In June, Apple announced at WWDC2020 that they would be switching all Mac computers to their custom ARM chips within the next two years. This move is something that was highly rumored and anticipated for quite sometime, but hearing it from Apple themselves was an altogether different thing. Not only are they transitioning, they are committed to doing so completely within a very short two years.

This decision mimics the one that was made in 2006 where they transitioned from PowerPC to Intel, but with a few exceptions. First, when they switched from PowerPC to Intel, Windows was already running primarily on x86/x86–64 architecture. Therefore, the move was putting the Mac onto the same platform of CPU as the dominant Windows OS. This time, they are doing the opposite and putting the Mac onto ARM which doesn’t have a prominent place in desktop or laptop computers. The market is also different this time around — Smartphones are now the dominant form of computing. Also, Linux has grown quite considerably in market share and sits at over 2% (primarily developers).

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What does this mean for macOS and iOS developers?

For iOS developers, this is pretty good news. This means that the Mac will now run on the same architecture as the iPhone and iPad so making apps that also support macOS will be a lot easier. This is especially true since all iOS apps will now be available to ARM Macs day one unless the developers opts out. I would also expect that the already fantastic iPhone and iPad simulators will get even better performance as a cherry on top.

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