Apple Silicon is Apple's new lineup of processors for the Mac platform. It was announced in 2020 with the first Macs appearing at Apple's "One More Thing" event in November 2020. The first was the M1, and it first appeared in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini.
Apple Silicon
While Apple has always offered Windows support on Intel Macs, new machines with the ARM-based M1 chip can only run macOS natively. The reason may be related to a special deal between Microsoft and Qualcomm that is finally coming to an end – and this means that Windows could finally be available natively for M1 Mac users.
Expand Expanding Close
My shiny new 16-inch Apple Silicon MacBook Pro claims two big advantages over its Intel predecessor. First, the performance of the M1 Max. Second, power efficiency, aka battery life.
For my personal usage patterns, the two are quite distinct. The time when I want power is for video editing, when I’ll almost always be sat at my desk hooked up to a large monitor. When I want battery life, my typical usage is very different…
Expand Expanding Close
It was November 10, 2020, when Apple announced its first ARM-based chip designed for Macs. Months after it was confirmed that Macs would get Apple-made SoCs, the M1 chip was introduced with the promise of not only reinventing the Mac but changing the entire computer industry. A year later, it’s safe to say that Apple has successfully accomplished this.
Expand Expanding Close
With September and October Apple events out of the way, there are still some unannounced but eagerly anticipated Apple products to come by some point next year.
The September event saw the company announce the iPhone 13 lineup, Apple Watch Series 7, iPad mini, and the iPad 9. October’s Unleashed event added the long-awaited 14- and 16-inch M1 MacBook Pros, AirPods 3, and new HomePod mini colors.
But that still leaves us waiting for a number of as-yet unannounced products …
Expand Expanding Close
A British singer-songwriter has recorded a unique MacBook Pro music video. Using her new M1 Max model, she recorded it using the machine’s built-in microphones and webcam!
Mary Spender used Logic Pro, which is a pretty demanding app, yet was able to do all the work on battery power – while screen recording at the same time – without the fans kicking in …
Expand Expanding Close
The new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips inside the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models have proven to impress reviewers and consumers alike. Apple executives Tim Millet and Tom Boger recently joined Relay FM’s Upgrade podcast to talk in-depth about the new chips, the state of the Apple SIlicon transition, and more.
Expand Expanding Close
My shiny new Mac arrived on Friday, so after a couple of days of fairly extensive use, it’s time to give my M1 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro first impressions.
I haven’t used it for anything too taxing as yet, so this piece covers what I think of the design, the screen – including that infamous notch – the heat management, and an early look at real-world battery life …
Expand Expanding Close
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has been somewhat upbeat about the company’s chances of overtaking Apple’s vast lead in chip design, and now claims that Intel will achieve this by beating Moore’s Law …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple will in future be able to assess the Apple Silicon environmental impact at an early stage in chip design, thanks to taking a lead role in a new research initiative.
The program is likely to help with Apple’s stated environmental goal of becoming 100% carbon neutral by 2030.
Expand Expanding Close
Latest update: Dropbox says Apple Silicon support in the works – see bottom of piece.
Dropbox M1 support still hasn’t arrived, even after Apple launched its new MacBook Pro models that run on more powerful versions of the chip. Worse, the company claims there isn’t yet enough support for the idea to make it a priority. (This statement was made by a company forum rep who was unaware of the position.)
The Mac app only runs on M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max machines under Rosetta, which reportedly kills the battery and uses a gig of memory …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple’s lead over Intel when it comes to laptop chips is undeniable, even by the US chipmaker itself. A deep dive showed that the new MacBook Pro competes against even the best desktop PCs powered by Intel chips, with a similar story emerging against ultra-high-end GPUs.
There have, though, been those suggesting that the lead is either slim or temporary. Two high-profile names dispute this claim: former Mac chief Jean-Louis Gassée, and ex-Windows president Steven Sinofsky.
Expand Expanding Close
With the Apple Silicon transition in full swing following this week’s announcement of new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, Apple executives say there is still a lot more to look forward to. In a new interview with Wired, Apple’s Johnny Srouji, John Ternus, and Greg Joswiak talked in-depth about the new MacBook Pros, what the company learned from the 2016 MacBook Pro refresh, and more.
Expand Expanding Close
It’s felt like a long wait from the M1 MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, but the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro models are finally here. The predictions I made back in May were both correct: I was indeed unable to resist the 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro, and the price did indeed hurt!
Most of the rumors turned out to be correct – including the late one of a display notch to house an improved camera within much smaller bezels …
Expand Expanding Close
Intel’s Apple Silicon take has so far mostly consisted of mocking Macs and describing all the ways in which the company thinks PCs are better. But the chipmaker’s CEO now seems to be rethinking this stance, describing Apple Silicon Macs as “pretty good,” and acknowledging that Apple Silicon is ahead of Intel’s own chip designs.
However, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger seemingly thinks he can still win back Apple’s business – one way or another …
Expand Expanding Close
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is showing as unavailable for pickup at many Apple stores, with online orders showing delayed shipping too.
That is naturally creating speculating about an imminent launch of the upcoming M1X model – which turned out to be correct!
Expand Expanding Close
Rumors have long suggested that Apple is working on a new MacBook Pro refresh with Apple Silicon on the inside, a new design, and much more. As rumors gain steam about a release within the coming weeks, many would-be MacBook Pro buyers are debating whether to buy now or wait. Here’s what we recommend.
Expand Expanding Close
Eyebrows were raised during the iPhone 13 keynote when Apple said nothing about the A15 performance gains, choosing to compare its latest model against Android competitors rather than against the iPhone 12.
Some suggested that this indicated very little improvement in performance, but a new analysis suggests that although the A15 isn’t massively different to the A14, Apple has still managed to push the chip hard …
Expand Expanding Close
As Apple continues the incredibly successful transition to Apple Silicon chips in the Mac, Intel continues to downplay the threat. The chipmaker has posted a new video on YouTube in which it claims to have brought Apple fans “together to help them see the power of PC.”
Expand Expanding Close
A chart showing iPhone performance gains over the years shows that diminishing returns have largely set in, but the overall gains are still impressive.
In particular, if you upgrade every three to four years, as the average smartphone user does these days, you’re going to see around a doubling in performance …
Expand Expanding Close
An Apple job ad reveals that the company is exploring the use of RISC-V chips, an open-source processor tech that competes with the ARM architecture used for Apple’s A-series and M-series chips.
However, while some are suggesting that this points to the company seeking to replace ARM-based processors, that’s an extremely unlikely scenario …
Expand Expanding Close
It appears that Google was inspired by Apple when it comes to the benefits of custom-designed chips. The company had already confirmed that the upcoming Pixel 6 smartphone will have a Google-designed System on a Chip (SoC), and a new report today says that the company is taking the same approach for future Chromebooks.
Google’s decision is said to have been prompted by Apple’s success with its M1 Macs …
Expand Expanding Close
A leaker with a good track record says that the upcoming Apple Silicon 14-inch MacBook Pro CPU will be identical to that of the 16-inch MacBook Pro.
This would represent a significant shift from Intel Macs, where Apple had reserved the fastest processors for the larger machines …
Expand Expanding Close
When Apple first announced its plans to transition from Intel to Apple Silicon at WWDC 2020, the company said it would take around two years to fully complete the transition. Now, a new report from Bloomberg details the Apple Silicon roadmap and what to expect over the next 12 months.
Expand Expanding Close
Qualcomm said earlier this month that it thinks it can beat Apple Silicon, and now Intel has made the same claim – thanks to a combination of new technology and rebranding.
Intel said that it expects to take the lead by 2025 …
Expand Expanding Close