Custom Arm Chips

[verdejt]

I just read an article the other day stating that Apple is going to be moving to Custom ARM chips starting in 2020. Will this be the end of the software line for Intel based Macs? Just curious how you think this will affect the Mac Intel platform?

 

[Slash-2CPU]

Been a rumor for a while. Don’t put a lot of faith in it.

Some current Macs have a custom ARM chip already. The T1/T2 chip. It’s a sort of coprocessor. Long way off from having the power to replace a desktop CPU though.

 

[casperes1996]

I don't see Apple making a wide enough spectrum of chips to cover what Intel currently does. I see ARM chips as co-processors and low-end main CPUs, with universal binaries making a return, this time ARM+Intel instead of PPC+Intel.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

I just read an article the other day stating that Apple is going to be moving to Custom ARM chips starting in 2020. Will this be the end of the software line for Intel based Macs? Just curious how you think this will affect the Mac Intel platform?

It won’t have any affect. Universal binaries would support Intel Macs until they become vintage. Just don’t expect ARM in desktop machines yet until all software is ported and there enough CPU cores. It’s easier to start with laptops. Initially it might even be dual processor Macs with Intel for x86 apps and an ARM CPU inside the T series package for ARM apps.

 

[thornslack]

I imagine Apple will eventually manufacture all of their own CPU’s. They’ve proven capable in mobile (iPhone/iPad/ATV). I think we’re still several product generations away from that though. We’ll probably see the MacBooks get them first and then see them scale throughout their portfolio would be my guess, with heavy lifting desktops getting them last to avoid spooking their “pro” crowd.

 

[Alaska_guy]

The new arm 75 chip isn't really anything amazing. Apples current iPhone X chips score higher on benchmarks. Not sure why they would move to arm at this stage in the game.

2k in single thread is pretty horrid. Yes power savings is nice, but why take power savings for a chip that benchmarks comparible to 10 year old tech. Just sounds like a flop to me. I personally wouldn't be interested.

 

[G4DPII]

I imagine Apple will eventually manufacture all of their own CPU’s. They’ve proven capable in mobile (iPhone/iPad/ATV). I think we’re still several product generations away from that though. We’ll probably see the MacBooks get them first and then see them scale throughout their portfolio would be my guess, with heavy lifting desktops getting them last to avoid spooking their “pro” crowd.

Apple don't manufacture anything.

 

[casperes1996]

The new arm 75 chip isn't really anything amazing. Apples current iPhone X chips score higher on benchmarks. Not sure why they would move to arm at this stage in the game.

I'm not really sure how I'm meant to be reading this. Apple's A-series of processors found in their iPhones, iPads, etc. are ARM chips. The rumors don't suggest Apple will buy off the shelf ARM chips, but that they'll take an ARM architecture, like ARM v8.2 which the A75 you mention is also built around, and make their own design from it, like they do with their A-chips. Think of them as ARM instruction set chips, not chips designed by ARM. They are the ARM architecture modified in a chip designed by Apple.

Apple don't manufacture anything.

I think it's safe to assume that the poster meant designed 🙂. Plus, Apple does manufacture things. Not microprocessors, but they do have manufacturing locations for other physical aspects of their products, like chassis.