The announcement was made on the official blog for NordVPN, which states the service is now able to take advantage of the enhanced capabilities of the new Apple computers. Originally, NordVPN wasn’t required to have M1 support, since Apple implemented Rosetta 2, a software that allows apps meant for Intel processors to work on M1 Macs. However, NordVPN was not able to take advantage of the improvements the M1 provided in performance and speed. With this new update, users will see that same performance boost in NordVPN. Apps built for the M1 chip tend to be more efficient and run better than translated apps. The M1 chip was first released in November 2020, with the new 13-inch MacBook Pro among the company’s first products to house the new processor. The M1 is an in-house developed chip and marks Apple’s transition away from Intel processors, a partnership that had been in place since 2006. The update comes ahead of the anticipated launch of new M1 Macs, such as the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros. Currently, the new MacBook Air, Mac mini, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and 24-inch iMac all sport the M1 chip, with more on the horizon. The NordVPN app for macOS is universal, so users don’t have to implement extra steps or software to have the app run other than the occasional update. NordVPN will still be able to run on Intel-based Macs albeit at a slower speed.
