What Apple Silicon is your Favorite/Most Significant to you?

[XboxEvolved]

So I am including all the silicon that has been developed by Apple from A4 on up, I just wasn't sure if I should put this in here or in the Apple general discussion. Anyways, to me these are the most important/favorites that I have:

1. Apple A7 first seen in the iPhone 5S, it was the first 64-bit ARM processor sold, and was the first time I realized that oh, Apple will make their own chips in their computers someday. This is in 2013, 5 years before anyone seriously considered the idea. I would post about the possibility on here and other forums and would constantly get a barrage of people saying I didn't understand how chips worked, that it couldn't scale like that, etc while they themselves couldn't really explain their reasoning. I remember that the processor was so advanced, that it blindsided the likes of Qualcomm and Samsung, and Apple seems to have kept a 1-2 year advance over the competition since.

2. Apple A13 First seen in the iPhone 11 family in 2019, it later became the basis of the Apple Watch Series 6 (and 7, 8, 9), was used in the Studio Display, and many other devices. It was also the first 5NM chip to be used in consumer products. Most of all it was the basis of what I would argue is Apple's greatest achievement since the iPhone. Still use my iPhone 11 and Series 6 to this day!

3. Apple M1 This was an industry shifting chip, proving that ARM is the future of PCs, and was so much that it is part of the reason why Intel is tanking nowadays. The gains then and now are still being felt. You can even still buy the M1 MBA in Walmarts, and to this day it still stacks up well against a lot of newer PCs.

So what about you guys? Any favorites or chips they made that you think is very significant? Also, I was bored and made this wallpaper:

 

[mike.coulter]

For me, the M1 chip has been a real "We're in the future" experience.

I know the M1 isn't the latest and greatest anymore, but as a child of the 90's who grew up with big beige tower PC's, I cannot get over the capability my thin and silent MacBook Air has.

 

[bodonnell202]

I agree with the A7 and M1 being major achievements for Apple, but I'm not sure why the A13 specifically stands out for you, as it was really just an evolution of the A12 that came before it. The A11 was the first chip to use of big little heterogeneous multi processing and the A12 was the first to have true ML capabilities (the A11 technically had ML cores too but it was only ever used for Face ID and was a basic off the shelf solution compared to the custom cores in the A12).

I'd also mention the A6, as while it is often forgotten since it was the last 32 bit chip (along with the A6X), it was the first to use a custom Apple designed CPU rather than a licensed ARM design.

 

[XboxEvolved]

I agree with the A7 and M1 being major achievements for Apple, but I'm not sure why the A13 specifically stands out for you, as it was really just an evolution of the A12 that came before it. The A11 was the first chip to use of big little heterogeneous multi processing and the A12 was the first to have true ML capabilities (the A11 technically had ML cores too but it was only ever used for Face ID and was a basic off the shelf solution compared to the custom cores in the A12).

I'd also mention the A6, as while it is often forgotten since it was the last 32 bit chip (along with the A6X), it was the first to use a custom Apple designed CPU rather than a licensed ARM design.

No the A13 was a different design than the A12 using the 5NM node, I read a lot of technical interviews with their engineers and they talked about how significant it was compared to their past efforts, and I don't think they will get a huge shift like that again until 2026.

 

[bodonnell202]

No the A13 was a different design than the A12 using the 5NM node, I read a lot of technical interviews with their engineers and they talked about how significant it was compared to their past efforts, and I don't think they will get a huge shift like that again until 2026.

The A13 was built on N7P, which was TSMC's 2nd generation 7 nm process which was an optimized version of the N7 process that the A12 chip was on. The A14 was the first Apple chip built on a 5 nm process. The A13 was mostly notable for being more power efficient than the A12, which when combined with larger batteries brought some serious improvements to battery life with the iPhone 11 series.

 

[XboxEvolved]

The A13 was built on N7P, which was TSMC's 2nd generation 7 nm process which was an optimized version of the N7 process that the A12 chip was on. The A14 was the first Apple chip built on a 5 nm process. The A13 was mostly notable for being more power efficient than the A12, which when combined with larger batteries brought some serious improvements to battery life with the iPhone 11 series.

I stand corrected, however the M1 is still based off the A13 despite the A13 7nm node compared to the 5nm node used in M1.

 

[bodonnell202]

I stand corrected, however the M1 is still based off the A13 despite the A13 7nm node compared to the 5nm node used in M1.

M1 is based on the A14 and share common core design with both made on the N5 process.

 

[splifingate]

A12Z 'Bionic'

I found (and resurrected) two 12.9 iPP Gen4's I found at the dump last year, and they were amazing.

Gifted one to a co-worker (actually her son), and the other to my SO

When I used 'em, they were splendid.

SO seems to find the iPP quite useful . . . she hasn't had any concerns.

Things will probably change over the next few years, but I really don't currently notice much of a performance increase over what I remember with my M4 iPP in daily use 🤷‍♂️

 

[maflynn]

For me the M4 Max, its the most impactful, providing the horse power I needed to work and play games.

I'm getting great performance with native apps, and using crossover for games - The M4 Max is faster then my PC in nearly every way, while consuming significantly less power

 

[dumastudetto]

For me the M4 Max, its the most impactful, providing the horse power I needed to work and play games.

I'm getting great performance with native apps, and using crossover for games - The M4 Max is faster then my PC in nearly every way, while consuming significantly less power

Glad you came back to the superior ecosystem after flirting with Windows for a time. It's crazy how far ahead Apple is in terms of both ultra performance and skinny energy costs. I consider Wintel dead at this point.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

I would have to say there are two that really stick out to me. Firstly, the A11 Bionic because my iPhone 8 Plus was the phone that made me realise I didn't need to upgrade every two years, and even when I eventually upgraded to the iPhone 14 (which is still running great), it wasn't because the 8 Plus was getting slow! In fact, I continued using it as a digital dashboard for my motorbike, running maps, or a GPS speedo, until I sold my bike. Now it's my wife's backup phone. It desperately needs a new battery, but it just keeps chugging along.

I love my iPhone 14, and don't plan to upgrade until the 19.

The second is the M3 Pro. I know it was maligned for not being that much of an improvement over the M2 Pro, but it was what I upgraded to from Intel. My beloved and ancient (and still chugging along) 2012 11" i7 MacBook Air was no longer cutting it for AutoCAD, so I upgraded to my 14" MacBook Pro, and compared to my i5 9400f RX 580 PC which I suddenly had no reason to use, and my friend's 2019 i9 16" MacBook Pro, the M3 Pro was phenomenal. Stunning power, fantastic battery life, great screen, it continues to blow me away. Even now, after 14 months, I routinely do a full day's work on battery.

I can't way to see what monsters Apple will be making in the future when my M3 Pro eventually gets old enough to need replacing!

 

[MRMSFC]

My M1 Max is the first Apple Silicon Mac that I have and it’s easily the best Mac I’ve ever had.

Even though it’s not top of the line anymore it still is blazing fast and extremely responsive, even more than my more recent work laptop. While being far less noisy too.

I imagine when I’m an old fart I will talk about it with nostalgia the same way old farts talk about their favorite car they owned.

 

[rampancy]

I'd say the M1, if only because we hadn't seen anything like it before (the only thing even coming close was Apple's ill-fated Aquarius project in the 1980s), and we seemingly haven't seen anything like it since - Qualcomm's supposed Apple Silicon-killer hasn't exactly set the world on fire (except it's given us more Windows PCs pushing more AI on us), and every AS generation after the M1 has been more evolutionary than revolutionary.

That being said, my M2 MacBook Air was my first foray into the world Apple Silicon, and it's certainly the most significanct to me at this moment, as it's my primary productivity machine.

 

[GrassShark]

My favourite would be the M1, because it made Mac laptops good again. I never owned the M1, but the M2 in my MacBook Air isn't all that different. These chips are phenomenal. Cool, powerful, efficient — it's really all I need in a computer.

 

[tim_apple]

I would say the A6 because it was so much faster than the A5 that came before it, 2.5x faster! Today’s chips are only about 15% faster year over year. Apple really ramped up the performance of A series chips from being only about 1/16th the speed of contemporary desktop processors with the original iPhone to eventually reaching parity with desktop processors. Quite an achievement! Smartphones used to have “baby” processors, now the phone in your pocket is as powerful basically as a desktop!
I would also mention the A11 since it was the first SoC with an NPU.

Apple Silicon is amazing!

 

[VitoBotta]

For me, the clear winner is the M1. It changed how we think about computer chips, and even now it gives the best speed for each watt it uses. Apple did something truly great with these chips.

 

[dmccloud]

I have to go with the M1 as well. At the time Apple announced Apple Silicon, the A series of SoCs was a known commodity across the Apple ecosystem, with the Mac being the lone holdout. Moving away from Intel meant that Apple was no longer subject to third-party development and production concerns like they had been since the Motorola 68k era. More importantly, it immediately pushed the Mac platform to the forefront of power efficiency in the PC market - especially in the mobile computing segment. It was the type of move that took everyone by surprise at first, but quickly made sense once people had a moment to process the news.

While it is accurate to note that the Intel - M1 transition saw bigger performance gains than any M-series generational shift, that is largely due to Intel's chips they were supplying to Apple at the time and all of the issues with Skylake. Given Intel's ongoing issues with 13th and 14th gen parts and the current generation lagging behind the 14th gen in terms of gaming performance, Apple seems to have dodged a bullet by switching when they did.

 

[okkibs]

For me it isn’t the M1 because it was still relying on mobile predecessors (iPhone/iPad) evident by slicing the max memory config in half from soldered memory on Intel Macs. As such it was of little use to me. M1 Max is my favorite because with 64 gigs of RAM it remains an incredibly capable chip to this day and pricing was even agreeable despite the maxed out config.

64 gigs in a small 14 inch laptop wasn’t all that common in 2021. Most affordable MacBook configs today come with 48 gigs at most. And I use the memory just with multitasking whereas the rest of the SoC pretty much remains idle most of the day. (Compute jobs are outsourced to a headless desktop workstation.)

The M1 Max is also my favorite because it came with the fantastic 14 inch chassis and the 1000 nits display. The M1 had the old Touch Bar design that I really hated. I need the F keys for work.

The iPhone SoC’s are top notch but I never much cared about phone performance. It’s incredible though that my old SE 2022 is as fast as my Pixel 9 Pro. That’s absurd.

 

[Abazigal]

Definitely M1, because of the huge leap in performance coming from Intel laptops.

As for phone processors, my issue with the A7 was that it came with only 1gb ram at the time, and I recall my iPhone 5s constantly rebooting on iOS 7 (though the speed was undeniable). The iPhone 6s+ (2gb ram, A9 chip) was the first iPhone that didn't feel like it was held back by insufficient ram. Together with the larger screen and improved chassis, it finally felt like an iPhone that was "complete" in every way. It even had the headphone jack!

Oh, and the A12x chip that came in my 2018 iPad Pro as well. The 4gb ram was a significant boost over my 9.7" 2016 iPad Pro as well. The iPad Pro also got a significant redesign, smart keyboard, Apple Pencil that stuck to the top, and usb-c port for external drive storage support. And the lumafusion app that was all the rage for a while.

There are definitely years where the performance improvements feel more significant and ground breaking compared to other years, especially when paired with the right hardware.

 

[Malus120]

Apple A7 - The reveal was insane: First 64 bit ARM CPU, fully custom design, super fast "faster than a MBA from a few years ago" performance, all in the palm of your hand. I bought an iPhone 5S and it was, indeed glorious.

Apple M1 - I don't really think much more needs to be said. Some were skeptical, and some us were at least worried about the Apple Silicon transition. After we the saw the M1. Not so much.

Apple M1 Max: A true return to form that showed Apple was still serious about high end desktop replacements. It not only destroyed the Intel MBP's it replaced while providing far better battery life, it made most desktops blush. The best part? You could get all of that power in the 14" chassis.

Honorable mention: Apple A9 - kind of like the A7 all over again, a really high performance chip that lasted a good long time.

 

[maflynn]

The Ulta flavor Apple Silicon is significant in many ways.
I thin first, it made what was generally considered a mobile chip into a potent desktop processor. Secondly, it showed that apple could think outside of the box, lashing two processors together but in such a way, there's little latency, so logically it behaved like a single processor. There's been dual processor motherboards for years, but they never achieved the level of integration that apple was able to achieve.

The downside, is an ever growing SoC, and you had to wonder where will it end. Rumors had existed that a M2 Extreme was to be the processor for the Arm based Mac Pro, Given its non-existance. I believe the cancellation of the Extreme was due to poor yields in the M2 Extreme fabrication process and was not financially viable.

 

[daneoni]

M1. Yes the performance was a huge leap (M1 Max and Ultra)
But for me, it was more the secondary effects. It eliminated the shackles of Intel including the jet engine fans and ridiculous amount of heat. I had to repaint the wall my 15" MBP was docked against because of the fan/heat residue. Ridiculous.
Also the way M1 allowed the redesign of the iMac, MBA, and eventually the Mac mini. Basically allowing Apple to build the designs they must've been sitting on for years.

Although i'm worried we might be hitting a ceiling again. Given the absence of an M4 Ultra.
Its also incredibly suspicious that the Mac Pro hasn't been updated since 2023

 

[dmccloud]

Although i'm worried we might be hitting a ceiling again. Given the absence of an M4 Ultra.
Its also incredibly suspicious that the Mac Pro hasn't been updated since 2023

Given the type of user the Mac Pro is aimed at, having a longer window between updates makes sense. Not only is that a significantly smaller segment of the market as a whole, but that segment is traditionally the least likely to upgrade on an annual or even biannual basis.

 

[avro707]

M2 Air is my favourite so far. It runs trouble free, good battery life as well.

My only complaint is that it cannot run two external screens, that’s a major irritation for me.

Maybe I can trade it in on a newer M4 model… I’ve looked at MacBook Pro - 14” a bit too small and 16” a bit too large.

I skipped the Mac Pro silicon model, (M2), I already had the 7,1 which was a high spec so the newer one didn’t make sense. For what I use those machines for, the Silicon version isn’t a solution. I also love the 7,1 because they run so silently no matter what the workload.

Also not great when Apple devotees just tell you that your use case is wrong, and reckon you are a cashed up hobbyist.

 

[IndigoQuack]

I finally purchased a new 15" MacBook Air M4 last week (to replace my venerable mid-2012 MacBook Pro 13") - so I'd have to say the M4 is my most personally significant Apple Silicon chip!

The improvement in performance is just absolutely staggering, but I don't feel like I'm really doing it justice by saying that, given how massive you'd expect the gap to be anyway due to the age of my old MBP. (Laterally, I was even running Sequoia on the old girl thanks to OCLP, so it's fair to say that it was no longer performing at its peak.)

My new favourite "party trick" on the MBA is opening the Applications folder then pressing Cmd+A followed by Cmd+O to open every single application at once; it makes for a fun and impressive demonstration of how just how powerful and efficient the Apple Silicon architecture truly is. Forget trying that on my old MBP - that would probably cause a literal meltdown!