Work M1 Mac Option - needs to run Windows Apps

[spacemnspiff]

I have an option from to replace my work Windows engineering laptop to a 16" M1 Mac. What should I look for to run my engineering Windows applications on the Windows install?

What I have gathered so far is that I need a Windows 11 AMR install that will run Win10 applications.

If the application spec calls for Intel x86, will it run on the M1 Win 11 AMR install?

 

[TorbenIbsen]

Hmm. Why exactly do you want a Mac, seeing that you want it to act like a Windows PC? After all, you cannot do anything on a Mac which you cannot also do on a PC.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

The app on windows needs to be an ARM app. Good luck if it is a specialised engineering app

 

[spacemnspiff]

Some of the applications specifically ask for Intel and Win 10, like this one. Any way this would work on a Mac with Windows VM?

 

[spacemnspiff]

Hmm. Why exactly do you want a Mac, seeing that you want it to act like a Windows PC? After all, you cannot do anything on a Mac which you cannot also do on a PC.

It's just a preference, have all devices on the same ecosystem.

 

[1885507]

I use Crossover for some things, it may be of some use to you.

CrossOver runs the Windows software you need on Mac and Linux.

Don't buy a Windows license, don't reboot and don't use a Virtual Machine. Try a free trial of CrossOver to run your Windows software on Mac and Linux.

www.codeweavers.com

I would check the app against their database, see if it's listed; otherwise, install the free trial, install it yourself, and see if it works.

 

[maflynn]

Some of the applications specifically ask for Intel and Win 10, like this one. Any way this would work on a Mac with Windows VM?

View attachment 2127265

If those apps are requiring windows 10 Enterprise, then there could be an issue. Personally I never heard of something needing the enterprise flavor, but its possible.

You can run windows as a VM on a M1 Mac, you'll need a program like Parallels, and a copy of ARM windows. Currently easily downloadable from MS. The issue is, that its an ARM based copy of windows and not all apps will behave. Many will, to be sure but some won't. There's no way to find out until your try it. Parallels has a trial, and the ARM based windows can also be installed without a license. I think after a time period it will show a watermark or prevent you from making some cosmetic changes/personalizations - I forget to be honest. My point is you can try running a vm on your M1 mac and see if your apps work.

I have an issue with cisco anywhere connect, the windows version. I may download and try the Mac version and then run parallels to see if the other enterprise apps I need, i.e., toad, oracle, etc etc can run inside the arm windows environment.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I have an option from to replace my work Windows engineering laptop to a 16" M1 Mac. What should I look for to run my engineering Windows applications on the Windows install?

What I have gathered so far is that I need a Windows 11 AMR install that will run Win10 applications.

If the application spec calls for Intel x86, will it run on the M1 Win 11 AMR install?

There's no real good reason to switch to an Apple Silicon Mac from an x86/64 Windows Engineering laptop if what you need the laptop to do is run x86/64 Windows apps.

It's just a preference, have all devices on the same ecosystem.

Speaking as someone who lives and breathes IT at all hours of all days, your work ecosystem and your personal ecosystem should not mix. The fact that you own an iPhone and/or iPad and/or Mac at home should have no bearing on what you use for work unless your goal is to make it blend in with what you use at home (which doesn't do your IT department or you any favors long term). That said, if you REALLY need your personal e-mail account (or contacts, or calendars or texts or any other element that actually entails an ecosystem) on your work computer there are ways of adding that stuff to a Windows PC owned and managed by your workplace without otherwise integrating it in with your personal tech arsenal.

If those apps are requiring windows 10 Enterprise, then there could be an issue. Personally I never heard of something needing the enterprise flavor, but its possible.

There aren't apps that only work in the Enterprise edition of Windows. There are features enabled on Enterprise that aren't there in Pro and there are definitely Windows Server-related features that you can't touch on Home versions of Windows, but there's no difference when it comes to third party apps.

You can run windows as a VM on a M1 Mac, you'll need a program like Parallels, and a copy of ARM windows. Currently easily downloadable from MS. The issue is, that its an ARM based copy of windows and not all apps will behave. Many will, to be sure but some won't. There's no way to find out until your try it. Parallels has a trial, and the ARM based windows can also be installed without a license. I think after a time period it will show a watermark or prevent you from making some cosmetic changes/personalizations - I forget to be honest. My point is you can try running a vm on your M1 mac and see if your apps work.

I have an issue with cisco anywhere connect, the windows version. I may download and try the Mac version and then run parallels to see if the other enterprise apps I need, i.e., toad, oracle, etc etc can run inside the arm windows environment.

The one thing to really bear in mind when it comes to Windows for ARM64 being used with something like the Apple Silicon versions of both Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion is that even though both Parallels and VMware support the capability of running Windows for ARM64 (and rather well), Microsoft still doesn't support it. Typically IT departments shy away from unsupported hardware and software configurations because they know that if they have any kinds of issues with user deployments that require escalation to the vendor, they'll be left in the cold.

Windows for ARM64 running on a VM on an Apple Silicon Mac is a cool capability, but it's nowhere near as ready for primetime as the x86-64 equivalent is.