New releases will be first using the company’s own chips.
The announcement of a new personal computer is rarely a big deal. In most cases, new laptops are perhaps a little faster, a little lighter and have a tad more battery life than their predecessor. But the three new PCs that Apple announced on Tuesday — two laptops and a desktop — are using a new Apple-designed chip that the company is billing as a game-changer. Review units are not yet available and unlike pre-pandemic Apple events, journalists were not at the announcement in-person, so I haven’t seen or touched the new machines, but they’re worthy of a column both from a business and technology perspective. The business angle is that Apple is not using Intel processors for the new Macs, but is equipping them with a new Apple-designed M1 chip. Previous Macs and most Windows PCs use Intel processors or ones from other companies that are very similar to those from Intel. Although Apple has long been using its own processors in its iPhones and iPads, it’s the first time it’s used an in-house processor for a Mac. Prior to adopting the Intel processor in 2006, it used PowerPC processors from IBM. Apple’s departure from Intel will have a small impact on the chipmaker’s bottom line, but it could set a precedent for other PC makers who might follow Apple’s example of using processors with technologies that are similar to the one developed by Apple. Arm chip technology Apple’s new M1 chip is based on Arm — a technology developed by British company Arm Technologies. Arm Technologies doesn’t make chips but licenses its technologies to other companies. Chipmaker Qualcomm is using Arm technologies in some of its chips and Microsoft has already released at least one PC, the Surface Pro X, with a Qualcomm produced Arm processor. Other PC makers are likely to follow Apple and Microsoft’s lead with new Arm-based machines in the coming years. The advantages to Arm processors is that they are typically smaller, more energy-efficient, faster and less expensive than so-called “X-86” processors such as those that have powered most PCs and Macs for many years.
