ARM-powered Macs and the evolution of bootcamp, hackintosh, and similar trends
ARM-powered Macs and the evolution of bootcamp, hackintosh, and similar trends
So I’m a software engineer who relies on Mac OS every day for the last three years. I’ve also tried Linux, but Mac felt smoother—fewer hiccups, no crashes, and better compatibility with software. When Apple rolled out their new 16" Pro with a solid GPU for mobile gaming, I switched from my 15" Pro to it. It’s a powerful machine, perfect for those who work on Mac but want to play games too. At least until now... Booting up was straightforward, but after hearing about Windows performance on ARM and most games built for x86, I started wondering if bootcamp is really gone. What do you think? Any insights from someone familiar with hardware or virtualization?
Apple seems determined to tackle Hackintosh, but ultimately they’ll face consequences. The modding scene will likely embrace this challenge with determination and humor.
The performance issues with Windows on ARM likely stem from a lack of optimization efforts for ARM-based apps. Although Adobe is focusing on improving their apps for these architectures, there’s limited additional information beyond the statement "We're working on it." It seems Apple may be reaching out to third-party developers to rewrite their applications. I’m hopeful that Apple Silicon will deliver better results. Regarding Hackintoshes, as noted by TempestCatto, it appears Apple is intentionally restricting access. The modding community is confident they’ll discover alternative solutions.
bootcamp isn't compatible with Apple Silicon Macs unless Microsoft makes Windows 10 available for them. Otherwise, it's unlikely to succeed. The safest option would be to emulate. I doubt Apple will remove bootcamp support for Intel-based Macs, even if they do, so you could still try installing Windows normally.
The situation with Mac using ARM and Windows/Bootcamp is clear. Apple hasn’t announced any support for Bootcamp on ARM chips. They’re focusing on running Windows only via virtualization. While Windows does have an ARM variant, its licensing is restricted to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), which Apple won’t provide. You can’t install x64 Windows on an ARM device outside a VM, and even then it will suffer significant performance loss.
Wow, gaming on a Mac seems really tough with these new systems, huh? Maybe it's worth considering Linux for work instead. It looks like things have improved a bit over the last few years.
In short, yes. Either the developers have to make changes for MacOS, or playing on Mac is nearly unfeasible.