Microsoft Edge is also getting an Apple M1 upgrade

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Microsoft Edge becomes the latest to announce an Apple M1-native version.

Microsoft Edge
(Image credit: Shutterstock / monticello)

Microsoft has revealed it will follow in the footsteps of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox with a recompiled version of its flagship web browser Edge, specifically for Apple’s new M1 chip.

The new custom Arm-based silicon made its debut in the new MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac mini, and a range of software providers have rushed to release M1-native builds in a bid to avoid performance degradation.

As confirmed by Microsoft via Twitter, users can already run Edge on the new range of Macs via Apple’s Rosetta translator service, but native M1 support is also in the works.

Microsoft Edge for Apple M1 Macs

While services such as Rosetta for macOS and Windows on Arm allow software to run in emulation on Arm-based processors, they also bring about an inevitable drop in performance, because computing resources must be set aside for translation.

The other option for developers hoping to avoid this problem is to recompile their software specifically for Arm-based silicon (such as Apple’s new M1 chip). The move to optimize software is mutually beneficial for both parties, who share an incentive to ensure their respective products run as smoothly as possible.

Google Chrome was the first web browser to run natively on M1, but the new version is not without its problems; some users found the browser caused new Apple machines to crash unexpectedly. The firm says it has already identified the cause of the issue and is working to release a fix as soon as possible.

Microsoft, which has already released an M1-specific version of its Office suite, will be hoping to avoid similar problems with the release of Microsoft Edge for M1.

Although the firm has yet to confirm when an M1-specific version will be released, the speed with which its rivals have turned around new builds suggests Edge fans won’t have long to wait.

Via Windows Central

Joel Khalili
Joel Khalili
News and Features Editor

Joel Khalili is the News and Features Editor at TechRadar Pro, covering cybersecurity, data privacy, cloud, AI, blockchain, internet infrastructure, 5G, data storage and computing. He's responsible for curating our news content, as well as commissioning and producing features on the technologies that are transforming the way the world does business.