The latest M4 Macs have a pretty major shortcoming when it comes to running VMs
Date:
Tue, 19 Nov 2024 16:29:00 +0000
Description:
Trying to run older versions of macOS as a virtual machine? You might want to hold off on your M4 upgrade.
FULL STORY ======================================================================M4 Macs are having problems booting VMs with macOS versions prior to 13.4 VMs seem to be booting in one core, and failing Apple has not commented on the issue
Buyers of Apples latest M4 Macs have noticed they are unable to run virtual machines with macOS versions older than Ventura 13.4, causing a headache for developers, security workers and legacy software users who want or need to
use older versions of macOS.
The problem is extending to the latest family of Macs introduced in the week commencing October 28, including the MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac.
Researcher Csaba Fitzl (via The Eclectic Light Company ) noted virtualization software fails to boot older macOS versions on the latest hardware, but it could just be a bug and not an intended limitation. M4 Macs cant virtualize old versions of macOS
Those trying to load versions before macOS 13.4 will notice that theyre
served a black screen, and the VM fails to boot. The error only occurs on M4 Macs, meaning that those looking to upgrade from M1, M2 or M3 Macs should
hold off until a fix is issued.
Because the VM doesnt boot, researchers are unable to access logs to understand where its going wrong, however investigation of the Activity Monitor app implies that the VM is only booting on a single core despite
being allocated multiple cores.
While this compatibility issue may have dampened the launch of M4 Macs, the companys latest macOS Sequoia introduces improvements for virtualization, including iCloud login support for VMs, which was previously unavailable.
The operating system also includes a series of generative AI features, many
of which have already rolled out and many more are set to follow in other regions soon. M4 chips are the most optimized for these features to date.
TechRadar Pro has asked Apple whether this is an intentional limitation or whether its working on a fix, but we did not receive an immediate response. You might also like Apple's M4 Pro chip is so powerful it puts the Mac Pro to shame Fancy a new machine? These are the best Macs Check out the best cloud computing services
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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/the-latest-m4-macs-have-a-pretty-major-shortcomi ng-when-it-comes-to-running-vms
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