Netease Technology News, June 9, according to foreign media reports, according to informed sources, Apple is preparing to announce the launch of the first self-developed Mac processor based on the ARM architecture at the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) held at the end of June, To replace Intel’s chips.

Apple currently plans to hold the WWDC conference on June 22nd. People familiar with the matter said that the company will announce the chip plan code-named Kalamata at the conference to allow more time for external developers to make adjustments before the launch of the new Mac computer in 2021.

People familiar with the matter added that because Apple's hardware transformation still takes several months, the timing of its chip launch may change. The new processor will be based on the same technology as the iPhone and iPad chips designed by Apple. However, the future Mac will still run the macOS operating system, not the iOS system.

The technology used by Apple's Mac chip comes from the authorization of ARM, a subsidiary of Japanese technology giant Softbank Group. This architecture is different from the underlying technology of Intel chips, so developers need time to optimize software for new components. Apple and Intel declined to comment.

This will be the first time Mac computers have used Apple’s own processor for 36 years. During this period, it only changed the chip twice. In the early 1990s, Apple switched from Motorola processors to PowerPC. At WWDC in 2005, Steve Jobs announced that he would replace PowerPC with Intel chips. Apple also launched the first Mac computers based on Intel processors in January 2016.

People familiar with the matter said that, as was the case at the time, Apple plans to eventually replace the entire Mac product line with ARM-based processors, including the most expensive desktop computers.

Apple only has about 10% of the PC market share, so this change may not have much impact on Intel’s sales. However, Mac computers are considered high-end products. Therefore, if Apple abandons Intel chips for performance reasons, it may also prompt other PC manufacturers to consider similar measures. Microsoft, Samsung Electronics and Lenovo have all launched laptops equipped with ARM chips.

After the Intel chip performance improvement slowed down, the Apple chip development team led by Johny Srouji decided to make adjustments. According to people familiar with the matter, Apple engineers are concerned that sticking to Intel’s roadmap will delay or disrupt certain Mac computer iterations in the future.

People familiar with the matter said that within Apple, tests of new Mac computers equipped with ARM chips show that the performance of the new Mac computers has been greatly improved compared to the version equipped with Intel chips, especially in graphics performance and applications using artificial intelligence. Procedural aspects. Apple's processors are also more energy efficient than Intel's, which may mean that Mac notebooks will be thinner and lighter in the future.

Apple's move will become a highlight at WWDC this year. Due to the instability of the global epidemic and its impact on Apple product development, the timing of Apple’s chip release may change.

At this conference, Apple is also preparing to update other operating systems such as iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS, while introducing improved augmented reality features, deep integration with external applications and services, and improved Apple Watch fitness features. After several issues with iOS 13 released last year, Apple’s priority is to improve the performance of its mobile software.

Apple is developing at least three SoC processors for its Mac, one of which is based on the A14 chip. People familiar with the matter said that in addition to the main central processor, Apple is also developing graphics processors and neural engines for processing machine learning. In the past, Apple has developed chips for specific functions of Mac computers, such as security functions.

As the leading edge of production technology declines, Intel faces more competition. TSMC is using a more advanced process to produce processors for many of Intel's competitors. The company will use 5 nanometer production technology to manufacture new Mac processors, using the same process as the next-generation iPhone and iPad Pro. Intel's competitors Qualcomm and AMD also need TSMC to produce chips.

Apple’s chip project has been underway for several years and is considered one of the company’s most secret projects. In 2018, Apple successfully developed a Mac chip based on the iPad Pro processor for internal testing, which gave the company the confidence to announce such a transformation this year. (Little)

Source: NetEase Technology Report, translated by Google Translate