Edge with support for the M1 chip is now in beta

Jan 17, 2021 19:04 GMT  ·  By
Microsoft Edge testing builds giving Apple users the choice to choose what build to install
   Microsoft Edge testing builds giving Apple users the choice to choose what build to install

Apple launched Apple Silicon last November, and since then, developers have been working around the clock to optimize their apps for the new chip.

Needless to say, Microsoft was one of the companies planning software updates to add M1 chip compatibility, and Microsoft Edge first got native support for Apple Silicon on December 17 as part of the Canary channel.

“You asked, and we delivered! Native support for Mac ARM64 devices is now available in our Canary channel. Download it today from our Microsoft Edge Insiders website!” Microsoft originally announced in mid-December.

New stable Edge build coming next week

Since then, Microsoft Edge builds with Apple Silicon compatibility have been graduated to the Dev channel and earlier this week, they made their way to the beta track too. In other words, it’s now just a matter of time until the stable build of Microsoft Edge gets Apple Silicon support, with the very next release projected to run natively on devices with the M1 chip.

“Starting today, you can download your Microsoft Edge Insider channel of choice with native macOS ARM64 support! Head to our Insider website to download Canary, Dev, or Beta to see how it runs, and let us know what you think,” Microsoft said on Saturday.

Apple is betting big on Apple Silicon, and the first devices went on sale in November, with the company promising impressive performance mixed with longer battery life.

“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.

The next stable build of Microsoft Edge is expected on all supported platforms next week.