that malware authors have begun adapting malicious software for Apple's new generation of Macs with Apple silicon.
Mac security researcher Patrick Wardle has now published a report, cited by Wired, that explains in detail how malware has started to be adapted and recompiled to run natively on the M1 chip. ...
Apple's more powerful "M2" chip is set to come to a wave of new Macs, bringing significant performance and efficiency improvements to a range of new models, according to recent reports.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously said that Apple is working on higher-end Apple silicon chips that are expected to "significantly outpace" the performance of the latest Macs that still contain Intel chips,...
Tuesday April 27, 2021 1:38 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's custom next-generation Mac processor entered mass production this month, claims a new report today from Nikkei Asia. Tentatively dubbed the "M2" after Apple's M1 chip, the processors take at least three months to produce and could begin shipping as early as July in time for incorporation in Apple's next line of MacBooks, according to the paper's sources.
The next generation of Mac...
Top Rated Comments
Faster
Uses far less memory with all the same tabs and extensions enabled (around 1/3 the total Chrome uses)
They stripped out all of Google's tracking services, using strictly the rendering engine
To that previous point, there's far more Privacy settings that are very easy to find, like Brave, to give more granular control
Has PlayReady DRM in addition to WideVine, so you can use it for more media sites
Tracking Prevention (like Safari) by default
And for those in an older Enterprise Corpo world... IE mode
One of the biggest worries with moving to the ARM chips was going to be software support. And the turn around from developers has been absolutely fantastic. It's already becoming a non-issue only a month into to the transition.