Dropbox was one such developer, but times have changed, as the company has finally updated their popular macOS cloud storage app to run natively on the Apple Silicon platform. This update is fully compatible with the ARM architecture of the M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max chips, though it is still in beta. Prior to this release, Dropbox could still run on M1 Macs, but the software would be put through a translation application called Rosetta 2. That software allowed Intel apps to run via ARM but came with some performance loss. This update to Dropbox takes full advantage of the M1 architecture, meaning faster load times, more efficient runtimes, and less power consumption, which should make it easier for MacBook users who like to operate unplugged. The company has not released a statement as to why it took nearly 15 months to offer M1 support. Back in October, there was a minor controversy when Dropbox staffers suggested Apple’s in-house chip would need a stronger consumer base before they’d begin working on an update, as reported by the Verge. The beta version of Dropbox M1 is available to download via this official forum. Dropbox has not announced when the release would exit beta.
