kellingford

I can't see a move to ARM happening so easily.  I think it's more likely that the report is referring to a future iPad, or some sort of Mac-iPad hybrid device - even though Apple has said they're not interested in a hybrid device.

Either the ARM report is true, or the other current rumour (with apparent evidence) that Apple will use AMD x86 processors, is true. I can't see both being true. Why introduce another x86 vendor 1 year before you transition to ARM? Especially since AMD processors would be most useful down the low-end of the Apple Mac platform range, where AMD's APUs (CPU+GPU) provide better performance (at least for graphics) than Intel's offerings. I would think the low-end Mac range would be where an ARM transition would start. Of course, having an AMD Threadripper at the top of the Mac Pro range might be interesting too, but Intel's 8-core CPUs are doing quite nicely at present in the MacBook Pro notebooks.

Also, Windows and Linux on ARM are not well supported yet. If Windows on ARM was compelling, there's be more reason for Apple to move to ARM. Without it, Apple would be disadvantaging lots of folks (me included) who run Windows on their Macs, either in a VM or using BootCamp.

Finally, and I think importantly, moving the Mac to ARM would mean that Apple has to develop a much wider range of "A"-series CPUs. I just can't see Apple producing:

• an "A17" for the iPhone
• an "A17X" for the iPad
• an "A17XX" for the MacBook (Pro)
• an "A17XXX" for the iMac
• an "A17XXXX" for the Mac Pro

Intel and AMD are happily producing CPUs with up to 64 cores (AMD) for server-class workloads, and Apple employs a relatively high-end Intel Xeon in the Mac Pro. Is Apple really going to produce similar/equivalent ARM processors for all it's Mac platforms? And some would be in relatively small quantities (perhaps such as for Mac Pros). I don't think Apple could ever transition the Mac Pro to ARM without being accused of ignoring their "Pro" customers all over again.

Either the move to ARM isn't going to happen, and Apple will use CPUs from AMD and Intel and keep each of them on their toes to give the best price and technology, or Apple will split the Mac line into ARM-powered low-end Macs, and higher-end Macs using x86 processors. All the "Pro" users and everyone who wants decent Windows/Linux support will keep using the x86 Macs for the foreseeable future. And the Mac App Store will have to provide ARM or x86 or "fat" binaries, as required.