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Apple has announced the first of its series of ARM-powered Mac computers with the new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini, as it begins the transition from traditional Intel processors to those running on the iPhone.
The new machines mark the first stage of Apple’s great effort to change the underlying technologies of its Mac computers, replicating the switch it made from PowerPC to Intel processors in 2006, but this time to chips of its own design that are being used to great effect. on the company’s iPhones and iPads.
At the heart of the three new Macs is Apple’s first desktop chip called the M1. It resembles the signature A14 used in the latest iPhone 12 and iPad Air. The octa-core chip is the first desktop processor to be built on the 5nm scale and has four high-performance cores, which Apple claims are the fastest in the industry, along with four high-efficiency cores for more mundane tasks. .
macBook Air
Apple Silicon’s first new machine is the MacBook Air, which starts at the same figure of £ 999 in the UK or $ 999 in the US The new laptop is similar in design to the old version, except for the lack of a fan that makes it silent in operation. It has a better webcam, an improved 13-inch screen, and can now be instantly activated like an iPhone.
The M1 in the MacBook Air gives you 3.5 times faster processor performance, five times faster graphics performance, and significantly longer battery life of up to 15 hours of web browsing or 18 hours of video playback, which it’s six hours longer than before. Apple also said that the MacBook Air will last twice as long during video conferencing.
13-inch MacBook Pro
Apple also launched an M1 version of its 13-inch MacBook Pro, starting at £ 1,299 in the UK or $ 1,299 in the US The new more powerful 13-inch laptop has a fan for longer sustained performance. . It has up to 2.8 times the processor performance, five times faster graphics performance, and longer battery life, lasting up to 17 hours while browsing the web or 20 hours watching videos, which is double than the previous version.
The MacBook Pro also has an improved webcam, better microphones but only two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, compared to the four Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C ports in the previous version. Apple didn’t update the larger 16-inch MacBook Pro.
Mac mini
Finally, Apple also announced a new M1 version of the compact Mac mini desktop. The Mac mini starts at £ 699 in the UK or $ 699 in the US, which is cheaper than the previous version. It also has a fan and produces three times the performance of the processor and up to six times the graphics performance of the previous version.
The three new Macs will ship on November 17.
MacOS 11 Big Sur
Raw performance numbers aside, the new Macs will run macOS 11 Big Sur and with it the ability to run iPhone and iPad apps on the Mac for the first time. The new machines will support Apple’s new Universal Applications format, which allows developers to submit a version of their programs that runs on both older Intel Macs and newer M1s.
Apple said that all of its applications, including professional programs like the Final Cut Pro video editing suite and the Logic Pro music maker, are optimized for the new M1 chip. He also said that high-profile developers were already making Apple Silicon-optimized versions of their programs, including Adobe with Lightroom next month and Photoshop early next year.
Otherwise, Apple’s Rosetta 2 technology will be able to run programs written for Intel Macs automatically, although performance concerns remain.
MacOS 11 Big Sur will be released as a free update for existing Intel Macs on Thursday.
Potential to change the industry
The move from traditional x86 desktop processors to Apple Silicon is potentially a game changer. Not only does it remove Apple’s reliance on Intel to increase performance while opening up the ability to run iOS apps on a Mac, it has the potential to change the entire computer market.
ARM-based chips, such as Apple’s A-series processors in the iPhone or Qualcomm chips in most major Android devices, have long promised longer battery life, higher performance, and designs. smaller and thinner than its x86 competitors. But until now, companies have struggled to catch up using desktop software.
Microsoft is also chasing an ARM-based future with its Surface Pro X line of Windows tablets, but they’ve had performance issues compared to traditional Intel-powered versions. Apple’s wholesale switch to its own ARM chip designs will force the switch, bringing with it software and hardware enhancements that will no doubt trickle down to other manufacturers.
That will bring much greater competition in the PC market, which for years has been dominated by Intel, with rival AMD gaining ground recently.
The move, which the company said would take two years to complete, is not without risk, CCS Insight’s Wayne Lam said: “Apple’s vertical integration should make this an easier undertaking, but there could still be difficulties and problems. initials”.
