Apple recently announced that they’d be
transitioning their entire line of Mac computers
away from the Intel processors that currently
power every Mac, to Apple’s own custom ARM
chipset.
This was a decision that many people expected
to happen, but not everyone knows why Apple’s
doing it.
And that’s exactly what I’m going to explain.
This is Greg with Apple Explained, and I want
to thank MacPaw for sponsoring this video.
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Alright so why is Apple ditching Intel processors
and moving to their own custom chipsets.
Well, there are quite a few reasons that I’ll
cover, but probably the most important is
that Apple hates being at the mercy of other
companies.
They like the freedom of being as independent
as possible.
It’s why Apple created their own operating
system alongside the original Macintosh, instead
of licensing Windows and relying on Microsoft
to optimize and modernize the operating system.
When creating the iPhone, they didn’t want
to be beholden to mobile phone carriers, which
is why they only worked with Motorola, who
promised to give Apple full control over the
iPhone’s hardware and software.
Something that was unprecedented at the time.
And even then, that wasn’t good enough.
Because initially the iPhone ran on Samsung’s
ARM chipset, which wasn’t fully optimized
with the iPhone’s hardware or operating
system, and therefore held back the device’s
potential when it came to performance and
battery life.
So in order to create a smartphone that could
live up to its fullest potential, Apple established
their own in-house silicon design team, in
charge of creating a custom chipset specifically
tailored for the iPhone.
And the company’s effort paid off in 2010
when they introduced the iPhone 4, featuring
Apple’s first custom-made A4 chipset.
And the benefits of the iPhone’s transition
to custom-made silicon, will also be enjoyed
by the Mac.
Have you ever wondered why iPhones, iPads,
and Apple Watches are updated on a regular
basis, while MacBooks don’t have a predictable
release schedule?
That’s because Apple has to wait on Intel
to release their new generation of processors.
And for the last five years, Intel has missed
virtually every release deadline that it’s
set.
Which not only disappoints customers, but
also frustrates computer manufacturers like
Apple who have to delay their own product
roadmaps.
So breaking their dependency on Intel is a
great reason for Apple to switch to ARM.
But that’s only the beginning.
Just like with the iPhone, Macs can finally
enjoy the benefits of being powered by a truly
optimized chipset.
That means no more thermal issues, no more
processor throttling, and some of the best
performance of any computer in the industry.
Because remember, the iPad Pro featuring Apple’s
A12Z chip, is faster than ninety-two percent
of PC notebooks on the market today.
And although Apple has yet to announce a new
custom-made chip for the Mac, we can only
assume that it’s performance will be even
better than the iPad Pro.
Now although macOS is an advanced operating
system, it does require regular maintenance
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CleanMyMacX is also the easiest way to manage
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Now while we’re on the topic of performance,
it’s also important to understand that by
using their own chipset, Apple can achieve
better processing and graphics performance,
while actually lowering power consumption.
It’s why iPads easily reach their advertised
10-hour battery life, while MacBooks rarely
do.
In fact, if you read the fine print, Apple
says you’ll only achieve 10 hours of battery
life on your MacBook Pro if all you’re doing
is browsing the web with the screen brightness
set at seventy-five percent.
But I think most MacBook Pro users are doing
more intense tasks like photo or video editing,
which burns through the battery much quicker.
But even if you’re doing similar tasks on
an iPad Pro, you’ll notice that battery
life isn’t effected nearly as much.
And it’s because of Apple’s custom chipset
designed to optimize performance without sacrificing
battery life.
Now, it’s also worth considering how Apple’s
own chipset could influence the design of
their Macs.
If there isn’t any thermal issues, Apple
could possibly release a MacBook with smaller
fans, or even no fans at all.
Which would be a big deal considering how
much valuable internal space they occupy.
But the biggest space hog inside of any MacBook
is its battery.
And if Apple could optimize power consumption
like they have on iPads and iPhones, we could
potential see a reduction in the MacBooks
battery size, while still providing 10 hours
of use.
So in the best case scenario, a new ARM MacBook
could feature a fan-less design with a smaller
battery.
Which would enable Apple to create dramatically
thinner, lighter, and quieter notebooks, something
they’ve been trying to achieve for years.
Now another really important benefit of switching
to ARM is app compatibility.
When the iPad was released in 2010, it shared
the iPhone’s A4 chipset.
Which meant that every app created for the
iPhone, could also run on the newly released
iPad.
That was a huge advantage the device had over
competing tablets, who suffered from a sparse
app ecosystem.
And now, Apple wants the Mac to enjoy that
same advantage.
We already received a hint of Apple’s interest
in creating universal apps last year with
the release of macOS Catalina.
It included a feature called Mac Catalyst
which made it much easier for developers to
bring their iPad apps over to the Mac.
But once Apple transitions all of their computers
to ARM chipsets, developers won’t have to
do a thing.
iPad and iPhone apps will be able to run seamlessly
on the Mac.
Now this transition won’t happen overnight,
Apple said it’ll take two years to get all
of their Macs running on their own custom
chipsets, but it may happen even sooner.
Because this isn’t the first time Apple
has switched from one chip to another.
Back in 2005 Steve Jobs announced the transition
from PowerPC to Intel processors, and estimated
every Mac would be switched over in about
eighteen months.
But it actually happened much quicker than
that, taking Apple only ten months to transition
their entire Mac lineup to Intel.
So while something similar may play out this
time around, the switch from Intel to ARM
is a bit more complicated and likely to take
more time.
Alright guys thanks for watching till the
end, don’t forget to like and subscribe,
and I’ll see you in the next video.
