Report: Apple Silicon iMac Featuring Desktop Class 'A14T' Chip Coming First Half of 2021

[anshuvorty]

And? Walk into your local electronics store like Best Buy and report back.
Maybe 10 years ago you might find 2-3 isles full of RAM, video cards, ect.
Today you will find 1/4 of disheveled isle off in some corder.

The price/performance for computers have been commoditized. Its not like you are rolling into Comp USA and dropping $4,000 on an entry level Macintosh IIvx or even $2,000 on a Performa 525 where the cost compels you to upgrade. Joe 6-Pack rolls into an Apple Store and drops $1,000 on a MacBook Air or $1,200 on a iMac and calls it a day until their next computer. And the reality is that Joe 6-Pack would never know the difference between 8GB of RAM and 16GB of RAM.

My desktop gaming PC prefers modularity. Over a span of 2 hours, I was able to transition my gaming pc from last generation specs: SATA SSD for boot and spinning hard drive for storing my games (load times, especially in GTA V were awful, at least 5 min to load the game!) and a GTX 970, to next-generation specs: NVMe SSD as boot and storing some games, and an RTX 3090, which is capable of playing games at 8K60!

Without modularity, I wouldn't have been able to upgrade just the core components and I would've had to resort to buying a completely new computer! Waste of components and damaging the environment, and this way I can also save some $$$ too and help the environment.

 

[MrElvey]

I like the redesign, but honestly, will miss Boot Camp.
I like Mac AND Windows. Not having windows might be a deal breaker for me, I love MacOS but I do dabble gaming every now and then

Uhh... Windows is already available on ARM! Been out for quite a while. Not every game has been cross compiled, that’s for sure.

 

[omenatarhuri]

Super exciting to see the performance on these. Not aware of any ARM based desktop chips to compare to.

 

[omenatarhuri]

I like the redesign, but honestly, will miss Boot Camp.
I like Mac AND Windows. Not having windows might be a deal breaker for me, I love MacOS but I do dabble gaming every now and then

Maybe you'll just have to take the leap and 1) start gaming in MacOS 2) consoles or 3) buy a separate gaming PC

(this is the way I've been thinking about it anyway)

 

[firewood]

Super exciting to see the performance on these. Not aware of any ARM based desktop chips to compare to.

Zillions of Raspberry Pi’s in use as ARM based desktops. No toy, I run Mathematica on mine. In price/performance, a Raspberry Pi 4 currently beats any Mac.

But I expect Apple Silicon to blow it away in pure speed.

 

[eRondeau]

Finally! A "Mac Rumor"!!!

 

[pioneer9k]

Uhh... Windows is already available on ARM! Been out for quite a while. Not every game has been cross compiled, that’s for sure.

I don’t believe you can just download windows for arm or buy it and then install it. Even though windows is on arm I don’t think they have it available

 

[GtrDude]

Now if they would make a 30" version I'd have one already.
27" not enough for what I do.

 

[MysticCow]

"Lifuka" is the first discrete, desktop-class Apple GPU. Obviously Apple already have integrated Apple GPUs in their A-series SoCs.

Thanks for the clarification. It still makes a MacBook Not Pro an iffy purchase for me.

 

[guzhogi]

480Hz is the sweet spot. Anything less than that and they’re not really trying.

I don't know, I prefer 8675309Hz.

 

[cczhu]

Hopefully they will fix the issue with the current 2020 iMac equipped with the 5700XT card.. Glitch line is gone, but not the rest of the issues such as Lockups, Shutdowns, Corner screen graphic issues and True Tone screen issues. Went thru 2 with the same issues and refunded them.. A few other friends, well all but 1, had similar issues with theirs (sam configuration option). There are many other users still having similar issues on Apple's own forum. Hopefully Apple can remedy this issue before just pushing out a new device.

I think the new silicon has some promise, but i am on the fence about when it comes to software compatibility I am curious if they will list any of their, or 3rd party, apps that may have compatibility issues.

considering buying the iMac i7+5700xt. could you please give me a bit more reference on the issues? Tx!

 

[rp2011]

If both the iPad pro and MacBooks run on the same silicon, then we should probably expect iPad Pros running MacOS

 

[d7d19285f0bd48]

My desktop gaming PC prefers modularity.

And a Ferrari drivers prefers 93-octane gas. Guess gas stations should ignore the 95% of their business selling other octane gasses and retool their business to service that 5%.

Reality is you represent a minority of a minority of computer users.

 

[MysticCow]

If both the iPad pro and MacBooks run on the same silicon, then we should probably expect iPad Pros running MacOS

Not without some haxie in there to make it work. The move to ASMacs signals a huge, possibly deadly, hit to the Hackintosh community.

You can bet Apple isn't going to do this stupidly. They will bork it to ensure iPads don't run it without major work.

 

[TimWillz]

I have to say.. I am very excited about Apple silicone making it’s way into laptops and desktops. I thought they would begin by dipping their toe in the water with lower powered MacBooks etc. But it looks like they are confident enough in the performance they can deliver to now plan iMac and MacBook Pro versions. Very tasty indeed.

 

[akbarali.ch]

Well I ordered a 13" MBP last night too, although I have to say that I wouldn't be jumping in on a 1st gen one of these, anyway.

I doubt Apple can get away making average first gen Apple Silicon Mac, i thing it will be something that will have the potential to crush the competition or wow the user to a great extent. They will need very very succesful 1st gen device to gain developer & user confidence, otherwise it will die.

In today's time, a computing device with great OS and great hardware is not enough, mobile and desktop are way ahead interms of apps and ecosystem. Thats the reason why so many OS came and died and microsoft struggled to make a phone and is struggling to make ARM windows popular. Why would i buy if apps wont run on it. Why the dev would make apps if the users are not buying windows ARM or Apple Silicon. Apple silicon has to offer something great to dislodge a large population from existing x86/intel/amd bonds

 

[jazz1]

I'm a little surprised the Mac mini isn't going ARM early on given its lower usage in the home and industry. Sounds like a good and fairly low-impact early product for this. They have some balls to begin with laptops of all things!

Agreed! But is the market bigger for laptops vs. the MacMini? My problem is I’d like to own a new laptop, and MacMini. I probably could get along with just my iPad Pro and a new ARM MacMini, but where is the fun in that 😆

 

[jazz1]

Bringing back the 12" MacBook with Apples Arm chip makes sense. I just wonder how powerful it is going to be vs something like the MacBook Air?

A 12” ARM MacBook vs. and Intel MacBook Air. If this were boxing it would be the “lightweight” division. Truly, I am interested in a Geekbench comparison ARM vs. Intel. I’m hoping it isn’t a fair fight if you know what I mean.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

No need to skip the first Gen. Based on recent history they correct the flaws very slowly and unreliably on the first 4 Gen anyway.

Actually, probably better to skip the entire AS generation because the next thing in 20 years will be even better. However, you’ll want to wait for at least the 10th gen of it

Time will tell, I suppose. Until we see how fast ARM Macs are at running emulators to run apps that are not native-ARM, the Intel CPU Mac's may have an advantage for a few years.

Anyone using iMovie on Intel vs ARM will notice better performance, same with Photos, and everything else at an OS level. Seeing as how half of Macs sold each year go to folks that have never owned a Mac before, those things are going to be far more important than any “legacy” software that’s not even being supported anymore.

 

[jazz1]

And I’m sitting here staring at my unopened MacBook Pro. 😂

Good thing Costco has a 90 day return policy. Will patiently wait until ARM is unveiled. I have until dec 15th to return.

OMG that must be torture. Can you hear crying coming out of the box

 

[jazz1]

Please give me a desktop (tower) Mac without a display for ”pro-sumers”, i.e. not a Mac mini and not a Mac Pro.

God YES!

 

[Unregistered 4U]

However they call it, there's going to be a variant that consumes power like a desktop, and it won't be in a laptop. We won't know until we see it, whether that's what's about to come, or where the "like a desktop" things are coming later in the 2-year window.

Depends on what you mean by “like a desktop”. If that’s “like an Intel desktop” then not according to what Apple has presented. Anyone expecting a 300 Watt Apple Silicon processor to be introduced is going to be waiting quite awhile

and this way I can also save some $$$ too and help the environment.

And what do you do with the parts that came out of the computer? Because that is what really matters. Someone who’s going to recycle is going to recycle rather it’s modular RAM/Storage OR an entire computer. However, someone who isn’t going to recycle is going to throw those old parts into the trash... which means the computer they’re using is adding to the landfill while it’s still being used!

Apple silicon has to offer something great to dislodge a large population from existing x86/intel/amd bonds

If Apple intends to pick up loads of new users, it will be to their iOS and iPadOS platforms (and the iPad currently outsells all PC laptops combined). Apple’s not trying to grow macOS, they’re making macOS easier to maintain over time. As sales fall off, it’ll still get software as companies do a quick Mac port of their iOS solution. The OS will eventually become a reskin of iOS (meaning supporting the OS gets cheaper. And, as time goes on, folks who desire that form factor will lose the ability to buy those systems... this preparation by Apple just means that they’ll be able to provide those folks a “thing to buy” that’s still profitable enough for Apple to bother with.

 

[deconstruct60]

Two things: 1. I was under the impression that the 1st gen ARM processor will have integrated GPU core, it won't come later on; and 2. I thought A15 will be of 3nm standard..

quite unlikely. TSMC is saying 2H 2022 for 3nm. A15 will be either on 5nm or a optimized modification of 5nm (e.g. N5P).

TSMC Details 3nm Process Technology: Full Node Scaling for 2H22 Volume Production

www.anandtech.com

Dropping a process node size in less than a year would be faster than the historical Moore's Law of approximately 18 months. Node drops are likely going to go slower at this point; not faster.

I'll be very disapointed to see 12" inch laptop, this is way to small for me, someone used to 16" but we'll soon see..

The A14X doesn't have the port and I/O output to support a 16" laptop unless wanted to back-slide to just a 1-2 port USB wonder laptop.

The huge part missing in Apple's long track record is a SoC that supports more than a couple ports at high bandwidths and external PCI-e lanes to controllers. At Even if brought a Thunderbolt v4 controller onto the SoC package they'd still need pins out to provision the 4-6 ports/connections that a MBP 16" would need.

 

[jazz1]

Yes, it's a possibility (option B in my original post). But in that case the new 12-inch MacBook will be priced at a significant premium over the current MacBook Air.

For reference, the base price of the late 2011 MacBook Pro 13" (unibody, not retina) was 1199$.

When Apple introduced the late 2012 retina MacBook Pro 13" (while keeping the old unibody for sale), the base price was 1699$.

A 500$ difference.

So if the theory of keeping the Intel MacBook Air around is true, the new 12-inch MacBook base price might easily be 500$ higher than the current MacBook Air base price.

Which translates roughly into a 1599$ price for the new ultralight MacBook 12-inch powered by the A14X processor.

My 2015 12” Macbook with i3 and 512GB was over $1,600! I loved that thing, except for the performance. I hope this isn’t a “so here we go again” where your probably better off buying a “lower end” MacBook Pro instead of a 12” Macbook slightly bumped up in memory/SSD.

 

[deconstruct60]

Mini's are already ARM. Developers have them.

That isn't a complete Mac. No Thunderbolt. Limited I/O. In terms of I/O breadth this is a step backward from the Developer Transition Kit released to developers for the PPC -> x86 transition.

The Mini isn't "done".

pro

Weak. Why not 10,000 cores so you can run your video filters faster than one of the Top 500 supercomputer in the National Labs? You could put the cooling tower in your back yard!

macOS doesn't even support 64 cores let alone several orders of magnitude more. Quite likely most of the Mac line up is going to be in the sub 16 core range for a quite long period of time. The core count for the transition Mac Pro probably will not be a big jump in core count. (e.g., 28 -> 32 or 28 -> 30 or even just an even "swap" at 28. ) . And the Mac Pro solution probably not coming any time soon ( more on the 2022 timeframe. )