With the launch of the Apple Silicon-powered Macs, Apple put down a gauntlet on its competitors. And the Cupertino-based company doesn’t rest on these benchmarks. The plans for the M1 chip improvements in 2021 and some new hardware are impressive enough, but the big change in 2022 will shock the competition.
KRAKOW, POLAND – 12/01/2021: This photo illustration shows a 13 inch Macbook pro on a … [+]
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The M1 architecture is built around 5nm silicon fabrication. According to the latest reports, Apple has placed an order with TSMC for 3nm manufacturing. The GSMArena team has more:
Sources familiar with the case say it has been said [3nm] chips are likely to boot future iPads and MacBooks. This means we will see 5nm or maybe 5nm + chips for another year. TSMC is nearing completion of the certification process, so will likely begin trial production next year, while mass production will take place in 2022.
“While the M-series chips in MacBooks and iPad have been rumored, it’s probably safe to assume that iPhones will likely use the same technology by 2022.”
The ARM-based Apple Silicon’s debut with the M1-powered MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and mac Mini machines has given the macOS platform a massive blow in terms of raw performance. In the mid-range, the two MacBooks offer powerful alternatives with higher benchmark results than comparable laptops with Windows 10.
Those already embedded in the macOS platform will welcome these improvements when it comes time to upgrade their Mac. Those moving from Windows 10 will have to make a more difficult decision, with investments in a new user interface, the macOS versions of their main apps and the integration of their workflow into Apple’s cloud.
Sometimes power isn’t everything.
Many of today’s most important apps are available on multiple platforms. If the one-time investment to switch platforms is accompanied by continued time savings, moving to Apple’s new architecture will be attractive. But the three new machines are probably not the best investment. They are certainly industry-leading and I have no doubt Apple has planned several years of hardware development for the portfolio that follows the first three.
The M1 processor will be the slowest Apple Silicon chip for the Mac family. The next step of improvements (presumably titled M1X iteration and the next step M2) is expected to debut with new hardware in 2021; my money goes to a high-end MacBook Pro for the M1X and the first iMac and Mac Pro to debut with the new ARM hardware.
It should come as no surprise that Apple has pre-booked a significant value of 5nm chip manufacturing lines, and demand is so high that the exclusivity Apple has with TSMC may need to become a ‘preferred partner’ status as Samsung Foundry is seeking part of the action.
Thanks to the latest reports, we can see what will happen in 2022, namely the launch of a new M-class processor built on 3nm technology. That should give Apple’s hardware a choice of better performance compared to the 5nm chips, lower power consumption, or a combination of both. Given the gain that the M1 already has over Intel’s Core chips, it’s unlikely we’ll see the same massive performance gain.
But with the move to 3nm manufacturing and the technical benefits to be found, macOS software enhancements from the feedback from countless consumers with the new hardware, and improvements in the physical design of the new Macs to optimize for performance, Apple will keep pushing limits as the competition races to catch up.
Find out more about the new MacBook Pro design from Apple’s R&D team now …