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.
- Everything you need to know about Apple’s new M1 chip for the Mac
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.
MSFT plans to push a Universal build of Mac Office 2019 to the Beta Channel (formerly “Insider Fast”) by the end of today.
We don’t have a public date or version for a final release; this is an initial peek for customers to test on hardware they may be acquiring this week… :)
— Erik Schwiebert (@Schwieb) November 11, 2020
- All-new Outlook for Mac app coming in October with Big Sur-inspired design and more
- macOS 11 Big Sur with new design, widgets, and more launching on November 12
