Apple recently announced that they’d be transitioning their entire line of Mac computers
away from the Intel processors that currently power every Mac, to Apple’s own custom ARM
chipset.
This was a decision that many people expected to happen, but not everyone knows why Apple’s
doing it.
And that’s exactly what I’m going to explain.
This is Greg with Apple Explained, and I want to thank MacPaw for sponsoring this video.
If you want to help decide which video topics I cover, make sure you’re subscribed, and
voting polls like this one will show up in your mobile activity feed.
Alright so why is Apple ditching Intel processors and moving to their own custom chipsets.
Well, there are quite a few reasons that I’ll cover, but probably the most important is
that Apple hates being at the mercy of other companies.
They like the freedom of being as independent as possible.
It’s why Apple created their own operating system alongside the original Macintosh, instead
of licensing Windows and relying on Microsoft to optimize and modernize the operating system.
When creating the iPhone, they didn’t want to be beholden to mobile phone carriers, which
is why they only worked with Motorola, who promised to give Apple full control over the
iPhone’s hardware and software.
Something that was unprecedented at the time.
And even then, that wasn’t good enough.
Because initially the iPhone ran on Samsung’s ARM chipset, which wasn’t fully optimized
with the iPhone’s hardware or operating system, and therefore held back the device’s
potential when it came to performance and battery life.
So in order to create a smartphone that could live up to its fullest potential, Apple established
their own in-house silicon design team, in charge of creating a custom chipset specifically
tailored for the iPhone.
And the company’s effort paid off in 2010 when they introduced the iPhone 4, featuring
Apple’s first custom-made A4 chipset.
And the benefits of the iPhone’s transition to custom-made silicon, will also be enjoyed
by the Mac.
Have you ever wondered why iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches are updated on a regular
basis, while MacBooks don’t have a predictable release schedule?
That’s because Apple has to wait on Intel to release their new generation of processors.
And for the last five years, Intel has missed virtually every release deadline that it’s
set.
Which not only disappoints customers, but also frustrates computer manufacturers like
Apple who have to delay their own product roadmaps.
So breaking their dependency on Intel is a great reason for Apple to switch to ARM.
But that’s only the beginning.
Just like with the iPhone, Macs can finally enjoy the benefits of being powered by a truly
optimized chipset.
That means no more thermal issues, no more processor throttling, and some of the best
performance of any computer in the industry.
Because remember, the iPad Pro featuring Apple’s A12Z chip, is faster than ninety-two percent
of PC notebooks on the market today.
And although Apple has yet to announce a new custom-made chip for the Mac, we can only
assume that it’s performance will be even better than the iPad Pro.
Now although macOS is an advanced operating system, it does require regular maintenance
to keep it running smoothly.
And for that, I use CleanMyMacX.
It has a really convenient feature called Smart Scan that examines your entire system
for user cache and system log files that are no longer needed.
It also runs a malware check so you can identify and remove any malicious software that could
be slowing down your computer or causing unusual behavior.
CleanMyMacX is also the easiest way to manage and uninstall apps I no longer need, all in
one place.
You can try out CleanMyMacX for free using the link in the description and if you like
the product, the upgrade is only $35 annually.
Now while we’re on the topic of performance, it’s also important to understand that by
using their own chipset, Apple can achieve better processing and graphics performance,
while actually lowering power consumption.
It’s why iPads easily reach their advertised 10-hour battery life, while MacBooks rarely
do.
In fact, if you read the fine print, Apple says you’ll only achieve 10 hours of battery
life on your MacBook Pro if all you’re doing is browsing the web with the screen brightness
set at seventy-five percent.
But I think most MacBook Pro users are doing more intense tasks like photo or video editing,
which burns through the battery much quicker.
But even if you’re doing similar tasks on an iPad Pro, you’ll notice that battery
life isn’t effected nearly as much.
And it’s because of Apple’s custom chipset designed to optimize performance without sacrificing
battery life.
Now, it’s also worth considering how Apple’s own chipset could influence the design of
their Macs.
If there isn’t any thermal issues, Apple could possibly release a MacBook with smaller
fans, or even no fans at all.
Which would be a big deal considering how much valuable internal space they occupy.
But the biggest space hog inside of any MacBook is its battery.
And if Apple could optimize power consumption like they have on iPads and iPhones, we could
potential see a reduction in the MacBooks battery size, while still providing 10 hours
of use.
So in the best case scenario, a new ARM MacBook could feature a fan-less design with a smaller
battery.
Which would enable Apple to create dramatically thinner, lighter, and quieter notebooks, something
they’ve been trying to achieve for years.
Now another really important benefit of switching to ARM is app compatibility.
When the iPad was released in 2010, it shared the iPhone’s A4 chipset.
Which meant that every app created for the iPhone, could also run on the newly released
iPad.
That was a huge advantage the device had over competing tablets, who suffered from a sparse
app ecosystem.
And now, Apple wants the Mac to enjoy that same advantage.
We already received a hint of Apple’s interest in creating universal apps last year with
the release of macOS Catalina.
It included a feature called Mac Catalyst which made it much easier for developers to
bring their iPad apps over to the Mac.
But once Apple transitions all of their computers to ARM chipsets, developers won’t have to
do a thing.
iPad and iPhone apps will be able to run seamlessly on the Mac.
Now this transition won’t happen overnight, Apple said it’ll take two years to get all
of their Macs running on their own custom chipsets, but it may happen even sooner.
Because this isn’t the first time Apple has switched from one chip to another.
Back in 2005 Steve Jobs announced the transition from PowerPC to Intel processors, and estimated
every Mac would be switched over in about eighteen months.
But it actually happened much quicker than that, taking Apple only ten months to transition
their entire Mac lineup to Intel.
So while something similar may play out this time around, the switch from Intel to ARM
is a bit more complicated and likely to take more time.
Alright guys thanks for watching till the end, don’t forget to like and subscribe,
and I’ll see you in the next video.