I wonder if the COVID upheaval has forced Apple to abandon the hardware redesigns and focus on getting the new Silicon out the door in existing enclosures before the end of the year. They can always introduce new form factors next year.
Why should there be "new form factors"? You are aware of the following:
1. Apple has repeatedly stated that they will never have touchscreen Macs. So ... what new form factors are possible in the first place? 2. You are aware that there have been Windows 10-based ARM devices since 2017 and ChromeOS-based ARM devices since 2011. What form factors do they have? The same form factors as the Intel and AMD devices. The ARM-based Linux servers that have been around forever? The same as the Windows servers.
ARM will enable smaller and thinner designs. It will make fanless designs possible on certain machines ... but not ones that are capable of heavy productivity workloads at this time. Yes, there is a reason why iPadOS doesn't support truly heavy multitasking, multithreading and I/O despite the CPU being capable ... iPads are extremely thin and have no fans. Just because the Ax chips don't have the power/heat issues that Intel and AMD chips do doesn't mean that they don't have them at all. You had better believe that the ARM-based Linux workstations and servers also have to deal with heat dissipation and power consumption issues. They are merely able to get more out of their devices before the power/heat problems start than they are with Intel Xeon or Core i9 workstations and servers.
So no, Apple switching to ARM will not radically reinvent the computer any more than Apple's switching CPUs in Macs in the past did.
Transitioning to Apple Silicon would have made a great moment to transition to a new design also. Reusing the same design would be a bit disappointing, especially the monitor bezels feel dated.
That said it would be impressive if they are able to make a high performing 16” version with a custom GPU that can match AMD’s.
I am personally waiting for a new desktop Mac. A high performing machine for at home that hasn’t got the ridiculous price of a Mac Pro but the expandability of a PC. A more environmental friendly one that doesn’t glue monitor, SSD and motherboard together.
I've given up on Apple ever releasing a decent Mac Pro machine that will generate enough sales to justify its production. I really doubt that Apple has moved enough current Mac Pros to recover the development costs. They have gone for years now turning out various Mac Pro designs that are basically junk for the general "PRO" user.
If they do this, then the whole MacBook line is transitioning to Apple Silicon all at once. That’s awesome, but not sure about 16-inch being released.
*fingers crossed*
Since we are focused on MacBooks right now, these chips are closer to what we’ve seen in iPhones and iPads.
So, my biggest question is this:
Is the A14 sufficient for a 12-inch MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Air? Or, does macOS require an A14X at minimum?
The baseline (A14 or A14X) means that the pros have to be better. A14Z in 13-inch? What does 16-inch get?
cant wait to see the starting point and then the difference compared to MBP’s.
Apple has said many times now that they are working on several chips for the Macs. That is right from the horses mouth guys.
As for the MBA type machines they will most likely be able to get suitable performance out of an A14X variant if the X variant is a bigger jump than in the past. For the other machines they will need a lot more ARM cores. It isn't rocket science really,
I don’t get why they’d release a new 13” instead of doing the 14” update like they did from 15” to 16”. Unless COVID prevented it. I would buy the 14” on day 1.
Comments
1. Apple has repeatedly stated that they will never have touchscreen Macs. So ... what new form factors are possible in the first place?
2. You are aware that there have been Windows 10-based ARM devices since 2017 and ChromeOS-based ARM devices since 2011. What form factors do they have? The same form factors as the Intel and AMD devices. The ARM-based Linux servers that have been around forever? The same as the Windows servers.
ARM will enable smaller and thinner designs. It will make fanless designs possible on certain machines ... but not ones that are capable of heavy productivity workloads at this time. Yes, there is a reason why iPadOS doesn't support truly heavy multitasking, multithreading and I/O despite the CPU being capable ... iPads are extremely thin and have no fans. Just because the Ax chips don't have the power/heat issues that Intel and AMD chips do doesn't mean that they don't have them at all. You had better believe that the ARM-based Linux workstations and servers also have to deal with heat dissipation and power consumption issues. They are merely able to get more out of their devices before the power/heat problems start than they are with Intel Xeon or Core i9 workstations and servers.
So no, Apple switching to ARM will not radically reinvent the computer any more than Apple's switching CPUs in Macs in the past did.
As for the MBA type machines they will most likely be able to get suitable performance out of an A14X variant if the X variant is a bigger jump than in the past. For the other machines they will need a lot more ARM cores. It isn't rocket science really,