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Later this year, Apple will release a MacBook Pro that is powered by an ARM-based processor of Apple’s own design. It will give macOS laptops a new life and an opportunity for Tim Cook and his team to redefine what it means to be an Apple laptop.
And that means the current MacBook Pro lineage has reached the bottom of the line. In its place will be (with a nod to Douglas Adams) a new laptop that will be almost, but not entirely, completely different from the MacBook Pro from which it is named.
CUPERTINO, CA – OCTOBER 27: Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller speaks … [+]
The biggest change has been followed and developed to a great extent. Apple confirmed that it would change the Mac platform from the Intel-based processors it has been using since 2006, to its own ARM-based processor design. Although not confirmed yet, the expectation is that the upcoming A14 processor designed for the iPhone 12 will pick up an X variant that will be used in both the next-gen iPad Pro and the first MacBook Pro running macOS in the ARM laptop to be released. expected to be released later this year.
The question of older applications built for the Intel platform that run on the ARM platform has yet to be answered publicly. It is a problem that Apple will be well aware of, and there will be a significant amount of time and resources invested in this project. Many of the initial impressions of the new macOS platform will be guided by how broad, stable and fast Intel applications will be on an ARM machine.
As the new platform accelerates, developers will divert their attention from the legacy versions to focus on the latest updates to the new platform. Sure, some updates will be carried over to Intel, but there will be a distinct “before” and “after”, and the MacBook Pro is squarely on the “before” side of things.
It won’t just be third-party developers who will take this point of view. Apple will focus on driving the ARM platform and leveraging the ARM feature set to differentiate the platform. No doubt the key features in keeping Intel machines connected to Apple’s cloud will be supported, but part of the appeal of moving to ARM is the advances that can be made in hardware and software that are not possible on the previous platform.
The possibilities of integrating the macOS platform into iOS and iPadOS to a greater degree will be a simpler proposition with all three platforms running not only on the same architecture, but on the same chipset. The lines between Mac, iPhone, and especially iPad and iPad Pro will blur. It is something that is already influencing the user interface of macOS 11; the shift to an iPadOS-like interface is clear.
Detail of a man’s hand pressing the Netflix application icon on an Apple iPad Pro tablet, taken on March 6 … [+]
The MacBook Pro is a work notebook that millions of people trust for both work and pleasure. As a standalone computer, it can function outside of Apple’s ubiquitous cloud of services. It does not lock the file system, limit media sources, or restrict access to paid services. You can download apps without the developer requiring Apple’s permissions (although the notarization requirements for one-click installs make it less attractive).
As Apple moves towards an integrated platform and brings its range of notebooks closer to the closed world of its smartphones and tablets, the Mac platform will move away from the powerful vision of computing that Steve Jobs implemented. Tim Cook’s tightly controlled mobile platform is attracting him.
Cook’s Apple is ready to pull the trigger in a move that will speed up this process, and it’s the move to ARM. The MacBook Pro that many love and trust will see a significant change that will change what it means to be a MacBook Pro.
Your old MacBook Pro is, technically speaking, about to die. The new laptop will still be called the MacBook Pro, but it will be a different beast.
Now read more about the long-term support Apple should consider for current Mac owners …
