Why Apple May Be Ditching Intel Processors In MacBook Pros
MacBooks are some of the most well-designed laptops out there. I personally love them or well, used to love them before the whole keyboard fiasco. I still love their design and overall quality though. Also, macOS is much easier to use than Windows for me.
Anyways, for some years, it seemed as though Apple was ignoring the MacBook lineup because it didn't see that many improvements. Even the keyboard issue that could have been solved relatively easily didn't happen.
With the launch of the 16-inch MacBook Pro last year, however, it seems like Apple is paying attention again. People who have used the latest MacBook Pro absolutely love it and believe that Apple is once again making awesome laptops as it once used to.
Apple may have huge plans for this beloved laptop in the future. If rumours are to be believed, they might be ditching Intel processors in the laptops. This is pretty huge. Virtually every laptop in the world uses Intel processors and using anything else seems like a wrong move. But Apple may have pretty good reasons for doing so.
1. Apple Doesn't Want To Wait
Every company ideally wants to refresh their products every year. And to refresh its laptops, Apple has to wait on Intel to come up with the next generation of processors. In the past many years, that has led to some big headaches for Apple. Intel has delayed release upon release and that has made Apple cancel or delay launches. If Apple makes its own processors, they can plan according to their launches as they do with the processors in the iPhones.
2. Apple Wants Smaller, More Powerful Processors
We all know that Apple's A-series processors that power the iPhones have been advancing at an unbelievable pace. Currently, they are based on a 7nm process and in 2020, they will switch to a 5nm process. This makes the processors highly powerful and efficient.
Intel, on the other hand, is still stuck on 10nm process, which was initially slated for release in 2015. It's 2020 now and they are only now shipping processors based on the 10nm process. Apple wants to leverage its in-house processor design capabilities to design more powerful processors for its MacBook series.
In fact, Apple's A12X processor that powers the iPad Pros from 2018 is as powerful as the 16-inch MacBook Pro's Intel processors (on single-core performance) that the company shipped just a few months ago!
3. It Fits Apple's Philosophy
Apple is a company that wants to have control of every component and every process that leads to the making of their products. This allows them to achieve a level of optimisation that no company can achieve.
Building A-series processors for MacBook Pros fit into that philosophy. Apple would have better control of the entire production and design cycle. They would be able to design the processors keeping in mind the unique needs of MacBook users. This could allow them to skyrocket speed and efficiency. Some believe that using an A-series processor would give MacBooks a 20-hour battery life which is just awesome!!