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Apple is planning to start selling Mac computers with their own processors for next year, based on designs that helped popularize the iPhone and iPad, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Cupertino, California-based tech giant is working on three of its own Mac processors, known as on-chip systems, based on the A14 processor on the upcoming iPhone. The first of these will be much faster than the processors on the iPhone and iPad, people said.
Apple is preparing to launch at least one Mac with its own chip next year, according to people. But the multi-chip initiative, codenamed Kalamata, suggests that the company will transition its Mac line further away from current vendor Intel.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, Apple’s partner for iPhone and iPad processors, will build the new Mac chips, the people said, who asked not to be identified discussing private product plans. The components will be based on a 5-nanometer production technique, the same size that Apple will use in the upcoming iPhones and iPad Pros, one of the people said. An Apple spokesman declined to comment, as did Intel and TSMC.
Apple is designing more of its own chips to gain greater control over the performance of its devices and set them apart from its rivals. Getting Mac, iPhone, and iPad running the same underlying technology should make it easier for Apple to unify its app ecosystem and update its computers more frequently. The move would also reduce dependence on Intel, which has struggled to maintain annual performance increases it once offered.
Fire storm and ice storm
Apple’s current mobile device chips have multiple processing units, or cores, that handle different types of tasks. The latest iPad Pro has four cores for high-performance workloads and another four to handle low-power tasks to preserve battery life.
The first Mac processors will have eight high-performance cores, code-named Firestorm, and at least four energy-efficient cores, known internally as Icestorm. Apple is exploring Mac processors with more than 12 cores in the future, the people said.
On some Macs, Apple’s designs will double or quadruple the number of cores Intel provides. The current entry-level MacBook Air has two cores, for example.
Like Qualcomm and the rest of the mobile semiconductor industry, Apple designs its smartphone chips with ARM technology, owned by SoftBank Group. These components often use less power than Intel’s offerings. But in recent years, ARM customers have tried to make processors that are also more powerful.
The transition to internal Apple processor designs would likely start with a new laptop because the company’s first custom Mac chips won’t be able to rival the performance Intel offers for MacBook Pros, iMacs, and the high-end Mac Pro desktop computer.
The move away from Intel is complex and requires close collaboration between Apple’s software, hardware, and component sourcing teams. Given the work orders from home and disruptions to the Asia-based company’s supply chain, the change could be delayed, the people said.
As with the iPhone, Apple’s Mac processors will include several components, including the main processor, known as the CPU, and the GPU, the graphics chip. Apple’s low-end computers currently use Intel for graphics, while it has partnered with AMD for graphics cards in its professional-focused offerings.
The Kalamata project has been running for several years. In 2018, Apple developed a Mac chip based on the iPad Pro’s A12X processor for internal testing. That gave the company’s engineers confidence that they could start replacing Intel on Mac starting in 2020.
Apple has already begun designing a second generation of Mac processors that follows the chip architecture planned for the iPhone 2021. That indicates that Apple wants to put its Macs, iPhones, and iPads in the same processor development cycle.
MacOS to stay
Despite a unified chip design, Macs will continue to run the macOS operating system, rather than the iPhone and iPad iOS software. Apple is exploring tools that will ensure that applications developed for older Intel-based Macs continue to work on new machines. The company also has a technology called Catalyst that allows software developers to create an iPad app and run it on Mac computers.
Moving macOS from Intel’s chip architecture to an ARM-based design will be a technical challenge. Microsoft stumbled with a similar effort.
The changes will be a serious blow to Intel’s prestige. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and the late Intel CEO Paul Otellini took the stage in 2005 to announce the first Macs with Intel processors. The decision was praised for several years, resulting in capable computers like the original Mac Pro in 2006, the second-generation MacBook Air in 2010, and the slimmer MacBook Pro in 2012.
But in recent years, the pace of Mac updates has slowed, in part due to a slowdown in Intel’s chip advancements. That sometimes left years between Mac updates, annoying some customers. Intel has also faced manufacturing challenges that Apple has blamed for some recent declines in Mac sales.
Kalamata is Apple’s most ambitious computer chip initiative to date. It currently offers specific chips for Mac functions, such as security and power management, that work in conjunction with major Intel processors.
Apple also aims to stop using Intel cellular modems, chips that connect smartphones to the Internet and support calls, after using them for just four years. The company plans to use Qualcomm’s 5G modems on up to four new iPhone models later this year. Last year, Apple acquired Intel’s modem business after reaching a short-term supply agreement with Qualcomm. – Reported by Mark Gurman, Debby Wu, and Ian King, (c) 2020 Bloomberg LP
