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Kuo: MacBooks With Apple-Designed Processors Coming Late 2020 or Early 2021, All-New Design to Follow in Mid 2021
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If there is no ability to run Windows/Linux in VMWare/Parallels/VirtualBox, then that will end the several decades relationship I've had with Apple. I need certain software to run for work.
This actually makes me reticent to invest in any new Apple hardware, such as a new iMac and new 16" MacBook Pro. Why invest further in what could become dead-end hardware for me, given that I require Intel-compatibility to run work-related software using VMWare/Parallels.
In the history of corporations spanning hundreds of years, Apple is not too big to fall.
I have no passion for Microsoft Windows, but the fact is, the gap between Mac and PC in 2020 is not as great as it was in the early 2000's twenty years ago.
This actually makes me reticent to invest in any new Apple hardware, such as a new iMac and new 16" MacBook Pro. Why invest further in what could become dead-end hardware for me, given that I require Intel-compatibility to run work-related software using VMWare/Parallels.
In the history of corporations spanning hundreds of years, Apple is not too big to fall.
I have no passion for Microsoft Windows, but the fact is, the gap between Mac and PC in 2020 is not as great as it was in the early 2000's twenty years ago.
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...of course, the ARM only exists because, back in the mid 80s, a small British company decided that neither the 68k, 80286 or 32016 was worthy to supersede the 6502 in the BBC Micro - so they'd just have to roll their own CPU. How hard can it be? Turned out the original ARM could emulate the 6502 in software faster than an actual 6502...
Rosetta was only needed to make non-xcode apps run. Everybody uses xcode nowadays so all you need to do is recompile. As long as the big software companies are on board then there's no issue. Nothing to see here.
It seems I am not buying this year's refresh model!My 2015 has plenty life in it, and I would wait till next year!
and now, reading all this rumors about future apple proprietary hardware, I am really thinking about buying ThinkPad with OLED display!
and now, reading all this rumors about future apple proprietary hardware, I am really thinking about buying ThinkPad with OLED display!
Things are different this time around, I am guessing that Apple is betting that most software is available in ARM-compatible format on Android and iOS. Developers will basically be porting their mobile apps to the Desktop OS. Mobile apps already do e-mail, browsing, video editing, word processing, photo editing.
I don't understand what makes x86 more powerful than ARM, but everyone wants to jump on the ARM bandwagon now.
They did that with the intel transition. The first MacBook Pro 15” was exactly the same as the Powerbook G4 it replaced just with different CPU.
No one is doing molecular biology on Windows on ARM. Windows on ARM is a lifestyle product. Thin and light and all-day battery life. Heavy lifting remains on x64, not to mention that ARM is not coming to the desktop.
I guess this will be the same in the Mac world? I don't see the Mac Pro, iMac Pro or the Macbook Pro 16" switching to ARM within this decade. I mean, Apple if they want can create an ARM chip that beats an AMD Threadripper but after how many years and how many billions? If the concern is that a single CPU supplier is risky then adding AMD to the mix would address the problem.
Mac had an identify crisis. Was it a lifestyle computer in the same way as iPhone? Or was it the powerhouse of choice for creative professionals? 2019 was a pivotal year and it was decisively the latter. Look at the 12" Macbook's fate and it is crystal clear. In front of them, Apple today has 3 choices: 1, stick to the guns with x64, and add AMD to the mix if more control over the supply chain is desired, 2, launch ARM Macbooks now and sell them alongside x64, or 3, wait until ARM is ready for the top tier and change everything in one go. As you can see, scenario number 2 is extremely unlikely. Now for scenario number 3, Apple being as secretive as they are, maybe there is some stuff up their sleeves that I had zero ideas about. I still doubt if they would invest their resources like this given that (1) is so much easier.
I guess this will be the same in the Mac world? I don't see the Mac Pro, iMac Pro or the Macbook Pro 16" switching to ARM within this decade. I mean, Apple if they want can create an ARM chip that beats an AMD Threadripper but after how many years and how many billions? If the concern is that a single CPU supplier is risky then adding AMD to the mix would address the problem.
Mac had an identify crisis. Was it a lifestyle computer in the same way as iPhone? Or was it the powerhouse of choice for creative professionals? 2019 was a pivotal year and it was decisively the latter. Look at the 12" Macbook's fate and it is crystal clear. In front of them, Apple today has 3 choices: 1, stick to the guns with x64, and add AMD to the mix if more control over the supply chain is desired, 2, launch ARM Macbooks now and sell them alongside x64, or 3, wait until ARM is ready for the top tier and change everything in one go. As you can see, scenario number 2 is extremely unlikely. Now for scenario number 3, Apple being as secretive as they are, maybe there is some stuff up their sleeves that I had zero ideas about. I still doubt if they would invest their resources like this given that (1) is so much easier.
but I don’t remember a completely redesigned Mac after 6 months like the rumor suggests
For everyone claiming the sky is falling due to windows, apps, and performance.... Microsoft had already made windows ARM based. It’s not that huge of a stretch anymore. Software can be ported. The iPad Pro has incredible amounts of power it’s not like the ARM system isn’t capable. My phone does 4K recording. My MacBook (12”) is an i5 2017 model and for daily tasks is as fast as my gaining laptop that has an i7-8750h, 32GB, and RTX 2070 in it.
Do people here even know what they need? There’s a lot that can still happen like integrated hardware encoding/decoding. The T2 chip wasn’t the last of the line. People need to realize these things.
Do people here even know what they need? There’s a lot that can still happen like integrated hardware encoding/decoding. The T2 chip wasn’t the last of the line. People need to realize these things.
I'm definitely not buying an i386 Macbook any more. If they release a new ARM CPU Laptop i consider buying it.
But my 3 year old 13" Macbook has still many years of life left, not realy a reason yet to replace it.
So Apple needs to pursue me in wanting such a new device, better performance, battery life, good app compatibility and a durable cool design....
But my 3 year old 13" Macbook has still many years of life left, not realy a reason yet to replace it.
So Apple needs to pursue me in wanting such a new device, better performance, battery life, good app compatibility and a durable cool design....
What's that got to do with anything? These are just rumours at the moment - they're pretty short on detail and all, some or none of them could be true. We "know" that there may (or may not) be MicroLED displays, 14" MBPs and scissor keyboards in the pipeline, but the least reliable part of these rumours is always the timeline.
Actually, the first Intel Mac was a kludgey (by Apple standards) PC motherboard in a G5 tower case only available to developers. The MacBook Pro followed... 6 months later. These days, there's a metric shedload of small developers on the App Store so a generally available "development" machine might make sense - but it also makes sense for the first machine to be fairly low key and for the shiny new ultra-light MicroLED mega-battery-life flagship not to appear until there is a critical mass of ARM software.
It makes sense that the first 12” Macbook with A14x get a redesign with touch-bar simultaneously in 2020.
This could be the realization of my dream of a portable Mac Mini. Apparently the Intel laptop processors weren’t up to snuff. But could these Apple chips provide desktop-speed at laptop power? Then they could turn the Mini into a tiny portable, no power cord or fan, wirelessly connected to multiple laptop “terminals” that won’t need to be very powerful because they are just terminals.
The release of a redesign is merely a sliding schedule which can be pushed out with little issue. The two levers here and the order is what's in play. ARM Macs are real and coming.
Some principally x86/ Windows games that have been made available on Nintnedo Switch (Arm platform (and an old and not very powerful one at that)):
Skyrim
Fortnite
Witcher 3
Crash bandicoot
Spyro the Dragon
Diablo 3
Civilization VI
It looks like if the will/ market is there, the ports can be done (and made to work well, at that). Considering most Windows games aren't ported to Mac now anyway, it's no real loss (outside of niche bootcamp uses) - maybe it will even make it more likely if the Mac and iPad markets can both be targeted with just one port.
They should continue with the branding of the newer products and rename the line when they implement the ARM architecture... Mac, Mac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro... and eventually Pod, Pad, Phone.
You said Intel has the best performance out there. You do know AMD massively out performs Intel these days? And at a considerably lower cost. Both on desktop and server.
As long as there’s some kind of Rosetta feature for a few versions of macOS I think that will work out just fine. Apple is already setting the framework with Catalyst apps, but they need to start sucking up to developers (and that means not just Adobe, but as many third parties as they can) to get support.
Those games are quite old, not the newest. It took so many years to come out which I dont like.
Very interesting! Thanks!
I think that Apple’s been bending over backwards to provide developers with better and better development and deployment tools. For example, developers don’t have to deliver multiple versions of code to Apple for delivery to all the compatible iOS/MacOS devices. Apple has the device download the best version of code from the app store.
Any developer that’s making money in the app store who wants to CONTINUE making money will perform the recompile required for ARM customers to buy their products, no additional push from Apple required.
Apple went from PowerPC to x86 because x86 was far ahead of PowerPC in terms of performance back then.
Today, the same will need to be true for ARM to replace x64, and do so across the board, including beating a 32 core Threadripper 3970X.
Back then, all the controversies were around how to migrate. No one disputed the performance superiority of Intel. Today, it will have to be the same. Apple won't do a two-thronged approach and hope for an ARM Macbook 12" and an Intel Mac Pro to coexist in its product line. When Apple moves, it will be a clean cut, swift move, and you will all wow at how the same architecture can be both lower power and higher performance. There will be the same migration concerns, but again no one will be arguing the performance part.
This is not just about changing the architecture. It is about, will you run Logic Pro X on ARM? Photoshop? Davinci Resolve? Whatever else is the most taxing for the processor? If this is only about resurrecting something like the 12" Macbook by breaking some battery life record, there is no need to do so. Apple could simply point patrons to an iPad Pro for that.
I do not think we are ready for that just yet. Wait a few years, when people start saying, wow, why do I still use a laptop when an iPad Pro is faster even at the most computationally intensive tasks? Then, and only then, will the time be ripe.
Today, the same will need to be true for ARM to replace x64, and do so across the board, including beating a 32 core Threadripper 3970X.
Back then, all the controversies were around how to migrate. No one disputed the performance superiority of Intel. Today, it will have to be the same. Apple won't do a two-thronged approach and hope for an ARM Macbook 12" and an Intel Mac Pro to coexist in its product line. When Apple moves, it will be a clean cut, swift move, and you will all wow at how the same architecture can be both lower power and higher performance. There will be the same migration concerns, but again no one will be arguing the performance part.
This is not just about changing the architecture. It is about, will you run Logic Pro X on ARM? Photoshop? Davinci Resolve? Whatever else is the most taxing for the processor? If this is only about resurrecting something like the 12" Macbook by breaking some battery life record, there is no need to do so. Apple could simply point patrons to an iPad Pro for that.
I do not think we are ready for that just yet. Wait a few years, when people start saying, wow, why do I still use a laptop when an iPad Pro is faster even at the most computationally intensive tasks? Then, and only then, will the time be ripe.