Intel apps on a Silicon machine

Apple Silicon Macs have a byte-code translator (Rosetta 2) that on-the-fly converts X86_64 binary to ARM64 binary for some compatible Intel applications. The first attempt to run the Intel app will cause a dialog offering to install Rosetta 2. As can be expected, this does not support 32-bit Intel applications. Do not count on long-term Rosetta 2 availability…

Some applications (e.g. LibreOffice, Inkscape, Visual Studio Code, etc.) are now offering ARM64 versions of their applications instead of the Universal2 (X86_64/ARM64) binaries offered a few months ago.

Computerworld article on Rosetta 2

If you need to install Rosetta on your Mac - Apple Support

carlart wrote:

This is going to be a "No _____ Sherlock" question for a lot of folks, but here goes: Am I correct in assuming that none of my current apps on my Intel iMac will work on a new Silicon iMac?

It's not a simple yes or no.

Virtually all Intel apps that work on an Intel computer running macOS Monterey will work on an Apple Silicon computer running macOS Monterey. The few exceptions are apps that do something very low-level with hardware or depend on Intel-specific code.

However, any app that still does not run natively on Apple Silicon has been abandoned by its developer. It's dead, Jim. Sure, Rosetta will continue to translate the instructions just fine. But that doesn't mean that the old code will work on macOS Ventura or whatever comes next year.

You should only use Rosetta a means to continue to use your current Intel apps while look for replacements that are Apple Silicon native. These apps WILL stop working one day. Maybe that day will be September 21st, 2022. Maybe it will be April 15th, 2023. But they are all doomed eventually. This is true for any app that stops being updated regularly. The only difference here is that one can be certain that an Intel app has stopped being updated regularly at this point.

As far as the user experience goes, it is actually the opposite of what you fear. If you are running Catalina or higher now, the vast majority of apps will simply just work, and you might not even know whether they are Intel or Apple Silicon.

Rosetta 2 in built into macOS Big Sur and  Monterey. It only available on Apple Computer with the Silicon M1 / M2 CPU. 

There are three categories / types of software that can run on the Operations System.

Only Intel Binary Code. This is software will invoke Rosetta 2 to translate the Intel binaries so the operating system can understand and execute the Application. The Applications must be 64 Bit to function on Big Sur and Monterey

Universal Binary Software.  It contains Both Intel and M1 ARMs binary code and refer to (  Universal 2 ) When the user installs a 64 bit Application that contains Both Intel and M1 ARMs binaries - depending on factors, the Operating System may or may not invoke Rosetta 2.

“ Apple Silicon “ Checking in System Information >> Applications  >> as of now, only see One Application classified as Apple Silicon and that is “ Rosetta 2 Updater “.

That would make perfect sense since it is specifically designed to operate only on Apple Silicon M1 / M2 ARMs based computers 

Keith Barkley wrote:

Rosetta 1 was around for about 5 years, and you just have to keep on the last OS that has it if you need to, so there is some time to adapt.

The time to adapt was sometime in the Spring of 2021. That's when Apple started shipping Apple Silicon machines. Any app that wasn't fully universal at that time has now been dead for over a year. If Apple does discontinue Rosetta 2 one day, that will kill those apps. But there are any number of other changes that Apple could make between now and then that could also kill them.

"September 21st, 2022. Maybe it will be April 15th, 2023. "

Rosetta 1 was around for about 5 years, and you just have to keep on the last OS that has it if you need to, so there is some time to adapt.

Good points 👍 and especially once Apple has migrated all Apple Machines to Apple Silicon.

Deja Vue from Motorola PPC to Intel

You are welcome.