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They've had the option to do that since forever and never have. Changing the CPU ISA doesn't make it more or less likely. The Mac App Store is still a joke and they had to walk back a big chunk of the sandboxing rules.
The fundamental problem is that macOS has very little reason to exist if it isn't an open(-ish) platform.
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I tend to agree with this.
If Apple does try going full sandbox with macOS as @Velocio fears, I'll have to dump them too...
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They've had the option to do that since forever and never have
Big Sur just came out... and oh look https://twitter.com/lapcatsoftware/status/1326990296412991489
Big Sur will no longer start programs without checking if it's allowed. It turns out that they hadn't yet scaled that up, so it crashed when people stampeded to install Big Sur, and thus no-one could start a non-Apple program. This is the OS release that "is engineered for Apple’s powerful M1 chip".
So the fundamentals of my what I fear are in this OS release.
Also here: https://mobile.twitter.com/hypatiadotca/status/1327000209445056513
Advice right now... DO NOT DOWNLOAD BIG SUR TODAY.
I mean, we're all going to get it... but let them scale up the servers that allow you to run software on your own machine first.
ectoplasmosis
Velocio
Methinks people forget the lessons Apple have learned about controlling platforms and distribution.
I'm hyped for the hardware, but very wary of what that means for Apple... by changing the platform they can change the rules of engagement. I'm expecting an iOS style app-store to be doubled down on for ARM laptops... with the obligatory control of the payment infrastructure and software as a subscription... the eventual cost isn't the hardware anymore, it's the ongoing software costs.
Why do I think that? Because this chip puts control so firmly back in Apple's hands that it takes their OS in a direction away from the rapid commodification happening elsewhere (the fact that every platform can now run the same binary).
Apple did this with mobile, and with music, and absolutely they'll do it with laptops.
It's a shame, because what ARM have designed for Apple and Apple have tweaked is truly great... but the lure of money that comes from controlling platform and distribution is far too great here.
I've only recently got into Apple, but I may exit it soon.