App compatibility is top of mind for many as Apple has started the transition away from using Intel in its notebooks and desktops with the first M1-powered Macs. Today Microsoft announced that it will launch a new Universal build of its Mac Office 2019 beta today that includes support for Apple Silicon.
Apple Silicon Macs are arriving to the first customers starting November 17 with the new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini. While the M1-based Macs will be able to run x86 code that’s written for Intel Macs, the process will involve the software Rosetta to translate it to arm code (compatible with the M1).
While Apple says in some cases x86 apps run on Apple Silicon through Rosetta better than natively on Intel Macs, that won’t always be the case, and many users will want to know if there is official support for Apple Silicon, especially when it comes to critical apps.
Microsoft’s principal software engineer for Apple products, Erik Schwiebert shared today on Twitter that a Universal build for Mac Office 2019 beta is arriving later today with Apple Silicon support. For now, there’s no date set for when a public release is scheduled.
If you’re interested to join the Mac Office 2019 Beta Channel, you can learn more here. Recently we saw a redesigned Outlook debut that’s ready for macOS Big Sur. Meanwhile, macOS 11 Big Sur is launching tomorrow, November 12 just ahead of the first Apple Silicon Macs arriving to customers.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
