Apple leaker suggests 12-inch MacBook refresh could be first ARM Mac
A prolific Apple leaker, has shared some thoughts on how, when, and why Apple will switch its Macs to first-party ARM chips.
A 12-inch MacBook could be the first with an ARM chip.
Rumors of an ARM Mac have been ramping up in the past weeks, with the latest information suggesting a possible announcement at Apple's 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple has also been taking steps to set up its ecosystem for an ARM Mac for years, which include the rollout of T-series chips in 2016 and newer Mac models.
In a post on Reddit, Fudge speculates about what that transition could ultimately look like. For example, Fudge says that the first ARM-equipped Mac could be a refresh of the 12-inch MacBook, based on rumors out of the Apple supply chain.
That 12-inch device would be the first to come equipped with an eight- to 12-core A14X chip "designed specifically for use as the primary processor in a Mac." Fudge added that there are "rumors" that Apple is still working to perfect the bemoaned butterfly keyboard for inclusion in that device.
It isn't clear if there will be any design changes, so the model could look the same as the 2017 12-inch MacBook that Apple killed off in July 2019. The device also could be the first Mac to sport cellular connectivity in the form of 5G support, Fudge says.
As far as the why, there are a number of ways that Apple could benefit from moving away from Intel. Fudge covered some of those reasons in the Reddit post.
Along with better performance and battery life for consumers, the switch could allow Apple to cut costs and execute more control over its hardware and software integration. Similarly, it could free Apple from Intel's release schedule and declining reputation.
That's in addition to the fact that ARM Macs and iOS devices could allow for a "more unified Apple ecosystem," where the only distinction could be "form factor and performance characteristics."
Not that the road to an ARM Mac would be without bumps.
Although apps released through the Mac App Store would likely be unfazed, things would be a bit trickier for independently distributed apps. For example, developers would need to build both ARM and x86 versions of their apps, or take other alternative steps like using emulation for app functionality. Fudge also thinks that Apple could completely abandon Boot Camp as a feature until Windows becomes friendlier to ARM architecture.
Although we could hear the first word about ARM Macs from Apple at WWDC 2020 on June 22, Bloomberg recently reported that the first ARM chip-equipped Mac isn't likely to be released until 2021.
Fudge's entire post is available on Reddit, and is worth a read for anyone interested in the ARM Mac transition.
A 12-inch MacBook could be the first with an ARM chip.
Rumors of an ARM Mac have been ramping up in the past weeks, with the latest information suggesting a possible announcement at Apple's 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple has also been taking steps to set up its ecosystem for an ARM Mac for years, which include the rollout of T-series chips in 2016 and newer Mac models.
In a post on Reddit, Fudge speculates about what that transition could ultimately look like. For example, Fudge says that the first ARM-equipped Mac could be a refresh of the 12-inch MacBook, based on rumors out of the Apple supply chain.
That 12-inch device would be the first to come equipped with an eight- to 12-core A14X chip "designed specifically for use as the primary processor in a Mac." Fudge added that there are "rumors" that Apple is still working to perfect the bemoaned butterfly keyboard for inclusion in that device.
It isn't clear if there will be any design changes, so the model could look the same as the 2017 12-inch MacBook that Apple killed off in July 2019. The device also could be the first Mac to sport cellular connectivity in the form of 5G support, Fudge says.
As far as the why, there are a number of ways that Apple could benefit from moving away from Intel. Fudge covered some of those reasons in the Reddit post.
Along with better performance and battery life for consumers, the switch could allow Apple to cut costs and execute more control over its hardware and software integration. Similarly, it could free Apple from Intel's release schedule and declining reputation.
That's in addition to the fact that ARM Macs and iOS devices could allow for a "more unified Apple ecosystem," where the only distinction could be "form factor and performance characteristics."
Not that the road to an ARM Mac would be without bumps.
Although apps released through the Mac App Store would likely be unfazed, things would be a bit trickier for independently distributed apps. For example, developers would need to build both ARM and x86 versions of their apps, or take other alternative steps like using emulation for app functionality. Fudge also thinks that Apple could completely abandon Boot Camp as a feature until Windows becomes friendlier to ARM architecture.
Although we could hear the first word about ARM Macs from Apple at WWDC 2020 on June 22, Bloomberg recently reported that the first ARM chip-equipped Mac isn't likely to be released until 2021.
Fudge's entire post is available on Reddit, and is worth a read for anyone interested in the ARM Mac transition.
Comments
One strategic way to deploy ARM Macs is to start with models that are used by people who don't install a lot of third-party software, anyone whose life revolves around a web browser, email, messages, and some light word processing and spreadsheet stuff isn't going to care how long it takes Adobe to port Creative Suite. That sounds like the 12" Macbook crowd.
Last March, I bought one for my girlfriend who was slumming in Europe for the winter (thanks AppleInsider for the w00t link!). I mailed it about a week before "the shutdown," and to the best of my knowledge it's lost forever in a warehouse or the bottom of the ocean. If a 12" ARM Macbook happens, I might buy her another.
The 12" rumors are interesting. Was it Digitimes that rumormongering there was going to be a 12" iPad? So, there looks to be a 12" panel in enough quantities among Apple's suppliers to generate rumors of either a 12" iPad or a 12" Mac laptop. It makes more sense to me that the 12" panel if for an iPad Pro, replacing the 11" model. The 10.8" panel for the iPad Air successor is going to be really close to the 11" model and maybe Apple wants to go bigger to further differentiate it with a 10.8" iPad.
I basically think a 12" laptop is doomed to failure because it's too small of a display for modern WIMP UI workflows. OEMs keep trying, but there isn't any staying power for small screened laptop models. Eventually, all Chromebooks will be 13" laptops too. Just waiting on component prices to go down enough.
Another consideration is the Mac Pro. Even 3 years from now, would Apple's ARM chip really be powerful enough to transition the Mac Pro to ARM? If not, would you end up with the iMac, MBP, MB Air, MB, and Mac Mini being ARM while the Mac Pro remains Intel? How strange and odd that would be! It would seem to make a whole lot more sense to switch from Intel to Ryzen.
If Apple went straight to replacing all computers it'd be a Catch-22 situation, with the users ending up with the hardware before the developers have had a first batch of hardware to actually port/develop software for the users to use; and if Apple replaced a current product line it'd make the current users/fans of that product upset… so… By going with a new/revived line it'd be the closest thing they could get to a fresh start, where the early adopters actually know that they are in for a type of limited preview of the future.
(Then again, depending on where they actually intend to take things with MacOS/ARM they could also just release MacOS/ARM as an iPad Pro-app for developers.)
I also agree with your statement about the small screens being popular and the price being the issue for the intel 12 inch MacBook. In London I saw plenty of 11 inch MacBook Airs back in the day and plenty of 12 inch MacBooks still. I posit that they would have been more popular if they had not started with a 256 GB SSD (which I think is the correct starting amount of storage but increased the price a lot back then) and so been priced above the old Air.
I can't imagine that Apple would create a system that wouldn't make the transition from iPadOS to an ArmOS particularly difficult.
But, particularly difficult for Apple is how to fit an ARM Mac within its constellation of products. It has to have the power and feature set of an Intel Mac, without unduly cannibalizing its iPad line. That's the issue I will be focusing on if this comes to pass.
Will the Arm MAC compete with Chrome? This seems to be a market Apple is missing.
This rumour seems like a continuation of that idea. It's not a bad idea, but I'd have thought they'd keep the Intel based ones available until the ARM ones were ready.
My personal opinion, which, as usual, no-one has asked for, in keeping with my Pro-as-a-Services ideas is that the new Mac announced at WWDC will be a variant of the iMac, iMac Pro, or Mac Pro with a much beefier ARM based chip in place of the T-series, that not only does the system management and security roles of the T-series, but also allows for emulation of a fully ARM based Mac, even if only as part of the XCode environment. The reason is to get developers working with an ARM based environment now, so when the consumer hardware ships, they are ready.
And, as I have said before, I expect the new ARM processor will become the standard across the line, with some machines losing the x86 processor all together, and others (the "Pro" machines) keeping it for certain processes - like the add-in GPUs are now. (Low end Macs rely on the Intel graphics, higher end have the add-ins.)
As usual, I have no inside information, no contacts at Apple or in their supply chain, and will probably be proven wrong.
If Apple choose to stick with INTEL in any way it's difficult to see how the relationship would be mutually beneficial.\ after Apple moves to ARM. One thing that not going to happen is two competing CPUs in the same products unless it's just an add-on component (daughter card) in the MacPro.
I suspect we're in for a doozy of a surprise and it won't be some half-ass move or they would have just gone with AMD until INTEL got its shit together.