14 DAY TRIAL // Apple rolled out Photoshop for Apple Silicon only a few weeks ago, and now the company is getting ready to also add M1 support to Illustrator.
Adobe has therefore released a beta version of this software, giving users the chance to try it out on their M1-powered devices before the public rollout starts.
“We are excited to announce the first Beta release of Illustrator running natively on Apple Silicon hardware! This early version of Illustrator for Apple Silicon offers many of the core features that you've come to rely on for your day-to-day needs. Please give it a try. We would love to hear your feedback. You can download this Beta through the Creative Cloud Desktop app's Beta Apps section. Look for 25.3.1 version,” Adobe announced in a post on the Illustrator UserVoice page.
The Apple Silicon push
While Adobe hasn’t provided any specifics as to how Illustrator runs on Apple Silicon, allowing the software to run natively on Apple’s M1 chip should produce a substantial performance improvement.
The Cupertino-based tech giant itself has praised the performance boost generated by its own custom ARM-built processor, explaining that with the right improvements, you can achieve up to 3.5 better CPU performance than on a previous generation Mac.
“It features the world’s fastest CPU core in low-power silicon, the world’s best CPU performance per watt, the world’s fastest integrated graphics in a personal computer, and breakthrough machine learning performance with the Apple Neural Engine. As a result, M1 delivers up to 3.5x faster CPU performance, up to 6x faster GPU performance, and up to 15x faster machine learning, all while enabling battery life up to 2x longer than previous-generation Macs. With its profound increase in performance and efficiency, M1 delivers the biggest leap ever for the Mac,” Apple said.
Adobe hasn’t shared any specifics as to when Illustrator with Apple Silicon support could go live for everybody.