Bloomberg: Apple's First Arm Mac to Launch by 2021 With 12-Core Processor

[MacRumors]

In line with a timeframe shared by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo last month, Bloomberg today reports that Apple is planning to release at least one Mac with its own custom-designed Arm-based processor by 2021.

The report claims that Apple is developing three Mac processors based on the A14 chip in upcoming iPhone 12 models. At least one of these processors will apparently be much faster than the A-series chips in the iPhone and iPad. Like the A14 chip, the Mac processors are expected to be manufactured by TSMC based on its 5nm process.

Apple's first Mac processors will have 12 cores, including eight high-performance cores and at least four energy-efficient cores, according to the report. Apple is said to be exploring Mac processors with more than 12 cores for further in the future, with the company already designing a second generation of Mac processors based on the A15 chip.

The first Arm-based Mac is likely to be a notebook, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects at least one Mac desktop with an Apple processor next year too.

Article Link: Bloomberg: Apple's First Arm Mac to Launch by 2021 With 12-Core Processor

 

[audiomatt]

They JUST released this amazing laptop that fixed all the problems and they just couldn't resist toying with it again and (probably) ****ing it up. It's so frustrating as a consumer to constantly go into forums and read "Yeah, everyone agrees year X is the best but the company refuses to rebuild it."

 

[RightMACatU]

What could possibly be faster than an A14 for the Mac? A14X likely to be used in iPad. A14Y? Probably not as we know what the Z extension now stands for Ohhhh, I know, the A14X-X Pro Max!

 

[jmonte2016]

Just release the 14" already

 

[GubbyMan]

I wonder if this 12-core is passively cooled, wouldn’t be surprised if they resurrected the 12” Macbook (but with larger screen / smaller bezel).

 

[chikorita157]

This is going to be the death of the Mac computers as a whole. Arm Macs won’t have any compatability with any of the software available until the software developers update their software and most will be left behind. Microsoft tried to transition to ARM with the Surface Pro X and Windows 10 on ARM has been a failure. I expect this to fail as well, especially since ARM will probably not have the same performance for all tasks compared to X86-64.

 

[Tekguy0]

A new passively cooled 12 or 11" could make sense to serve as a testbed for performance of MacOS on ARM.

 

[azentropy]

It is going to be interesting. However one of the many reasons I prefer Macs is that they can run anything. I can use VMWare, Parallels, VirtualBox or even Bootcamp to run and develop for Linux and Windows at nearly native speeds. Moving to ARM would most likely eliminate that option. I don't know how big of group that is, but I do know that Macs have become many developers primary systems because of that ability.

 

[asa_nisi_masa]

I need x86 to do my job. This could eventually end my use of OS X, at least for work, which would really suck. I've been using OS X since literally day one in March 2001.

 

[phenste]

They JUST released this amazing laptop that fixed all the problems and they just couldn't resist toying with it again and (probably) ****ing it up. It's so frustrating as a consumer to constantly go into forums and read "Yeah, everyone agrees year X is the best but the company refuses to rebuild it."

Rumors about ARM MacBooks have been swirling for yeeeeeeeears, I think this is much more of a “they’re FINALLY ditching Intel” situation than a “they couldn’t resist toying with it again” situation ?

 

[Token]

This is going to be the death of the Mac computers as a whole.

if we could only count all the times “Apple is doomed” has been predicted because of a change in processor architecture… ?

 

[JosephAW]

Behind the scenes there's going to be a lot of binning. Maybe for future iPads. They better quadruple the number of cores from 12 because there's going to be a need to wow developers from the current architecture.

 

[Val-kyrie]

This is going to be the death of the Mac computers as a whole. Arm Macs won’t have any compatability with any of the software available until the software developers update their software and most will be left behind. Microsoft tried to transition to ARM with the Surface Pro X and Windows 10 on ARM has been a failure. I expect this to fail as well, especially since ARM will probably not have the same performance for all tasks compared to X86-64.

Yep. The use of multiple cores requires software that is written to take advantage of it but that still can not mitigate the need for higher CPU frequencies required by some software. AMD had to learn this lesson; Apple will too.

 

[shurcooL]

I could not be more excited about this, even though it’s very silly to be excited about something like this.

 

[aleni]

I need x86 to do my job. This could eventually end my use of OS X, at least for work, which would really suck. I've been using OS X since literally day one in March 2001.

do you really believe that Apple hasn’t thought about this issue?

Remember the PowerPC to intel transition. It was a pain in the ass yes for 1-2 years, but after that it’s a much better strategy for them.

 

[Aston441]

could always stuff in x86 emulation compatability layer

i had some kind of Fujitsu laptop 20 years ago with a Via CPU that did that. It was fine.

 

[throAU]

About time.

 

[JosephAW]

I wonder how many architectures has Apple been maintaining macOS since OS X version 1.0? We'd probably be surprised that other platforms; old and new; are performing better than the x86 platform we are on now.

 

[Val-kyrie]

It is going to be interesting. However one of the many reasons I prefer Macs is that they can run anything. I can use VMWare, Parallels, VirtualBox or even Bootcamp to run and develop for Linux and Windows at nearly native speeds. Moving to ARM would most likely eliminate that option. I don't know how big of group that is, but I do know that Macs have become many developers primary systems because of that ability.

True. My brother-in-law moved from Windows to Macs for that very reason. He is a developer.

 

[Romeo_Nightfall]

I couldn’t care less, BUT the real question is Not arm or ... but what happens to the os and will there be a touch screen. What will be the difference to the now, late but ... iPadOS.

i mean Apple tested the usage of iPad apps on Mac, what’s going on there?

for me all these ‚leaks‘ are on purpose to hide the REAL changes and aspects of all that still stand over years now.

a new transparency paradigm wouldbe good for Apple and all the devs and customers. The old jobs hide away thing was cool yesteryears!

 

[throAU]

This is going to be the death of the Mac computers as a whole. Arm Macs won’t have any compatability with any of the software available until the software developers update their software and most will be left behind. Microsoft tried to transition to ARM with the Surface Pro X and Windows 10 on ARM has been a failure. I expect this to fail as well, especially since ARM will probably not have the same performance for all tasks compared to X86-64.

Newsflash: most software most people rely on is either cross platform now or web based applications.

 

[The_Interloper]

Wouldn't be surprised if both a 12-inch MacBook and the rumoured "low cost" 23-inch iMac are both running on ARM.

 

[Nozuka]

This is going to be the death of the Mac computers as a whole. Arm Macs won’t have any compatability with any of the software available until the software developers update their software and most will be left behind. Microsoft tried to transition to ARM with the Surface Pro X and Windows 10 on ARM has been a failure. I expect this to fail as well, especially since ARM will probably not have the same performance for all tasks compared to X86-64.

I predict: Most programs will run just fine. And then even better once developers update their programs to run natively.

 

[Adelphos33]

Stupid question - will these MacBooks be able to bootcamp Windows, or to run software like Citrix to remote login to Windows machines?

 

[mnsportsgeek]

This is going to be the death of the Mac computers as a whole. Arm Macs won’t have any compatability with any of the software available until the software developers update their software and most will be left behind. Microsoft tried to transition to ARM with the Surface Pro X and Windows 10 on ARM has been a failure. I expect this to fail as well, especially since ARM will probably not have the same performance for all tasks compared to X86-64.

I bet I know what your posts in the first iPad,Apple Watch, and AirPods unveilings looked like.