Apple Plans to Ditch Intel and Use Custom Mac Chips Starting in 2020

[CaTOAGU]

That was one huge issue with the old code, as I start thinking back. We had a lot of smaller developers that produced some great programs for the Macintosh, but we also had issues of not getting updates regularly. Perhaps with many developers embracing subscription based sales, this will be different today then it was back then.


Not really, there are many factors in today's applications that developers need to consider. Its not as simple as just recompiling with a different set of compiler switches. That's just with new-ish apps but applications like Photoshop, or Microsoft word would need significant work, given that there's high degree of legacy code.

if memory serves me (and it frequently doesn't) people were saying the same thing, and complaining back in 2006 and beyond because their favorite apps were not updated for intel, yet many of those people made assumptions its an easy process.

Also does this mean developers who have apps like Office, or Photoshop, now need to maintain another code base? Most likely, and some smaller ones may have to decide if apple's small marketshare is worth the cost of updating/maintaining a new code base.
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Agreed, and this move may be because of that. I can on some levels this can work, and it makes sense. For me, and other power-users, this move may be less positive.

I'm not wholly against or negative on this move, though I may sound like I am, but I do have some significant concerns. The transition from PPC to Intel had some very clear benefits in with the move. Moto/IBM lagged behind in CPU updates, apple was getting marginalized more and more as they were having a harder time enticing developers All that has changed in 2018, but still, as a user, I'm not seeing a clear benefit for my use case I readily admit that my use case is not everyone's.

I can't see any benefit at all for non power-constrained Macs, like iMacs and the rumoured Mac Pro. I can however see them running a parallel line of ARM powered laptops. E.g. Move the consumer aimed MacBook line to ARM. For everything else I'm struggling to see the logic.

 

[CodeJoy]

The beginning of the 6502->68000 transition?

Right now, Apple is supporting 2 separate CPU architectures. In the early 90s, with Newton, they had 3 (4, if you count the IIGS). For most of their existence, they have had at least two architectures on the table (the popular iPod was ARM). If they can do this, it would all be unified under the one. I think that could be a net positive.

Lol, except it wasn't much of a transition because there were no apps

Having one single architecture is a net positive for APPLE, I'm sure. I don't see how it's much of a positive for customers. I don't see how it will mean anything at all for integrating macOS and iOS, which many seem to be the case. Devices integrate over wifi or bluetooth, and I don't see how that would change if Macs were on ARM. I don't see how it would make apps easier to port either, though that other project might bring benefits in that area.

 

[Rakurai]

I'd say that's less likely if this rumor turns out to be true. Basically, you'll have a choice between a touch first device, like an iPad or a mouse/keyboard first device like an ARM based Mac. I don't see apple mixing the two functions

I highly doubt that. Their apparent goal, other than controlling their processor supply chain, is to enable write once - deploy anywhere apps. iOS apps don’t make sense on a touchpad/keyboard interface, so what are they imagining this “universal” app to look like? Awkward emulator-like interface? Replace the touchpad with a Mac mini screen and make the big screen extend? I’m sure they’ll come up with something clever, but in the past 5 years I’ve yet to be impressed by a single decision the company has made, so I’m not hopeful that it will be something I can use.

 

[CodeJoy]

Rumour has it, that macrumors have actual rumour, that was rumoured by Apple.

Lol, I fully expect both this and many other rumors around the industry to be planted by manufacturers. It's a great strategy. They've said something and yet they haven't.

 

[maflynn]

If Apple can make their Mac software more like iOS on my iPad Pro, I will consider coming back to the Mac platform. Better apps, better features, better stability/security, and better battery life. I can see this being a major boost for the Mac as it has been stagnant for years.

Potential downside, is it being more like iOS may mean behind a walled garden. Apple's security approach is to lock down the device so we may h

 

[DNichter]

Potential downside, is it being more like iOS may mean behind a walled garden. Apple's security approach is to lock down the device so we may h

I see that as a positive, mainly for developers. Piracy is still a major problem on macOS and it doesn't bring any value to the people creating apps. Keep developers happy and they'll keep bringing high quality apps to the platform.

 

[pankajdoharey]

One more thing to consider here is price. A top end Xeon, i9 costs $1000 or more. On the other hand a 2x4 core Apple Bionic Chip costs $32 per unit to make. Judging by the same metric even if an Xeon equivalent Processor costs $200 to make it is still a win for both Apple and Customers. I hope to see a price slash from Apple.

 

[Val-kyrie]

I think all of this is a certainty. They've probably been running MacOS on ARM forever in Cupertino.

Yeah, a few of us did, as soon as they developed ARM. In fact, wasn't there already a rumor about this before now?

There was a rumor in the not-too-distant past that Apple has been running macOS on ARM for years and that Tim Cook was considering a switch to ARM-based CPUs but at that point was too reticent to commit to such a transition.

 

[maflynn]

I can however see them running a parallel line of ARM powered laptops

Interesting proposal, I wonder how that would work, in terms of support, pricing and product development, i.e., two different platforms.

 

[Smeaton1724]

iPads and iPhones are benching more than 12'' Macbooks, so how is this surprising news?! The Mac OS hardware platform will converge with iOS hardware, the same as iOS software is getting more fleshed out to be more Mac OS like.

 

[pankajdoharey]

Interesting proposal, I wonder how that would work, in terms of support, pricing and product development, i.e., two different platforms.

Yeah that actually makes sense. Say a low powered Air Equivalent ARM powered Laptops powered by the same processor as the latest iPhone , iPad and parallely an Intel powered mac laptop, iMac and Mac Pro Desktop. Though if Apple reaches a higher performance and cost ratio to intel it would make no sense to run parallel line of products.

 

[CodeJoy]

Then, who knows... maybe they'll fork macOS, sell it separately for Intel and make parts of it open source to allow for community developed device drivers etc. Modular computers with macOS would be super easy, and Apple can do their thing with ARM.

Heh, not going to happen, but if they were looking at what customers want, they should be thinking in that direction.
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Interesting proposal, I wonder how that would work, in terms of support, pricing and product development, i.e., two different platforms.

As much as that would make sense for me as a customer, I don't really see it happening.

 

[lysingur]

Nah, you were very late to the game, I called it months before you: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...intel-processors.2030589/page-6#post-24262675

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ere-this-is-all-headed.1928362/#post-23051081

I called it in 2016.
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I saw this coming years ago.

Hindsight is 20/20.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ere-this-is-all-headed.1928362/#post-23051081

I called it in 2016. Would be awesome if you can link me to the post where you called it.

 

[pankajdoharey]

Has anyone seen these benchmarks between iPad Pro vs Macbook pro

 

[Heineken]

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ere-this-is-all-headed.1928362/#post-23051081

I called it in 2016.
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Hindsight is 20/20.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ere-this-is-all-headed.1928362/#post-23051081

I called it in 2016. Would be awesome if you can link me to the post where you called it.

I registered here recently. It only counts if it's posted here?

 

[Strelok]

Potential downside, is it being more like iOS may mean behind a walled garden. Apple's security approach is to lock down the device so we may h

You’re so afraid and seem so confident in something that isn’t even confirmed yet. You do realize Apple employees also use their products right? There’s only so much you can lock down before it becomes a hindrance.

 

[maflynn]

You’re so afraid

I'm not afraid of anything, in fact if Macs don't meet my needs, I'll just about another computer. I already own an HP and Microsoft Surface Book

 

[Heineken]

I'm not afraid of anything, in fact if Macs don't meet my needs, I'll just about another computer. I already own an HP and Microsoft Surface Book

So what's the big deal, you can run windows right now on a windows machine. Why so much crying?

 

[Strelok]

I'm not afraid of anything, in fact if Macs don't meet my needs, I'll just about another computer. I already own an HP and Microsoft Surface Book

The doom and gloom in your posts says otherwise. But you bring up a good point. People should buy products based on their needs. I’ll never understand why people get macs just to run windows though.

 

[maflynn]

So what's the big deal, you can run windows right now on a windows machine. Why so much crying?

I've yet to shed a tear

Just because I have some windows machines doesn't mean I don't run windows on my Macs
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The doom and gloom in your posts says otherwise.

I'm offering my opinion, and while it may contravene yours, I post what I want to post

 

[curtvaughan]

Well, so it's beginning. I wonder how many people will choose to move on from Apple due to lack of X86 support. I for one will not be buying a Mac that I cannot run windows on

... or Linux.

 

[mtneer]

One more thing to consider here is price. A top end Xeon, i9 costs $1000 or more. On the other hand a 2x4 core Apple Bionic Chip costs $32 per unit to make. Judging by the same metric even if an Xeon equivalent Processor costs $200 to make it is still a win for both Apple and Customers. I hope to see a price slash from Apple.

You are mixing up price and cost. The Intel chip's price is a $1000, it obviously costs much less to manufacture - accounting for manufacturing and vendor margins. If Apple had to design a similar chip in house, it would still have to pay for its own R&D behind such a massive processor and manufacturing and vendor margins at a semiconductor fab supplier, without the advantages of scale Intel has catering to the entire computing supply chain.

 

[Heineken]

I've yet to shed a tear

Just because I have some windows machines doesn't mean I don't run windows on my Macs
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I'm offering my opinion, and while it may contravene yours, I post what I want to post

If you run Windows on your Mac why do you need windows machines then? This makes no sense whatsoever. You have some kind of convoluted situation going on and try to justify it.

 

[pankajdoharey]

I am a purist and running Windoze on a Mac always felt like Sacrilege which is why i dont run windoze on it.

 

[LordVic]

Do we need them to be?

To an extent yes.

The tech world is very much like an ice berg. The consumer side is the top above water that most people see.

However, under the water line obscured from site, the entirety runs a combination of windows platforms or a un*x platform (BSD, AIX, Linux, etc).

Those of us who support the back end (we are legion) need compatibility with the hardware, software and infrastructure tools to do so. Many can use macs today in this role because of that cross compatibility.

If Apple goes so proprietary that we can no longer run the tools we need on their hardware, It’s Apple we ditch, not the billions (if not trillions) in infrastructure that powers the world.

Do not ever underestimate the actual power of Unix based OS in the world, or even windows for that matter.

Apple is a consumer focused company, but consumers are not the largest tech purchasers. When a financial institution is spending 1/2 million to upgrade their infrastructure to support high loads, nobody is asking “is my Mac compatibility with that?” As part of the decision.
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I am a purist and running Windoze on a Mac always felt like Sacrilege which is why i dont run windoze on it.

Because tech are tools not religions? And this kind of thinking really doesn’t make you sound like you know what you’re talking about in here.


Just a grown up version of “what’s a computer” kid.