A new report claims that Apple has built a test MacBook Air powered by the same low-power A5 processor found in the iPad, and the company was impressed by the results.
"According to this source who saw live A5 MacBook Air actually, this test machine performed better than expected," the translation reads.
A5 is a 1.0 GHz and is brand new, Core 2 Duo is 1.4 GHz and fairly old by processor standards. Depending on how much apple can optimize OSx for A5 processors it is not hard to see similar performance, especially on lighter apps like Word Processing or web browsing (aside from flash of course). Sandy bridge is another story.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
The report also noted it was "not clear" whether this system was running Apple's lightweight iOS operating system, found on the iPhone and iPad, or the full-fledged Mac OS X operating system. It also mentioned that a switch to a processor based on the ARM architecture would require developers to modify their existing applications.
If I remember correctly iOS has OSx kernel with modified UI Cocoa Touch instead of Cocoa, which should not be too hard a transition. That is the genius of iOS, it can receive improvements from desktop OS much faster then any other mobile OS.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
Given the challenges that would come with a transition from Intel processors to an ARM-based CPU, the A5-powered MacBook Air was characterized as an "experiment." The hardware is said to have been built by Quanta Computer.
Not really. OSx kernel already runs on ARM via iOS, I am sure that technical feasibility to do this has been around since snow leopard at the latest. It's just that a single core A4 would not have been able to handle the task. A5 apparently can.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
As the role of ARM CPUs for Apple has grown with the iPhone and iPad, Microsoft also has plans for the ARM architecture in the future, as mobile devices offer longer battery life with the low-power chips. The Redmond, Wash., software giant revealed at this year's Consumer Electronics Show that the next version of its desktop operating system, Windows 8, will also run on ARM architecture.
And office will be the only program available for it.
I think this transition will be done for their consumer products only. Most consumers nowadays just buy MacBook Pros as their laptop even though they don't need the raw speed it offers. They don't really need those special intel instruction sets and they don't need CPU enhancements for multimedia encoding and decoding.
They want battery life. They want a snappy interface. They want to run Safari/Firefox/Chrome. They want to write in Word/Excel/PowerPoint. They want to use full fledged iLife.
And ARM + GPU + good hardware acceleration can offer this better than x86-64.
The AppStore creates a great way to cover ther architectural differences. Buy it once, and automatically buy it for both.
I am all for keeping the MacBook Pro a Pro-machine with Intel processors and all bells an whistles. But ARM could be big for the consumer space.
A5 is a 1.0 GHz and is brand new, Core 2 Duo is 1.4 GHz and fairly old by processor standards. Depending on how much apple can optimize OSx for A5 processors it is not hard to see similar performance, especially on lighter apps like Word Processing or web browsing (aside from flash of course). Sandy bridge is another story.
I always thought that Apple used 1.4 ghz Core 2 Duos because those were the latest ULV CPUs available to them. Until recently nobody did seem to care about ULV CPUs. Could be wrong though.
I always thought that Apple used 1.4 ghz Core 2 Duos because those were the latest ULV CPUs available to them. Until recently nobody did seem to care about ULV CPUs. Could be wrong though.
I believe those were introduced with the original air. The 13 inchers run a 1.8 Ghz chip that is slightly newer, but I think the 11 inch would be a better candidate for an ARM chip.
I bet we see a new iOS device - macbook air form factor, perhaps without, but most likely with -> a touchscreen. Makes sense on some level doesn't it? I could see uses for it. Small, light, keyboard, wifi access. A highly mobile second system for a house.
I remember they used to say that back in the pre-OSX days, about intel chips and Motorola chips. They could put one of each processor in there and....
Oh it was more than just talk, Apple did produce several such machines, albeit with the x86 chip on a separate daughterboard which plugged into the Mac's main motherboard.
Given the challenges that would come with a transition from Intel processors to an ARM-based CPU, the A5-powered MacBook Air was characterized as an "experiment." The hardware is said to have been built by Quanta Computer.
Am I the only one that finds it odd that this "experiment" was made by a company in Taiwan? I would have expected it to actually be made in a lab at Apple behind at least three levels of physical security.
A5 is a 1.0 GHz and is brand new, Core 2 Duo is 1.4 GHz and fairly old by processor standards. Depending on how much apple can optimize OSx for A5 processors it is not hard to see similar performance, especially on lighter apps like Word Processing or web browsing (aside from flash of course). Sandy bridge is another story.
yeah, like 3-4 years old.... so unless ARM was like 25% the power of Intels chips than, it shouldn't be 100%.... (equal)
i highly doubt this..... in terms of similiar preformance.
I do have no doubts about ARM being able to run almost as well as the C2D in 2 or 3 years however.... (with a large problem being multitasking, possibly due to cache size)
I remember they used to say that back in the pre-OSX days, about intel chips and Motorola chips. They could put one of each processor in there and....
They actually did sell a Mac with both a 68k and an Intel processor for a while. Didn't really work out. Too expensive, and a PR disaster as the "proof" that Apple had lost the war against Wintel. That was in the Amelio period or even before that, certainly while Steve Jobs was away.
I think that right there is enough to discredit the rumor. Thunderbolt is welded to Intel's x86 chipset.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
The hardware is said to have been built by Quanta Computer.
I too am dismissive of this rumour, it implies that a multi-billion dollar electronic company full of chip designers and other talented engineers, would be incapable of creating internally a custom motherboard and hardware for a single test machine.
I think that right there is enough to discredit the rumor. Thunderbolt is welded to Intel's x86 chipset.
Yeah, but Intel is Apple's bitch lately.
They released a statement just this week about how they would basically re-enginneer everything about their chips and make them custom for Apple as long "as they have an i-series core." Then they said they would even consider dropping that requirement.
Intel is pretty desperate to hook up right now and it's pretty plain who the sexiest computer maker is.
If anything does come to fruition, it will supplement the MBA, not replace it.
The quad-core Tegra ARM chips are only just now starting to be able to hang with the aging C2D. SNB destroys them handily. A5 is more on par with Atom, so an A5-powered MBA would be the netbook that Apple said they would never make ... which is the most credible evidence thus far that it will exist and be announced out of nowhere.
Since I mainly use my MBA 11" for writing (TextEdit even!), I'd welcome 3-4 hours more battery power. I'd take that any day. And it's not like anyone's talking about Mac Pros with ARM chips currently, although even there: Why not use 24 A6 or A7 chips instead of two Xeons?
Again: For the 11" MBA, I think it could be done and could be an instant hit as well. Many, many people don't require that much 3rd party software. Lion + iLife + iWork gets a *LOT* done in the consumer space. I'm guessing the Mac version of Angry Birds (or an equivalently fun game done for various platforms) would be on the Mac App Store as a universal binary for intel and ARM within days... Happy camping for a lot of people.
Comments
A new report claims that Apple has built a test MacBook Air powered by the same low-power A5 processor found in the iPad, and the company was impressed by the results.
"According to this source who saw live A5 MacBook Air actually, this test machine performed better than expected," the translation reads.
A5 is a 1.0 GHz and is brand new, Core 2 Duo is 1.4 GHz and fairly old by processor standards. Depending on how much apple can optimize OSx for A5 processors it is not hard to see similar performance, especially on lighter apps like Word Processing or web browsing (aside from flash of course). Sandy bridge is another story.
The report also noted it was "not clear" whether this system was running Apple's lightweight iOS operating system, found on the iPhone and iPad, or the full-fledged Mac OS X operating system. It also mentioned that a switch to a processor based on the ARM architecture would require developers to modify their existing applications.
If I remember correctly iOS has OSx kernel with modified UI Cocoa Touch instead of Cocoa, which should not be too hard a transition. That is the genius of iOS, it can receive improvements from desktop OS much faster then any other mobile OS.
Given the challenges that would come with a transition from Intel processors to an ARM-based CPU, the A5-powered MacBook Air was characterized as an "experiment." The hardware is said to have been built by Quanta Computer.
Not really. OSx kernel already runs on ARM via iOS, I am sure that technical feasibility to do this has been around since snow leopard at the latest. It's just that a single core A4 would not have been able to handle the task. A5 apparently can.
As the role of ARM CPUs for Apple has grown with the iPhone and iPad, Microsoft also has plans for the ARM architecture in the future, as mobile devices offer longer battery life with the low-power chips. The Redmond, Wash., software giant revealed at this year's Consumer Electronics Show that the next version of its desktop operating system, Windows 8, will also run on ARM architecture.
And office will be the only program available for it.
They want battery life. They want a snappy interface. They want to run Safari/Firefox/Chrome. They want to write in Word/Excel/PowerPoint. They want to use full fledged iLife.
And ARM + GPU + good hardware acceleration can offer this better than x86-64.
The AppStore creates a great way to cover ther architectural differences. Buy it once, and automatically buy it for both.
I am all for keeping the MacBook Pro a Pro-machine with Intel processors and all bells an whistles. But ARM could be big for the consumer space.
A5 is a 1.0 GHz and is brand new, Core 2 Duo is 1.4 GHz and fairly old by processor standards. Depending on how much apple can optimize OSx for A5 processors it is not hard to see similar performance, especially on lighter apps like Word Processing or web browsing (aside from flash of course). Sandy bridge is another story.
I always thought that Apple used 1.4 ghz Core 2 Duos because those were the latest ULV CPUs available to them. Until recently nobody did seem to care about ULV CPUs. Could be wrong though.
I always thought that Apple used 1.4 ghz Core 2 Duos because those were the latest ULV CPUs available to them. Until recently nobody did seem to care about ULV CPUs. Could be wrong though.
I believe those were introduced with the original air. The 13 inchers run a 1.8 Ghz chip that is slightly newer, but I think the 11 inch would be a better candidate for an ARM chip.
Apple dont ruin the 13" MBA....pls... its a laptop, not a bigger ipad (already got 1 of those...).
more like a deluxe ipad than a stripped notebook. Awesome battery life, it would have. </yoda>
For some needs, A5 level performance is fine.
You are right when does it end with all this new concepts from Apple? Stick with Intel and stop dicking around.
Wow. Remind me never to invest in a company that listens to your advice. Innovation bad. Business as usual good.
I remember they used to say that back in the pre-OSX days, about intel chips and Motorola chips. They could put one of each processor in there and....
Oh it was more than just talk, Apple did produce several such machines, albeit with the x86 chip on a separate daughterboard which plugged into the Mac's main motherboard.
The Power Macintosh 6100/66 DOS Compatible was one such machine, search for DOS in Apple's tech spec section for other examples.
Given the challenges that would come with a transition from Intel processors to an ARM-based CPU, the A5-powered MacBook Air was characterized as an "experiment." The hardware is said to have been built by Quanta Computer.
Am I the only one that finds it odd that this "experiment" was made by a company in Taiwan? I would have expected it to actually be made in a lab at Apple behind at least three levels of physical security.
@appleinsider Why do you keep posting these stupid stories!?!
I've you have a common sense you know this is crao.
Apple just finished a 5 year long transitions period when snow leopard was released!
A5 is a 1.0 GHz and is brand new, Core 2 Duo is 1.4 GHz and fairly old by processor standards. Depending on how much apple can optimize OSx for A5 processors it is not hard to see similar performance, especially on lighter apps like Word Processing or web browsing (aside from flash of course). Sandy bridge is another story.
yeah, like 3-4 years old.... so unless ARM was like 25% the power of Intels chips than, it shouldn't be 100%.... (equal)
i highly doubt this..... in terms of similiar preformance.
I do have no doubts about ARM being able to run almost as well as the C2D in 2 or 3 years however.... (with a large problem being multitasking, possibly due to cache size)
You are right when does it end with all this new concepts from Apple? Stick with Intel and stop dicking around.
It's called R&D .... all the best companies do it.
Bookmarked.
When the new MBA is released in the next several weeks, it'll be fun to come back and see how completely full of crap this "anonymous source" was.
You might wish to actually read the article.
I remember they used to say that back in the pre-OSX days, about intel chips and Motorola chips. They could put one of each processor in there and....
They actually did sell a Mac with both a 68k and an Intel processor for a while. Didn't really work out. Too expensive, and a PR disaster as the "proof" that Apple had lost the war against Wintel. That was in the Amelio period or even before that, certainly while Steve Jobs was away.
I think that right there is enough to discredit the rumor. Thunderbolt is welded to Intel's x86 chipset.
No, it is a separate (relatively huge) chip from Intel. Not until next year's Ivy Bridge will it (and USB3) be integrated into the chipset.
I think that right there is enough to discredit the rumor. Thunderbolt is welded to Intel's x86 chipset.
The hardware is said to have been built by Quanta Computer.
I too am dismissive of this rumour, it implies that a multi-billion dollar electronic company full of chip designers and other talented engineers, would be incapable of creating internally a custom motherboard and hardware for a single test machine.
I think that right there is enough to discredit the rumor. Thunderbolt is welded to Intel's x86 chipset.
Yeah, but Intel is Apple's bitch lately.
They released a statement just this week about how they would basically re-enginneer everything about their chips and make them custom for Apple as long "as they have an i-series core." Then they said they would even consider dropping that requirement.
Intel is pretty desperate to hook up right now and it's pretty plain who the sexiest computer maker is.
The quad-core Tegra ARM chips are only just now starting to be able to hang with the aging C2D. SNB destroys them handily. A5 is more on par with Atom, so an A5-powered MBA would be the netbook that Apple said they would never make ... which is the most credible evidence thus far that it will exist and be announced out of nowhere.
Again: For the 11" MBA, I think it could be done and could be an instant hit as well. Many, many people don't require that much 3rd party software. Lion + iLife + iWork gets a *LOT* done in the consumer space. I'm guessing the Mac version of Angry Birds (or an equivalently fun game done for various platforms) would be on the Mac App Store as a universal binary for intel and ARM within days... Happy camping for a lot of people.