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What is Apple Silicon?: An Elementary Guide to Apple Silicon
Since 2005 Intel has provided processors for Apple's iMacs and MacBooks, this is all about to change. This year Apple has announced they are switching from Intel to their own custom processors. After hearing this you probably have a lot of questions. What does this mean for my current Mac? How will this affect me? Is now a good time to buy a new Mac? What does this mean for Boot Camp? What even is a processor? Let's dive in and answer these big questions. Here is an Elementary guide to Apple Silicon.
https://youtu.be/aN3x-kg8Py4
What is a processor?
The processor is the brain of your computer. This is the computer component that handles the basic instructions you or an app gives to your computer. The processor doesn't stop with the computer but is found in almost every piece of technology. It's what processes your mathematical equations in your Calculator. Alexa uses its processor to answer your questions. You can even find them in chargers that optimize your device battery's health. You can find them everywhere.
What is Apple Silicon?
Apple Silicon is the processors' Apple is switching to in its Mac line of products. So why don't they call them processors, like Intel processors? It's because Apple Silicon is more than just a processor, they are systems on a chip or SOC. At the heart of Apple's SOC is a processor. Built on top of the processor are many other technologies that when taken advantage of by the operating system, and software can tremendously increases the performance of the computer.
Why the switch?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGfRUSdc_o4
Then what was wrong with Intel processors? Apple, of course, will not say for sure. I can speculate that it's because of Intel's clear lack of innovation. Since around 2016, when Apple switched to their new design for their MacBooks, Intel as struggled to keep promises and keep up with the competition. Over the past few years, there has been little gain in performance with newly released processors. In the PC market, they have been surpassed in performance by AMD, their biggest competitor. In addition to little performance gain, they have also not solved the heat problem. When a processor gets too hot it slows itself down as to not cause damage to your device. You can see that since 2016 Apple has wanted to make their laptops thinner. The trick is how to make the device thin while at the same time dissipating all the heat that the processor is producing? You then have the problem of Intel's irregular schedule of releasing new chips.
Since when does Apple make processors?
You can see Apple Silicon at work in all of Apple's product lines other than the Mac. In the iPhone, iPad, HomePod, and Apple TV you have Apple's A-Series chip. In the Apple Watch, you will find the S-Series chip. Small traces of their silicon can even be found in the Mac line with their T-Series security chips. You can even find them in Apple's headphones like the H-Series found in the AirPods, AirPods Pro, Powerbeats Pro, and Beats Solo Pro. So Apple has a lot of experience in making its own processors and it shows.
How fast will these Macs be?
In comes Apple Silicone which has solved many of the problems with Intel chips. To put this situation into perspective look no further than the iPad, specifically the iPad Pro. That thing is fast, like really fast. The 2018 iPad Pro is faster than my 13" MacBook Pro from 2017 while at the same time running cooler and in a slimmer design. In Apple's product line their mobile devices have become faster than their MacBook line.
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By Apple Guide
5
33 ratings
Since 2005 Intel has provided processors for Apple's iMacs and MacBooks, this is all about to change. This year Apple has announced they are switching from Intel to their own custom processors. After hearing this you probably have a lot of questions. What does this mean for my current Mac? How will this affect me? Is now a good time to buy a new Mac? What does this mean for Boot Camp? What even is a processor? Let's dive in and answer these big questions. Here is an Elementary guide to Apple Silicon.
https://youtu.be/aN3x-kg8Py4
What is a processor?
The processor is the brain of your computer. This is the computer component that handles the basic instructions you or an app gives to your computer. The processor doesn't stop with the computer but is found in almost every piece of technology. It's what processes your mathematical equations in your Calculator. Alexa uses its processor to answer your questions. You can even find them in chargers that optimize your device battery's health. You can find them everywhere.
What is Apple Silicon?
Apple Silicon is the processors' Apple is switching to in its Mac line of products. So why don't they call them processors, like Intel processors? It's because Apple Silicon is more than just a processor, they are systems on a chip or SOC. At the heart of Apple's SOC is a processor. Built on top of the processor are many other technologies that when taken advantage of by the operating system, and software can tremendously increases the performance of the computer.
Why the switch?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGfRUSdc_o4
Then what was wrong with Intel processors? Apple, of course, will not say for sure. I can speculate that it's because of Intel's clear lack of innovation. Since around 2016, when Apple switched to their new design for their MacBooks, Intel as struggled to keep promises and keep up with the competition. Over the past few years, there has been little gain in performance with newly released processors. In the PC market, they have been surpassed in performance by AMD, their biggest competitor. In addition to little performance gain, they have also not solved the heat problem. When a processor gets too hot it slows itself down as to not cause damage to your device. You can see that since 2016 Apple has wanted to make their laptops thinner. The trick is how to make the device thin while at the same time dissipating all the heat that the processor is producing? You then have the problem of Intel's irregular schedule of releasing new chips.
Since when does Apple make processors?
You can see Apple Silicon at work in all of Apple's product lines other than the Mac. In the iPhone, iPad, HomePod, and Apple TV you have Apple's A-Series chip. In the Apple Watch, you will find the S-Series chip. Small traces of their silicon can even be found in the Mac line with their T-Series security chips. You can even find them in Apple's headphones like the H-Series found in the AirPods, AirPods Pro, Powerbeats Pro, and Beats Solo Pro. So Apple has a lot of experience in making its own processors and it shows.
How fast will these Macs be?
In comes Apple Silicone which has solved many of the problems with Intel chips. To put this situation into perspective look no further than the iPad, specifically the iPad Pro. That thing is fast, like really fast. The 2018 iPad Pro is faster than my 13" MacBook Pro from 2017 while at the same time running cooler and in a slimmer design. In Apple's product line their mobile devices have become faster than their MacBook line.