Since I receive messages about this topic sporadically, I just wanted to add some updates to the original post.
- Smokeball does work on an M (ARM) based Mac. I do not know whether this is because Microsoft have improved Windows 11’s X86 emulator, whether Parallels has made improvements in the latest version, or whether Smokeball has revised its code over the last few iterations. It is probably a combination of all three. In any case, it does work.
- Smokeball cannot run as a “native” app on M (ARM) based Macs because Apple does not support Boot Camp, which allows for dual booting a Mac into Windows. Apple has not given any indication that they intend to continue supporting Boot Camp.
- For now, all you need is a copy of virtualization software such as Parallels or VMWare Fusion. You can create a Windows virtual machine, and install Smokeball as you would on a normal Windows-based computer.
- Smokeball’s web-based app has been substantially revamped which means you have access to more features on a Mac. It used to only provide support for billing (at billing.smokeball.com) and messaging (at communicate.smokeball.com). This has all been consolidated in a more feature-rich interface (https://app.smokeball.com). Understandably, when Smokeball runs through a browser, it cannot capture AutoTime. So, if you can remember to run timers or enter time manually, you should be able to do pretty much everything on MacOS without even needing Windows.
- Regardless of everything I have said above, I recommend running Smokeball natively on Windows. I also recommend having 64GB of RAM. Smokeball says that the minimum is 8GB and that 16GB is recommended. In my opinion, you need a minimum of 32GB, and ideally 64GB. The upfront investment in additional RAM is worth it especially now that a lot of computers with on-board RAM cannot be upgraded after purchase.
If you need any help with this, you are welcome to reach out anytime. My contact information is available online
