Updated 18 aug. Article originally posted Aug 16
There’s no doubt that the hardware and software intended for Apple’s first ARM-powered MacBooks are impressive technical feats, but that all will mean nothing if Tim Cook and his team are unable to sell the machine. Fortunately, that’s one of Apple’s strengths. Let’s start at the top … what should the new Mac be called?
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 30: Tim Cook, CEO of Apple unveils a new MacBook Air at a launch event … [+]
August 16 update: Listed Apple commentator Komiya KJ on Twitter has gathered information about the release plan for Apple’s transition from Intel’s macOS platform to ARM.
“Transferring to Apple Silicon …” 2020: MacBook, MacBook Pro 13-inch. 2021: iMac (partly), MacBook Pro 16-inch (partly). 2022: iMac Pro, Mac Pro, iMac (rest), MacBook Pro 16-inch (rest). “
Two points of comment here. The first is that the name of MacBook Air is nowhere to be seen. The second is that the MacBook Pro name remains in circulation with the 13-inch model making the leap to ARM. I’m envious to see how Apple will differentiate the ‘MacBook’ and the ‘MacBook Pro’, and just how much power the ARM processors can emit. Apple clearly thinks it’s enough to be worth the backlash ‘Pro’.
Update Aug 18: Details about Apple’s new A14X Bionic chip have been leaked. This processor is intended for the new iPad Pro, and is widely expected to be the first macOS to power ARM hardware. YouTuber Luke Miani puts that in context:
“A14X performance extrapolated from leaked / suspicious A14 info + average performance gains from previous X chips. Puts it around 7480 in Geekbench 5, almost on par with an i9 9880H. This thing could be insane”
How that will translate into real world performance, and how closely it matches the existing MacBook pro benchmarks, remains to be seen. It is a promising sign that the ARM hardware will match the Intel hardware. The biggest question will be about software compatibility. There’s not much point with so much power as business critical applications can not run on the new laptops.
MADRID, SPAIN – MAY 04: A customer is helped by a staff member at Apple’s MacBook section … [+]
It’s unlikely that Apple Cook’s Apple will ever send something to store shelves with the name ‘The Apple MacBook Laptop (A14X Edition) Powered by MacOS On ARM‘(No, I’m not looking at you, Redmond …) but it’s likely the team will think carefully about the name for the debutant.
While the geekerati will be excited about the presumably named A14X chip, Apple’s first ARM-based processor for the Mac platform, Apple’s real goal is to make the transition from Intel to ARM as smooth as possible. The technical details of the new laptop will be mentioned in the background – instead of benefits of using ARM will be the focus. the ideas of more power, better battery life, thinner design, and a lighter laptop, will be the focus.
ARM is all about benefits for the Mac platform. Apple does not want the general public to worry about app compatibility as one of the headaches that are obvious to those who follow the details of the story.
But there must be something else that suggests that this is a new approach to the MacBook, something fresh and revolutionary that people should take part in.
For me, that excludes with ‘MacBook Air’. When it launched, ‘AIr’ stood for something, as it brought an ultraported and lightweight laptop to the range. over time, the original meaning of the Air has been lost – to the point that Air now means’ slightly lower specs’ than the MacBook Pro ‘, because there are no major physical differences between the 13-inch Pro and of Air. Using MacBook Air for the new ARM-powered MacBook will remove all value from the back cover.
It’s probably best to exclude ‘MacBook Pro’, at least for the first ARM machine. While the initial benchmarks for Apple’s ARM-based Developer Transition Kit are strong, no one expects the first ARM-powered MacBook to rival the MacBook Pro’s rich performance. It will probably follow in the future, but the new laptop deals in ‘small and portable’ and not ‘grunt and graphics’.
(Of course if Komiya’s scheme is on the nose, there will be a new MacBook Pro running the ARM processor. This … interests me).
It is also worth remembering that the existing Intel-powered MacBook Air and MacBook Pro machines will not suddenly disappear. They will remain for sale, they will remain in circulation for many years, and there must be a clear line between this generation and the next generation.
Apple has been here before, with a new concept to launch with both the ‘Air’ and ‘Pro’ designations in use. Launched in March 2015, the 12-inch MacBook captures the premium space between the Air and thePro. It was kept small and light, it had a fan-less design, and it was shipped as a highly portable laptop for daily work. Sounds familiar?
The MacBook Air is too old and has lost its totemic luster. The aura of the MacBook Pro is not a comfortable fit with what is currently expected of Apple.
How about ‘MacBook’?
Learn more about the impact of the ARM-powered MacBook on Google’s Chromebook project …
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