Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Apple introduces M4 chip

apple.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

321–330 of 1001 posts

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#321

Post by steveridout »

mort96 wrote: post #281
simonbarker87 wrote: post #21

Seeing an M series chip launch first in an iPad must be result of some mad supply chain and manufacturing related hangovers from COVID. If the iPad had better software and could be considered a first class productivity machine then it would be less surprising but the one thing no one says about the iPads is “I wish this chip were faster”

To be honest, I wish my iPad's chip was slower! I can't do anything other than watch videos and use drawing programs on an iPad, why does it need a big expensive power hungry and environmentally impactful CPU when one 1/10 the speed would do? If I could actually do something with an iPad there would be a different discussion, but the operating system is so incredibly gimped that the most demanding task it's really su…

I'm under the impression that this CPU is faster AND more efficient, so if you do equivalent tasks on the M4 vs an older processor, the M4 should be less power hungry, not more. Someone correct me if this is wrong!

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#322

Post by JohnBooty »

daniel31x13 wrote: post #46

Well at the end of the day the processors are bottlenecked by its OS. What real value does an iPad bring that a typical iPhone + Mac combo misses? (Other than being a digital notebook…)

I wound up getting a 2019 iPad Pro for 50% off, so $500 or so. Thought I would use it as a work/play hybrid.

Surprisingly (at least to me) I feel that I've more than gotten my money's worth out of it despite it being almost entirely strictly a consumption device.

I tote it around the house so I can watch or listen to things while I'm doing other things. It's also nice to keep on the dining room table so I can read the news or watch something while we're eating. I could do every single one of these things with my laptop, but... that laptop is my primary work tool. I don't like to carry it all over the place, exposing it to spills and dust, etc.

The only real work-related task is serving as a secondary monitor (via AirPlay) for my laptop when I travel.

$500 isn't pocket change, but I've gotten 48 months of enjoyment and would expect at least another 24 to 36 months. That's about $6 a month, or possibly more like $3-4 per month if I resell it eventually.

Worth it for me.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#323

Post by aurareturn »

NorwegianDude wrote: post #295
akshayt wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are referring to integrated npus in current cpus like in the intel cote ultra. They explicitly mentioned in the event that the industry refers to the neural engine as a NPU

The text clearly states faster than any AI PC, not that its faster than any NPUs integrated into a CPU. They could have written it correctly, but that sounds way less impressive, so instead they make up shit to make it sound very impressive.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/americas-partner-blog/2024/0...

It’s the term Microsoft, Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm decided to rally around. No need to get upset at Apple for using the same term as reference for comparison.

Ps. Nvidia also doesn’t like the term because of precisely what you said. But it’s not Apple that decided to use this term.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#324

Post by MBCook »

bombcar wrote: post #256
haunter wrote: post #130

I love when Gruber is confidently wrong https://daringfireball.net/linked/2024/04/28/m4-ipad-pros-gu...

Wasn't it relatively well known that the M3 is on an expensive process and quickly getting to an M4 on a cheaper/higher yield process would be worth it?

Yes but Apple has never gone iPad first on a new chip either, so I was with him in that I assumed it wouldn’t be what they would do.

“Let’s make all our Macs look slower for a while!”

So I was surprised as well.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#327

Post by mensetmanusman »

praseodym wrote: post #10

"With these improvements to the CPU and GPU, M4 maintains Apple silicon’s industry-leading performance per watt. M4 can deliver the same performance as M2 using just half the power. And compared with the latest PC chip in a thin and light laptop, M4 can deliver the same performance using just a fourth of the power." That's an incredible improvement in just a few years. I wonder how much of that is Apple engineering a…

Also the thousands of suppliers that have improved their equipment and supplies that feed into the tsmc fabs.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#328

Post by janalsncm »

akshayt wrote: post #273
NorwegianDude wrote: post #264

> M4 has Apple’s fastest Neural Engine ever, capable of up to 38 trillion operations per second, which is faster than the neural processing unit of any AI PC today. I always wonder what crazy meds Apple employees are on. Two RTX 4090s is quite common for hobbyist use, and that is 1321 TOPS each, making two over 69 times more than what Apple claims to be the fastest in the world. That performance is literally less tha…

They are referring to integrated npus in current cpus like in the intel cote ultra. They explicitly mentioned in the event that the industry refers to the neural engine as a NPU

I’ve never heard anyone refer to an NPU before. I’ve heard of GPU and TPU. But in any case, I don’t know the right way to compare Apple’s hardware to a 4090.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#329

Post by tambourine_man »

atommclain wrote: post #257
alberth wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Especially about Gurman, who he loves to hate on.

Never understood the animosity, especially because it seems to only go one direction.

He spills Apple's secrets. Gruber had him on his podcast once and called him a super villain in the Apple's universe, or something like this. It was cringeworthy
Post reply on HN