Adobe is releasing Arm versions of Photoshop for Windows and macOS today. The beta releases will allow owners of a Surface Pro X or Apple’s new M1-powered MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini to run Photoshop natively on their devices. Currently, Photoshop runs emulated on Windows on ARM, or through Apple’s Rosetta translation on macOS.

Native versions of Photoshop for both Windows and macOS should greatly improve performance, just in time for Apple to release its first Arm-powered Macs. While performance might be improved, as the app is in beta there are a lot of tools missing. Features like content-aware fill, patch tool, healing brush, and many more are not available in the beta versions currently.

Actually it is bad for Apple, as it also provide way to compare M1 to other ARM processors right at the reviews start.

These benchmarks remind me of something similiar:

"Volkswagen admitted that 11 million of its vehicles were equipped with software that was used to cheat on emissions tests."

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/business/international/vw-diesel-emissions-scandal-explained.html

Apple PR continue to leak benchmarks

With GPU situation is not so good, so the preferred weird benchmark made for mobile class chips mostly (GFXBench 5.0). It is never used for any serious desktop benchmarks.

On Adobe’s Compatibility page, the company states definitively that while Apple has made it clear many apps will continue to run on Rosetta 2 emulation on the M1 chip – even saying that some apps may even run better than they would on native Intel chips – Adobe Lightroom Classic is not considered compatible with this method.

Caution: Running Adobe apps under Rosetta 2 emulation mode on Apple devices with Apple Silicon M1 processors is not officially supported. Native support is planned.

“We’re excited to bring CC apps to Apple Silicon devices, including native support for Lightroom next month and Photoshop in early 2021,” an Adobe representative said. “Regarding Lightroom Classic, the team is working on a native version of Lightroom Classic for Apple Silicon, and it will be released next year. We’re also committed to continuing support for Intel-based Macs.”

Rumors are that Lightroom Class can never make it.

Also almost all developers related to Apple platform are moved to M1, this included both BM and Adobe.

@Kurth. I have a late 2011 Mini server. USB is 2.0, not 3.0. I upgraded RAM to 16GB and its 2 hard drives to 500GB SSD's. Also, it cannot be upgraded past High Sierra without a hack. I have to make proxies for FCPX, but otherwise, there are no performance issues. I'll be in the market for a replacement when funds are available. I'll wait on M1 machines until the smoke clears and we have some honest reviews.

well...the problem is the only alternative to running apple apps is on an almost equally priced and untested hackintosh. So ? In 6 months , might be a good time to buy a used mac mini. I like the 2012 ....usb 3 , firewire and thunderbolt. One of the last of the firewire macs. Those prices should be falling....unless everybody's thinking like me. And ps.....those educational discounts are not cutting as deep as they used to.

Nice table on difference

Another small info

With M1 Apple now gets main LSI for extremely cheap price. DRAM is also around 25% cheaper now for them.

Main new goal, and hence all thus bla-bla on efficiency - is to cut 100Wh battery of Mac PRo notes into 52-75Wh battery, as battery became most expensive item after screen that Apple buys.

In this generation Apple also reduced cost of notebook case (including screen part) by 20% by using parts with less metal and much cheaper processing.

Internal reported margin (due to cheaper NAND and DRAM costs, very cheap M1, much simpler board, cheaper and less powerful DC-DC converters and integration) increased by more than 35% for entry level model of Air and up to 65% for top Mac Pro.

@kurth

It's all about software compatibility. How good they run logic and fcp.

My Apple source told that Pro notebook will be quite good int his regard, as Apple worked hard to offload as much as possible from only 4 weak CPUs inot GPU, ML and video engine,

There are some other key limitations with the M1 worth mentioning. Macs with the new chip will not work with external GPUs, Apple says. That’s a particularly tricky constraint for the new Mac mini, which is already hamstrung by its memory ceiling and furthermore can’t be used with a more powerful graphics chip and enclosure combo, as some of have done in the past with Apple laptops and the 2018 and earlier Mac minis. Apple also says the RAM on M1 models is not upgradable — it’s integrated into the system-on-a-chip, so you can’t upgrade an 8GB model with another stick of RAM.

Memory is also not repairable even with using chips soldering now.

Now any, even local and small issue with memory, GPU, CPU, hub, SSD controller means that your computer is done. Not repairable totally. Only replaceable in official service center (read -80-90% of new notebook price).

Even more fun is that rumors are that 8GB DRAM models actually have 16GB on M1 die, but it is switched off.

Some closed Rosetta 2 info

Apple will decide on app per app basis and won't allow running some software via Rosetta 2. Some apps that are competitors with Apple own apps can be in banned list.

This app also will sent statistics to Apple servers for your usage of Intel based apps. Rumors are that Apple will also resend info to authors of the software to find unauthorized users.

Apple will terminate Rossetta 2 in some moment int he future, software will be fully removed using commend from Apple server. This had been already discussed internally, times discussed had been 1-2 years, not more.

Any modern app using AVX and similar instructions will be also rejected.

https://developer.apple.com/documentation/apple_silicon/about_the_rosetta_translation_environment

I am very pissed off. I have invested for years in Mac platforms, I think Final Cut is the best editing software right now. The last months have started the big problems, between a limited eGpu recognition and many bugs. Apple started the transition of FCPX before moving to Silicon. To be exact, until version 10.4.6 everything was ok, after that the disaster started. I'm seriously thinking about a transition to Davinci Resolve, is anyone using it in Linux environment?