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M1 vs Intel compatibility?

DougFNJ

DougFNJ

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 22, 2008
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Curious is M1 is going to introduce many of the same issues pre-Intel Macs had with compatibility of software and hardware?

Can anyone that currently moved from an Intel to an M1 Apple Mac product discuss compatibility issues they ran into?

I love the new hardware changes, very very tempted to order a fully loaded 14”. Knowing they have had a year behind them now with M1, what were the pain points in compatibility of software and hardware you were using?

I use my MacBook heavily for work and personal.
 
What exactly are you afraid of? Pre-Intel Macs never had any compatibility problems. Neither do M1 Macs. There are areas of OS compatibility to consider though if you’re running old software. 32 bit apps don’t run in modern macOS. But if your software runs in Big Sur on Intel it’ll run on Apple Silicon too.
 
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The M1 Macs have been out for over a year now. They had MANY issues. Mostly when trying to use older hardware with the new hardware. Displays and bluetooth were the biggest issues. If you don't connect anything to your computer and only intend to run ARM-based software... the transition will be smooth.

If you plan on trying to connect your old hardware to it or run some older software, your ride will be a little rougher depending on the hardware and software you intend to use.

Do not get an ARM Mac and assume you will be able to run Windows on it.
 
chabig said:
What exactly are you afraid of? Pre-Intel Macs never had any compatibility problems. Neither do M1 Macs. There areas of OS compatibility to consider though if you’re running old software. 32 bit apps don’t run in modern macOS. But if your software runs in Big Sur on Intel it’ll run on Apple Silicon too.
Click to expand...

There were issues connecting many printers, cameras, and a lot of Software. These weren’t OS issues, they were both hardware AND software compatibility issues. Some pieces of hardware need firmware updates, that could be a potential issue.

We are obviously in a different time, so it won’t be as bad as 15 years ago, but I’d prefer it to be as minimal as possible.
 
chabig said:
What exactly are you afraid of? Pre-Intel Macs never had any compatibility problems. Neither do M1 Macs. There areas of OS compatibility to consider though if you’re running old software. 32 bit apps don’t run in modern macOS. But if your software runs in Big Sur on Intel it’ll run on Apple Silicon too.
Click to expand...
Based on past experience with Rosetta, I wouldn't expect Rosetta2 to be there long term. It's licensed software from IBM (Transitive).
 
pmiles said:
The M1 Macs have been out for over a year now. They had MANY issues. Mostly when trying to use older hardware with the new hardware. Displays and bluetooth were the biggest issues. If you don't connect anything to your computer and only intend to run ARM-based software... the transition will be smooth.

If you plan on trying to connect your old hardware to it or run some older software, your ride will be a little rougher depending on the hardware and software you intend to use.

Do not get an ARM Mac and assume you will be able to run Windows on it.
Click to expand...

I don’t use Windows directly on my MacBook. Most hardware uses Bluetooth or Wi-Fi with occasional needs to directly connect for firmware updates.

I connect my Sony camera to it, which uses Imaging Edge software. Works on Intel, but specifically states not Apple Silicon.

Also use my company’s VPN and remotely connect to Windows. I’m hoping there wouldn’t be any issues there.
 
DougFNJ said:
There were issues connecting many printers, cameras, and a lot of Software. These weren’t OS issues, they were both hardware AND software compatibility issues.
Click to expand...
Oh yes. Those specific pieces of older hardware required drivers and the makers didn’t update the drivers. Reputable device makers did.
jjcs said:
Based on past experience with Rosetta, I wouldn't expect Rosetta2 to be there long term. It's licensed software from IBM (Transitive).
Click to expand...
Rosetta (1) was licensed but Rosetta 2 is all Apple’s creation. It will go away eventually because it won’t be needed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_(software)
 
DougFNJ said:
Curious is M1 is going to introduce many of the same issues pre-Intel Macs had with compatibility of software and hardware?

Can anyone that currently moved from an Intel to an M1 Apple Mac product discuss compatibility issues they ran into?

I love the new hardware changes, very very tempted to order a fully loaded 14”. Knowing they have had a year behind them now with M1, what were the pain points in compatibility of software and hardware you were using?

I use my MacBook heavily for work and personal.
Click to expand...
I went from a 2018 Mac min (i7 Intel) to an M1 iMac. I've had no issues whatsoever and that kind of surprised me. I absolutely love this thing and I'm posting this comment from it!

I will qualify this. I don't run Windows on my new iMac. I knew starting off that was a limitation and decided to just keep Windows on my PC and macOS on my Mac. I also don't try to run outdated or unsupported software. If you need to do that M1 isn't for you.

I had more issues going to Catalina on my Intel Mac mini because of the ending of 32 bit app support.
 
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russell_314 said:
I went from a 2018 Mac min (i7 Intel) to an M1 iMac. I've had no issues whatsoever and that kind of surprised me. I absolutely love this thing and I'm posting this comment from it!
Click to expand...
My experience with two M1 Macs has been the same.
 
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