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/r/NoStupidQuestions and /r/TooAfraidToAsk: What does it mean for an app to have Apple Silicon support? How to check if my app has it?
by sidcool 6y ago
/r/NoStupidQuestions and /r/TooAfraidToAsk:
What does it mean for an app to have Apple Silicon support? How to check if my app has it?
- bobbylarrybobby 6y agoIt simply means that it has been built for the ARM processor (as opposed to intel, which all previous Mac apps were built for) and therefore does not need to run in the Rosetta emulation layer. Practically speaking most users probably won’t notice a difference. Apple silicon native apps might be a bit faster and use less battery than their intel counterparts.
- jbverschoor 6y agoI wouldn’t say “built for”. “Compiled for” is probably more accurate.
- nicoburns 6y ago"build" can be a synonym for "compile".
- TorKlingberg 6y agoProgramming languages like C, C++ and Objective C are compiled to machine code. Apple Silicon support means it is compiled for the ARM instruction set rather than x86. The Apple M1 chip can execute either, ARM code natively and x86 through the Rosetta translation layer. Native ARM code will run a bit faster. In theory this is done by changing a flag to the compiler. In practice most code needs some changes. They also had to get ARM versions of any pre-compiled libraries, and there may be some differences in how to interact with the operating system. If they used any hand-written assembly code that also had to be rewritten.
- rk06 6y agoit means it has native binaries for Apple M1 chip. so if you are on Apple M1 (latest macbook pro 13", mac mini) then the app will run slightly faster and take less memory. If you are not on Apple M1, then it makes no difference to you