M1 Boot Camp: A Thing of the Past

The world of technology has witnessed many significant changes over the years, and one such change is the shift from PowerPC processors to Intel by Apple in 2006. This move enabled users to run Windows and Linux natively on Mac hardware, although Apple did not provide official support for non-Mac operating systems.

Fast forward to today, when Apple's M-series chips are built on the Arm architecture, which differs from the x86 architecture used by Intel processors. As a result, the version of Windows designed for Intel PCs is incompatible with M-series Macs.

The demise of Boot Camp can be attributed to several factors. Initially, Boot Camp became an official part of the Mac operating system in 2006 as part of Mac OS X Leopard. However, Microsoft has since authorized Parallels as a solution for running Windows on Arm-based M-series Macs.

In fact, when asked about unauthorized virtual machines (VMs) by Microsoft PR, they referred to their support document and declined to comment further. The only other authorized option for running Windows on a Mac is Microsoft's Windows 365 online service, which allows users to access Cloud PCs.

Popular VM software like VMware Fusion and QEMU do not offer a way to run Windows for Arm, although they can still operate it. It appears that these VMs are also unauthorized, as Microsoft does not sell Windows for Arm as a standalone product. However, users can download and install Windows 11 directly through Parallels.

The recent announcement by Microsoft specifically names Parallels as an authorized solution, which is significant because it means that businesses can now deploy Parallels and Windows on Arm in their environments. This also implies that users will receive support if they encounter any issues.

In a surprising turn of events, Microsoft announced through a support document that Parallels Desktop 18 is now 'authorized' to run Arm versions of Windows 11 Pro and Windows 11 Enterprise on M1 and M2 Macs. For businesses and individuals alike, this development brings new possibilities for running Windows on their Apple devices.

M1 boot camp