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Apple introduces M4 chip

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Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#91

Post by alphakappa »

izacus wrote: post #84
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…

Apple usually massively exaggerates their tech spec comparison - is it REALLY half the power use of all times (so we'll get double the battery life) or is it half the power use in some scenarios (so we'll get like... 15% more battery life total) ?

Any product that uses this is more than just the chip, so you cannot get a proportional change in battery life.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#93

Post by cs702 »

eqvinox wrote: post #41
cs702 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Potentially > 2x greater battery life for the same amount of compute! That is pretty crazy. Or am I missing something?

Sadly, this is only processor power consumption, you need to put power into a whole lot of other things to make an useful computer… a display backlight and the system's RAM come to mind as particular offenders.

Thanks. That makes sense.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#94

Post by diogenescynic »

So is the iPad mini abandoned due to the profit margins being too small or what? I wish they'd just make it clear so I could upgrade without worrying a mini replacement will come out right after I buy something. And I don't really understand why there are so many different iPads now (Air/Pro/Standard). It just feels like Apple is slowly becoming like Dell... offer a bunch of SKUs and barely differentiated products. I liked when Apple had fewer products but they actually had a more distinct purpose.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#95

Post by binary132 »

Hamuko wrote: post #63
cs702 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Potentially > 2x greater battery life for the same amount of compute! That is pretty crazy. Or am I missing something?

Comparing the tech specs for the outgoing and new iPad Pro models, that potential is very much not real. Old: 28.65 Wh (11") / 40.88 Wh (13"), up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video. New: 31.29 Wh (11") / 38.99 Wh (13"), up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video.

Ok, but is it twice as fast during those 10 hours, leading to 20 hours of effective websurfing? ;)

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#96

Post by jeffbee »

Hamuko wrote: post #63
cs702 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Potentially > 2x greater battery life for the same amount of compute! That is pretty crazy. Or am I missing something?

Comparing the tech specs for the outgoing and new iPad Pro models, that potential is very much not real. Old: 28.65 Wh (11") / 40.88 Wh (13"), up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video. New: 31.29 Wh (11") / 38.99 Wh (13"), up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video.

A more efficient CPU can't improve that spec because those workloads use almost no CPU time and the display dominates the energy consumption.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#97

Post by stuff4ben »

slashdev wrote: post #72

I've got a Mac Pro paperweight because the motherboard went. It's going to the landfill. I can't even sell it for parts because I can't erase the SSD. If they didn't solder everything to the board you could actually repair it. When I replace my current Dell laptop, it will be with a repairable framework laptop.

Just because you lack the skills to fix it, doesn't mean it's not repairable. People desolder components all the time to fix phones and ipads and laptops.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNKNjy3CoZ4

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#98

Post by Dibby053 »

cs702 wrote: post #23
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…

Potentially > 2x greater battery life for the same amount of compute! That is pretty crazy. Or am I missing something?

2x efficiency vs a 2 year old chip is more or less in line with expectations (Koomey's law). [1]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koomey%27s_law

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#99

Post by treesciencebot »

eqvinox wrote: post #41
cs702 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Potentially > 2x greater battery life for the same amount of compute! That is pretty crazy. Or am I missing something?

Sadly, this is only processor power consumption, you need to put power into a whole lot of other things to make an useful computer… a display backlight and the system's RAM come to mind as particular offenders.

backlight is now the main bottleneck for consumption heavy uses. I wonder what are the main advancements that are happening there to optimize the wattage.

Re: Apple introduces M4 chip

#100

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

giancarlostoro wrote: post #42

Call me crazy, but I want all that power in a 7" tablet. I like 7" tablets most because they feel less clunky to carry around and take with you. Same with 13" laptops, I'm willing to sacrifice on screen real estate for saving myself from the back pain of carrying a 15" or larger laptop. Some of this is insanely impressive. I wonder how big the OS ROM (or whatever) is with all these models. For context, even if the en…

I've been using the iPad Mini for years.

I'd love to see them add something to that form factor.

I do see a lot of iPad Minis out there, but usually, as part of dedicated systems (like PoS, and restaurant systems).

On the other hand, I have heard rumblings that Apple may release an even bigger phone, which I think might be overkill (but what do I know. I see a lot of those monster Samsung beasts, out there).

Not sure that is for me. I still use an iPhone 13 Mini.

I suspect that my next Mac will be a Studio. I guess it will be an M4 Studio.

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