It is being speculated for a long time that Apple will make a shift to home made processors for its desktop computers, and stop relying on Intel for the same. To back it up, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has come out with a prediction as to when Apple can actually realise this goal, and has said that Apple will make a shift to ARM-powered Macs in the next 18 months, as in 2021.
The ARM processor will be Apple’s first in house processor and Kuo predicts that it’s only 12 to 18 months till Apple comes out with a device, more specifically a Mac, that will come equipped with these processors, cutting the company’s reliance on Intel.
Apple has been vigorously investing in the development of 5nm chips, which will be crucial to the iPhones and iPads coming later this year. These 5nm chips will also come with the first ARM processor equipped Macs and Apple’s huge investments in these chips will put the company at a better place to come through with its plans of an in house processor.
The change from Intel processors to ARM will provide Apple with more flexibility with its processing power, better optimization(if the ARM processors can compete with the functionality of Intel’s high yield processors) and better fine tuning of hardware. However, it can possibly push the release of the Mac devices further down the calendar, as a lot of changes will have to be implemented to incorporate completely different processors in an already existing model. It will also have to be kept in check that the macOS software compliments the ARM processors, which can take up a substantial amount of time.
And it goes without saying that these are alarm bells for Intel. The company already missed the smartphone chipset bus by a long way, making Qualcomm leader in the process. It was due to the company’s long time ignorance of the growth of smartphone industry and delayed chip developments. And while Intel has maintained a lead in the PC chipset market, it is increasingly facing competition from the likes of AMD among others.
