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iMac Pro Appears to Include A10 Fusion Chip for Always-On ‘Hey Siri’

macrumors.com

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Re: iMac Pro Appears to Include A10 Fusion Chip for Always-On ‘Hey Siri’

#11

Post by cududa »

userbinator wrote: post #8
013a wrote: post #6

This is huge. While it starts with just powering things like boot security and Hey Siri, I guarantee you this is the first step toward Apple getting rid of Intel on the Mac. How much longer before they release MB/MBPs with the same chip, doing the same thing? How much longer after that before we see SDKs released for writings apps that run on Mac, but are completely executed within the ARM processor? I think this is…

I guarantee you this is the first step toward Apple getting rid of Intel on the Mac. ...and making Macs even more closed and proprietary, moving away from the (semi-open, but also quickly closing[1]) PC again. This is huge, and scary . [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15730113

Or you could just buy a Non Apple product if you don't like it.

Re: iMac Pro Appears to Include A10 Fusion Chip for Always-On ‘Hey Siri’

#12

Post by danpalmer »

zitterbewegung wrote: post #9
013a wrote: post #6

This is huge. While it starts with just powering things like boot security and Hey Siri, I guarantee you this is the first step toward Apple getting rid of Intel on the Mac. How much longer before they release MB/MBPs with the same chip, doing the same thing? How much longer after that before we see SDKs released for writings apps that run on Mac, but are completely executed within the ARM processor? I think this is…

Here is what I think will occur : New Macbook Pro (not a refresh) will probably have this chip in but it will be probably only be used initially for iOS emulator for developers. The next release of macOS will probably have iOS apps that you can run on a mac. Then they will replace the Macbook Air line in to a Macbook Arm as a new product launch at the beginning of 2019.

> it will be probably only be used initially for iOS emulator for developers

This is quite a large technical undertaking, with a very small pay-off given the tiny percentage of users who develop on their Mac for iOS devices. I can't see this being something that happens until x86 CPUs have been removed entirely.

Re: iMac Pro Appears to Include A10 Fusion Chip for Always-On ‘Hey Siri’

#13

Post by 0x0 »

cybermancy wrote: post #2

Will be interesting to see if native iOS apps will be able to run for development or regular use. This is a good sign for the convergence of the Mac and "i" products. For fun here's the "transitions" talk Steve Jobs gave announcing the switch from PowerPC to Intel processors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghdTqnYnFyg

Converging the Mac and the i products sounds like a terrible idea, as long as iOS insists on running non-windowed apps.

Serious workloads is very inefficient without a proper windowed desktop environment combined with a Finder and a Terminal that can access files across all apps.

Also, having an x86-compatible CPU at the core enables high enough performance for virtualbox/vmware, which is a huge enabler in that it allows running windows or linux VMs side by side (or even integrated) with the native desktop.

A converged ARM-based Macbook sounds very much like a toy computer; a facebook+youtube media consumption station with an option for perhaps doing limited creative work such as composing an iMovie or touching up some photos at the most.

Re: iMac Pro Appears to Include A10 Fusion Chip for Always-On ‘Hey Siri’

#15

Post by pornel »

I wonder if macOS will be able to run userspace code on this. Apple's ARM chips are pretty fast, so this could be extra 50% of computing power for the iMac.

From software side they've already done similar things in the past (fat binaries, Rosetta).

Re: iMac Pro Appears to Include A10 Fusion Chip for Always-On ‘Hey Siri’

#16

Post by pjmlp »

userbinator wrote: post #8
013a wrote: post #6

This is huge. While it starts with just powering things like boot security and Hey Siri, I guarantee you this is the first step toward Apple getting rid of Intel on the Mac. How much longer before they release MB/MBPs with the same chip, doing the same thing? How much longer after that before we see SDKs released for writings apps that run on Mac, but are completely executed within the ARM processor? I think this is…

I guarantee you this is the first step toward Apple getting rid of Intel on the Mac. ...and making Macs even more closed and proprietary, moving away from the (semi-open, but also quickly closing[1]) PC again. This is huge, and scary . [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15730113

It is the return to the roots, just like Apple used to be before OS X happened.

They only became more open out of necessity.

Re: iMac Pro Appears to Include A10 Fusion Chip for Always-On ‘Hey Siri’

#17

Post by cybermancy »

0x0 wrote: post #13
cybermancy wrote: post #2

Will be interesting to see if native iOS apps will be able to run for development or regular use. This is a good sign for the convergence of the Mac and "i" products. For fun here's the "transitions" talk Steve Jobs gave announcing the switch from PowerPC to Intel processors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghdTqnYnFyg

Converging the Mac and the i products sounds like a terrible idea, as long as iOS insists on running non-windowed apps. Serious workloads is very inefficient without a proper windowed desktop environment combined with a Finder and a Terminal that can access files across all apps. Also, having an x86-compatible CPU at the core enables high enough performance for virtualbox/vmware, which is a huge enabler in that it al…

Well I don't think Apple will be as senseless as they have been with the iPad Pro. I think they will converge them, but continue to support classic Mac interaction models (keyboard + mouse).

With all the competition from Microsoft's Surface lineup we'll probably see the iPad shift even more towards the Mac side of interaction as well.

To your second point about performance: have we really seen what a high wattage ARM CPU can do?

Re: iMac Pro Appears to Include A10 Fusion Chip for Always-On ‘Hey Siri’

#18

Post by jmull »

cybermancy wrote: post #2

Will be interesting to see if native iOS apps will be able to run for development or regular use. This is a good sign for the convergence of the Mac and "i" products. For fun here's the "transitions" talk Steve Jobs gave announcing the switch from PowerPC to Intel processors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghdTqnYnFyg

In terms of running iOS apps for regular use, it makes no sense to run apps designed for handheld touch screen devices on a non-touchscreen device where the display is fixed.

For development, what’s the advantage over the current system where your app is compiled for x86? It would still run in something like the simulator app and have similar drawbacks.

I’m more excited for possibilities like FaceID, not to mention other uses for the secure enclave.

Purely speculating from a position of ignorance, but I wonder if this might be able to take over for a variety of coprocessors.)

Re: iMac Pro Appears to Include A10 Fusion Chip for Always-On ‘Hey Siri’

#19

Post by holydude »

danjoc wrote: post #5

>the chip will enable support for "Hey Siri" functionality, potentially even when the iMac Pro is turned off. Intel ME wasn't bad enough... so Apple builds a second backdoor you can't remove, with the explicit purpose of bugging your room? No thanks.

This is such a ridiculous statement...literally anything could be a backdoor why would it be one of the most expensive components ?
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