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Parallels is testing x86 emulation on Apple silicon Macs
In a significant development, software company Parallels has announced that it is now testing x86 emulation on Apple silicon Macs. This move comes as a response to the long-awaited demand for such functionality since Apple transitioned to its own Apple Silicon architecture.
According to a blog post by product manager Mikhail Ushakov, the early technology preview will allow users to emulate Intel-based hardware on M1-or-greater Mac devices. However, it’s important to note that performance will be “really slow,” with up to seven-minute boot times, as stated by Ushakov himself.
It appears that this development comes with several limitations. For instance, there is no support for external USB devices, Windows 11 24H2 is not supported, and the feature can only emulate 64-bit operating systems. On a positive note, users will still be able to run 32-bit apps, although Ushakov did mention that the option to start one of these virtual machines is hidden “to avoid false expectations” from those who do not require x86 emulation.
In addition to this feature, Parallels has also made some other changes in their latest version, dubbed 20.2. This release brings automatic time and time zone syncing for macOS virtual machines on Apple silicon devices, as well as the integration of Apple’s AI-powered Writing Tools into the Windows right-click menu in Word, PowerPoint, and the classic Outlook.
The absence of x86 emulation had been a long-standing issue since Apple shifted to its own architecture. The demand for this functionality has been rising steadily, particularly among those who require seamless compatibility with older systems or applications.
It remains to be seen how well this early technology preview will fare in real-world use cases, but it’s certainly a significant development that could have far-reaching implications for the tech industry at large.
Source: www.theverge.com
