Virtual TimeClock 23 with Native Apple Silicon Support
Virtual TimeClock Support Blog

Virtual TimeClock 23 with Native Apple Silicon Support

January 12, 2024

Virtual TimeClock 23 was updated to take full advantage of the latest generation of Apple Silicon-based Macs. Because it is a Universal Binary, Virtual TimeClock 23 continues to run natively on your older Macintosh computers.

What is Apple Silicon?
In 2020, Apple introduced a new generation of Macs with a proprietary chipset they call Apple Silicon. These new Macs running Apple Silicon brought performance and energy savings advantages over the prior generation of Intel-based Macs.

One problem for Apple Silicon Macs is that they cannot run software instructions written for the prior generation Intel-based Macs.  Apple solved this problem by creating software (cleverly named Rosetta) that translates Intel program instructions into Apple Silicon instructions. Rosetta enables Apple Silicon Macs to run existing Mac programs, albeit a bit slower and less efficiently. It also provided some time for developers to rewrite their programs to run natively on Apple Silicon.

Today, there are millions of Apple Silicon Macs running alongside perfectly useful Intel-based Macs. Apple created Universal Binaries to make it effortless for users to buy and install software that runs natively on either of these very different architectures.

What is a Universal Binary?
A Universal Binary is a single software package that contains two completely unique programs – a native Apple Silicon version and a native Intel version. When a user launches the application, the Mac automatically runs the appropriate native version.

Virtual TimeClock 23 is a Universal Binary
Because it is a Universal Binary, Virtual TimeClock 23 runs natively and takes full advantage of running on an Apple Silicon-based Mac.  At the same time, it continues to run natively on your older Intel-based Macs.

Check out the Virtual TimeClock 23 release notes for details about our latest Virtual TimeClock release. Get in touch with us if you have questions about upgrading your Virtual TimeClock software. We're here to help!