As previously rumored, Apple is indeed making the switch from Intel Corp. to its in-house venture. Recent reports confirm that Apple Macbooks will run on a 12-core 5nm SoC in the form of the A14. The last time that Apple made a major switch was back in 2008 when Nvidia GPUs had a major failure rate with its chips. But that was just a move between manufacturers, not a complete architectural change.
The last time when an architectural change took place at Apple was in 2005 when they moved from PowerPC to Intel (RISC to CISC). Now they are coming back full circle with the move to their custom ARM SoC. This may be a gamble considering how Microsoft has been struggling to integrate Windows on ARM. But considering how Apple managed to transition smoothly from PowerPC to Intel, it might actually work out for them.
The move to ARM brings a lot of welcome changes to the table. Some of these changes include a more efficient architecture and an upgrade to 5nm much earlier than intel leading to better battery life and more control. But they’ll also have to contend over things like app compatibility and porting over MacOS which is no small feat.
Now, this also means that the line between the Macbook and the iPad is further blurred as they are closer than ever before. For the first time ever, both a MacBook and the iPad will be powered by the same tech. So we will have to wait to see how Apple tackles this situation.
Quite informative
Thank you.