Asahi Linux takes on Apple M3, minus a few creature comforts
- ID
- 22105
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 07 Sep 2026, 9:01 PM
- Fetched
- 08 Sep 2026, 12:03 AM
- Provider
- The Register
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://www.theregister.com/os-platforms/2026/09/07/asahi-linux-takes-on-apple-m3-minus-a-few-creature-comforts/5294788
- Source URL
- https://www.theregister.com/headlines.atom
Summary
- Score
- 4.0
- Created
- 08 Sep 2026, 12:05 AM
- Tags
- Audience
- developers
What happened
Asahi Linux has added official support for Apple M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips, but with major caveats: no GPU 3D acceleration, no HDMI (DCP support missing), and no sleep. Most other hardware — webcam, mics, USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and hardware video decode including AV1 — works. The installer currently requires EXPERT=1 mode, with a plan to lift that gate for the Fedora Linux 45 beta in a few weeks.
Why it matters
If you were waiting to run Linux on an M3 MacBook as a daily driver, don't yet — the missing GPU acceleration and sleep make it impractical for anything beyond a 2D desktop. It's only worth trying now if you want to contribute to the project or test specific non-GPU workloads.
Discussion angle
Whether reverse-engineered Linux on Apple Silicon is ever a serious production path for developers in Malaysia, or just a hobbyist flex given the GPU/sleep gaps and Apple's rapid chip cadence (M6 already announced).