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Apple announces it will switch to its own processors for future Macs

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Re: Apple announces it will switch to its own processors for future Macs

#201

Post by wiremine »

Cu3PO42 wrote: post #102

I'm surprised we didn't get any performance numbers. Either raw power or at least power efficiency and projected battery life improvements. Seeing as this is a major reason for the transition (according to them), it feels very weird. They're shipping a 'Development Transition Kit' Mac mini with an A12Z this week, so it's not like the numbers are going to stay private for a long time. Even if there's an NDA, someone's…

> I'm surprised we didn't get any performance numbers.

It makes sense that they wouldn't:

1. Its dev hardware, not final production hardware. They'll want to compare the A13 or A14 (or whatever SoC they finally use) for benchmarks.

2. Until the apps are optimized, it doesn't make sense for Apple to put itself in the position of bad press with premature figures.

Re: Apple announces it will switch to its own processors for future Macs

#202

Post by AnonC »

I was surprised to hear that the transition would take two years. I was expecting it to take a shorter duration considering Apple’s experience with transitions and the performance levels of Apple Silicon (AFAIK, at least single core performance has been leagues ahead of other ARM processors on smartphones and tablets).

I don’t know what other people consider as the lifetime of a Mac (meaning the number of years they’d use a still-working Mac before deciding to buy a new one), but I do wonder just how long Apple’s promise of “supporting Intel Macs for years to come” will turn out to be. Things are surely a lot different now than they were in 2005, especially with much better hardware (and the full transition to 64 bit everywhere).

The demo of Rosetta 2, however convoluted or staged it may have seemed to some, was quite impressive to me.

Re: Apple announces it will switch to its own processors for future Macs

#203

Post by Corrado »

jccalhoun wrote: post #19

Tim Cook just said they have new intel macs in the pipeline. Those will go over like a lead balloon.

Maybe it depends on the pricing for the x86 vs. ARM macs. If the ARM machines are significantly cheaper the x86 sales will probably suffer quite a bit. As someone else in this thread said, most people have no idea what processor is in their computer. They just care that it's cheaper and runs all of their stuff (browsers, photos, messages, etc.)

Re: Apple announces it will switch to its own processors for future Macs

#206

Post by marricks »

fomine3 wrote: post #193
theshrike79 wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The A12Z is already faster than every tablet and phone in existence. Depending on the benchmark, it smokes about 80% of off the shelf PC hardware. They really don't need to do that much.

I believe Apple can make processors for laptop and normal desktop in A-series way but I'm curious how they make for Mac Pro. Adopting architecture like chiplet?

They said they'd be using Intel chips for a while, it could specifically in regards to Mac Pro.

Even if apple could make a great server/high performance chip that seems like possibly a lot of additional work for little gain in the market?

Keeping intel chips for some computers may make more sense in keeping their toes in the water for intel incase they need to rekindle that relationship for future projects down the road.

Re: Apple announces it will switch to its own processors for future Macs

#207

Post by [deleted] »

fortytw2 wrote: post #51

Is it just me or did apple just bungle this entire announcement by not announcing a consumer facing ARM MacOS device, only a hot-rodded Mac Mini with an iPad Pro chip inside. How many devs actually have the setup in place to use a non mobile device? I also wonder if the current+last gen iPad Pro that has the new keyboard + trackpad case will gain the ability to run Xcode and native macOS apps in the near future.

[deleted]

Re: Apple announces it will switch to its own processors for future Macs

#209

Post by messe »

freedomben wrote: post #183

Is this the end of Linux as the host OS on Mac hardware? It's been really difficult for many years anyway, so for essentially hasn't been practical for a long time. I know there are plenty of working ARM builds of Linux so if the new Mac chips are ARM compliant then the ARM linux builds should work. I would think Apple has their own proprietary extensions or something tho, otherwise why make their own? Just very high…

> so if the new Mac chips are ARM compliant then the ARM linux builds should work

That's not how it works. ARM is just the processor architecture. While Linux may very well support the processor, it's unlikely to support the rest of the hardware well, if at all.

Re: Apple announces it will switch to its own processors for future Macs

#210

Post by oliveshell »

modzu wrote: post #186
Cu3PO42 wrote: post #102

I'm surprised we didn't get any performance numbers. Either raw power or at least power efficiency and projected battery life improvements. Seeing as this is a major reason for the transition (according to them), it feels very weird. They're shipping a 'Development Transition Kit' Mac mini with an A12Z this week, so it's not like the numbers are going to stay private for a long time. Even if there's an NDA, someone's…

maybe it's about profits not performance?

Why not both?
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