Tuesday, June 9th 2020

Apple to Announce its own Mac Processor at WWDC (Late June)

Apple is planning to launch its own high-performance processors designed for Macs at the 2020 WWDC, held in the week of 22 June, 2020. This would be the the first step among many toward the replacement of Intel processors and the x86 machine architecture from the Apple Mac ecosystem, in the same fashion as the company replaced PowerPC with x86 last decade. Apple has codenamed the process of graduating to the new machine architecture "Kalamata," and besides detailing the new processor and its architecture, the company could announce a large-scale developer support initiative to help Mac software vendors to transition to the new architecture in time for the first Macs with the new processors to roll out in 2021.

A Bloomberg report on the new processors states that the chips will be based on the "same technology" as the company's A-series SoCs for iOS devices, meaning that Apple will leverage the Arm machine architecture, and has probably developed a high performance CPU core that can match Intel's x64 cores in IPC and efficiency. Macs based on the new processors, will however run MacOS and not iOS, which means much of the clean-break transition woes between PPC and x86 Macs are bound to return, but probably better managed by software vendors. It also remains to be seen how Apple handles graphics. The company could scale up the Metal-optimized iGPU found in its A-series SoCs on its new Mac processor, while also giving them the platform I/O capability to support discrete graphics from companies such as AMD.
Source: Bloomberg
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79 Comments on Apple to Announce its own Mac Processor at WWDC (Late June)

#26
Lucas_
yes it will help to make more money, yes it will make the iMac burn less power, Battery also maybe live longer, but ARM cpu is not the kind which it handle the power requested in a MacBook Pro usage.
I seriously doubt that this will work.
x86 is/will be the main platform to do complex instructions.
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#27
demian_vi
john_It's a city in Greece. Calamata/Kalamata it is the same. Famous for it's olive oil.
And for our olives, hashish, figs among other things. I never thought someone would use this as a codename in tech :clap:
we only use Kalamata btw, C is used for words that sound like hel·lo (/hɛˈloʊ/)
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#28
$ReaPeR$
Wait.. They are naming the uarch "Kalamata"?!!!:roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll:
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#29
windwhirl
$ReaPeR$Wait.. They are naming the uarch "Kalamata"?!!!:roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll:
A calamity of a name, to be sure.
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#31
claes
"Apple's first Mac processor is expected to have 12 cores, including eight high-performance cores and at least four energy-efficient cores. Apple is said to be exploring Mac processors with more than 12 cores for further in the future, with the company apparently designing a second generation of Mac processors based on the A15 chip. "

www.macrumors.com/2020/06/09/arm-based-macs-wwdc/
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#32
Lucas_
illliLol don't act like you're Nostradamus. The rumor about apple using their own processors is at least 8 years old and keeps resurfacing every 6-12 months
www.macworld.com/article/2013606/apple-not-likely-to-ditch-intel-chips-for-macs-in-near-future.html
^ article from 2012 ^
and then this comes ;
and he writes "So if you just bought a MacBook Pro, you shouldn’t worry about your Mac becoming obsolete anytime soon. However, you might feel a little envious. According to Bloomberg, “tests of new Macs with the Arm-based chips have shown sizable improvements over Intel-powered versions, specifically in graphics performance and apps using artificial intelligence.” And a new chip will likely mean new designs as well, with thinner enclosures thanks to advanced power efficiency."

either I miss something and something goes really wrong while I put a break to my CPU's.
ARM won't / can't be faster than X86 only if the whole set of instruction simplified and process done differently and even if, this is not going to happen... its not a Phone or a Watch.
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#33
phanbuey
illliLol don't act like you're Nostradamus. The rumor about apple using their own processors is at least 8 years old and keeps resurfacing every 6-12 months
www.macworld.com/article/2013606/apple-not-likely-to-ditch-intel-chips-for-macs-in-near-future.html
^ article from 2012 ^
U ready for more?

Microsoft is next... that little surface go experiment with the SQ1 - is just the start. There is going to be a major Microsoft CPU announcement soon for portable devices/surface, as well as major support from MS for ARM ISA compatibility.
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#34
windwhirl
So, I'm not taking sides on those predictions, but I gotta admit I love how you're even putting Nostradamus as profile pic to further emphasize your thoughts on this, @phanbuey :laugh:
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#35
Darmok N Jalad
illliLol don't act like you're Nostradamus. The rumor about apple using their own processors is at least 8 years old and keeps resurfacing every 6-12 months
www.macworld.com/article/2013606/apple-not-likely-to-ditch-intel-chips-for-macs-in-near-future.html
^ article from 2012 ^
That was 8 years ago, so in ”tech years,” the distant future has arrived. Look at the performance advancements we’ve seen for mobile devices since 2012.

If Apple makes this move, they have a plan. And I don’t doubt that the big software companies will be ready to migrate. Many already have an iPad version of their MacOS app, which often has feature parity. I can tell you iPads handle RAW image formats natively, with ease, with little to no lag when adjusting sliders. The performance rivals that of more powerful x86 machines from not that long ago. The iPad won the tablet sector, and that likely had a lot to do with developers actually supporting the system. Android suffered from more blown up phone apps, and MS, well, we know about thier complete failure in their own mobile space and UWP. Apple customers are proven to open their wallets, so support will not be lacking. If anything, this might help MacOS, as for a time, it was being neglected by Apple and consequently the market. The movement, money, and activity in Apple’s world has been on the mobile front, so this move would give developers one architecture to target. Also, they typically support a hardware product for at least 7 years, so ARM today won’t mean dead x86 tomorrow. They surely have a plan, cause they keep launching updated hardware.
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#36
HugsNotDrugs
Credit where credit is due: Apple mobile SOCs are excellent.

The ingredients for a desktop-class SOC have already been developed by Apple. It's not a stretch of the imagination to think Apple will add some cores, increase the TDP, widen the GPU and memory bus and have a competitive product.
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#37
AsRock
TPU addict
dicktracyIt’s about damn time. X86 progress is slow. Intel’s failure to conquer ARM with Atom in the last decade pretty much opened the gate to the x86 empire. Once ARM find a way to scale up, it’s over for Intel and AMD.
You better hope not. as they will stick you with high price tags just like everyone else, maybe more even.
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#38
Darmok N Jalad
AsRockYou better hope not. as they will stick you with high price tags just like everyone else, maybe more even.
It will probably be like anything else. Top tier costs more, but that doesn’t mean they will all be expensive. The cheapest Apple device you can buy is the iPod Touch at $199. It has an A10 chip. The cheapest iPad is $329. The cheapest Mac is the mini, starting at $799, and that doesn’t get you a display. Cheapest Apple laptop is the Air, starting at $999. Apple will likely just bin their desktop chips like everyone else, and that will be reflected in costs of goods.
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#39
claes
It would be hilarious if Apple actually comes out with a 12-core that can outperform the competition in design or video workflows while being more power efficient. Not gonna hold my breath, but, wow, what a laugh that would be.
Posted on Reply
#40
ValenOne
dicktracyIt’s about damn time. X86 progress is slow. Intel’s failure to conquer ARM with Atom in the last decade pretty much opened the gate to the x86 empire. Once ARM find a way to scale up, it’s over for Intel and AMD.
AMD already has ARMv8-A (AArch64) compatible K12 and its R&D was recycled from Zen's R&D.

Apple's cloned ARM-based SoC is only for its own products.
Posted on Reply
#41
watzupken
Dante UchihaIncreases profit margin by 20%.
Increases autonomy by 45%.
Reduces performance by 200%.
Double the price.

Sounds Good, more expensive paperweights to feed the compulsive zombies consumers that apple created. :p
I agree it is too early to tell what kind of performance the ARM processors will offer in this case. Apple must be really confident before the fire this salvo. So let's wait and see.

Prices, I don't think will change much, though profit will likely increase since they don't have to pay Intel a premium for their chips. Considering that Intel is so willing to produce custom cores for Apple every year, I don't think the contract between the 2 is going to be a budget one.

At the end of the day, Intel will be on the losing end. With a few announcements this year of companies moving from x86 to in house ARM chips, Amazon, Apple, etc, looks like this trend will continue further eroding Intel's market share.
Posted on Reply
#42
dicktracy
AsRockYou better hope not. as they will stick you with high price tags just like everyone else, maybe more even.
Apple isn't the only ARM CPU maker in the game. We'll see loads of companies dish out low cost ARM CPUs like it's trick or treat and the future of the CPU market won't be that much profitable. Good on Intel for jumping into the GPU/AI game now rather than later.
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#43
Buftor
I think Apple will support existing software for quite a while. It took Microsoft almost 10 years to release Office for Mac in 64bit. Apple could not afford to have MS Office stop working. Even more so with Adobe apps. That's why only in 2019 Apple finally dropped support for 32bit apps in Mac OS.
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#44
Ashtr1x
Anyone who is very excited for this doesn't respect any choice. Their all Macbooks are having soldered POS HW from SSD to battery, KB. They even made an Intersil chip not available on the market for repairs, to force users into their repair structure with insane revenue.

Anandtech SPEC is useless as a whiskers on a cat, that ARM processor in an iPhone cannot do anything that an Android 8 phone does (not calling 9 and 10 because they started to copy that Scoped Storage BS which is shutdown filesystem, like UWP), all that processing power is used for iMessage, IG, Snapchat and other social media garbage with some stupid Pubg and other mobile trash games by Tencent. And that iPad got a downloads button very recently so did it's new Control Center and all. Plus their iPhones lost to OnePlus and Samsungs in the applicaiton loading, and other real world usage tasks with Throttling as well on load (GFX usage) and their famous Batterygate, Butterflygate, Touch Disease, and other ton of issues carefully thrown under rug due to their deep pockets. Their Catalina gatekeeper is hard to allow other apps not signed and then their 64bit hammer. People who are using that Hackintosh will be nuked as well, I thought that time would come when their security through obscurity masterplan T series chips in the Macs with handling all the I/O tasks, making an x86 just a slave processor for the execution.

Anyways I think this will be new Mac Air, a shame that AMD is still wanting their money for those rebadged trash GPUs. Glad that Apple failed in gaming, their AR is useless. So ultimately their Software will be made to work properly because they pay Adobe a ton to make the software optimized like First Party solutions. So that's also an expected thing. All in all it's just going to make Apple keep more money, the more greed the better for them.

x86 is not going anywhere and it shouldn't as well, the garbage ARM is always custom, look at that SQ1 garbage in Surface (full BGA trash boook with no 3.5mm jack either and nothing can be serviced in that garbage, not even LTS release), Server side also Graviton loses to EPYC7742 in many tasks that is also an Amazon's internal cost effective solution, the fact that x86 processors are going to innovate (thanks to AMD) we can enjoy Win32 more with choice.
Posted on Reply
#45
Vya Domus
claes"Apple's first Mac processor is expected to have 12 cores, including eight high-performance cores and at least four energy-efficient cores. Apple is said to be exploring Mac processors with more than 12 cores for further in the future, with the company apparently designing a second generation of Mac processors based on the A15 chip. "

www.macrumors.com/2020/06/09/arm-based-macs-wwdc/
So it's a low power chip for laptops most likely. If anyone expected that their Mac Pros will suddenly ditch those Xeons for some ARM cores are going to be disappointed.
claesIt would be hilarious if Apple actually comes out with a 12-core that can outperform the competition in design or video workflows while being more power efficient. Not gonna hold my breath, but, wow, what a laugh that would be.
The competition being who ? Here's the thing, the people that buy Macbooks (because let's be real those are the only ones that keep Macs alive) don't care about performance that much. They just want to use the few pieces of software that aren't available on Windows.
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#46
claes
Vya DomusThe competition being who ? Here's the thing, the people that buy Macbooks (because let's be real those are the only ones that keep Macs alive) don't care about performance that much. They just want to use the few pieces of software that aren't available on Windows.
And also your average consumer... If Apple releases a MacBook Air that outperforms other thin and lights with longer battery life, which ultraportable will consumer reports, CNET, the wire cutter, et al recommend? If it can run all of their favorite iPad apps then all the merrier.

Honestly I’m not that familiar with the market — maybe Apple is already winning the ultraportable game with the MacBook, but I doubt it? I’m not sure who would buy the air at this point — I’m surprised they refreshed it.

We can both agree that the readers here aren’t going to buy it (well, maybe me), but we were never Apple’s market (just read the post above yours :)). College students, the hip olds, content producers, people who like the ecosystem, people who like the aesthetic, etc.
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#47
Vya Domus
claeset al recommend? If it can run all of their favorite iPad apps then all the merrier.
To be honest that's where I think all of this is heading. Macs are basically going to become iOS devices, everything is going to get unified.
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#48
1d10t
Ashtr1xAnyone who is very excited for this doesn't respect any choice. Their all Macbooks are having soldered POS HW from SSD to battery, KB. They even made an Intersil chip not available on the market for repairs, to force users into their repair structure with insane revenue.
This.
Another, or should I say sole reason moving away from Apple is good riddance.I don't deny they offer convenient and simplicity, but its cost is just astonishingly high.Does anyone think that replace failing hard drive on iMac or failing battery on MacBook is just easy as it should ? To add insult to your misery, their warranty is pretty much non existent.Yeah their software support is good, 8+ years iMac 5+ years Macbook still receiving Mojave or Catalina updates, but from hardware and TCO perspective they still the worst.
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#49
R0H1T
Hey I've been predicting the rise of ARM, in so far as Apple is concerned, since at least 2012/13 so can I say I told you so :cool:
phanbueyU ready for more?

Microsoft is next... that little surface go experiment with the SQ1 - is just the start. There is going to be a major Microsoft CPU announcement soon for portable devices/surface, as well as major support from MS for ARM ISA compatibility.
There's a few things you have to remember, the (number 1) reason Apple is moving away from x86 isn't just performance or efficiency ~ it's mostly margins & of course their slowing iPhone sales. There's only so much they can milk now, I've always thought this move would come sooner because the biggest moneymakers in the electronics (or computing) industry have been top down integrated players like Samsung, Apple & of course Intel.

As for the MS announcement, it'd be more helpful if you'd reveal if this was a (inhouse?) custom chip or just some initiative to push for Windows on ARM?
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#50
Nichotin
windwhirlOr maybe Apple will lock everything up even more. They love to control everything.
Sure, but they can lock everything in terms of installing a non-blessed OS, while still providing Boot Camp support. My take on it is that providing Boot Camp today on Intel Macs has been beneficial for Apple, and I can imagine that it still will be even on a new architecture - but this time the mutual benefit will be higher.
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