Microsoft has updated Microsoft 365, bringing compatibility with Apples M1-equipped Macs.
The M1 is Apple’s custom silicon, based on the same ARM chips it has been using for years in the iPhone and iPad. Apple announced the transition at WWDC 2020, and unveiled the first models in November. Early testing indicates the M1 Macs are easily outpacing their Intel counterparts.
One of the most important applications on the Mac is Microsoft’s productivity suite. Fortunately for M1 Mac users, 365 is now ready for the new machines.
“We are excited to announce that starting today we are releasing new versions of many of our Microsoft 365 for Mac apps that run natively on Macs with M1,” writes Bill Doll, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Microsoft 365. “This means that now our core flagship Office apps—Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote—will run faster and take full advantage of the performance improvements on new Macs, making you even more productive on the latest MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini. The new Office apps are Universal, so they will continue to run great on Macs with Intel processors. The apps are not only speedy, but they also look fantastic as they have been redesigned to match the new look of macOS Big Sur. Here is a peek at Outlook on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro.”
This is good news for Mac users and Microsoft, and is hopefully just the first of the major apps making the jump to the M1.