According to news reports, the first Mac designed by Apple with an ARM processor will arrive in the first half of 2021.
Apparently, the first Apple-designed Mac with an ARM processor in the iPhone or iPad would arrive in 18 months, in the first half of 2021, says a new report from Ming-Chi Kuo, who has an unblemished reputation for developing the company’s new products.
Several rumors have surfaced in the past two years, with Apple working hard to develop a Series A processor for its line of laptops and desktops, including the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac and Mac Pro, which have been using Intel chips since 2005.
“We expect that new Apple products coming to market in the next 12 to 18 months will adopt 5-nanometer processors, including the iPhone and iPad, which will be launched in 2020, and a Mac that will be launched in the first half of 2021 with a home-developed processor. The report explains.
The third major transition on the Mac
Changing the processor is not an easy task, it means changing the brain of the entire computer and consequently the way the rest of the hardware and software works. In the past, with the migration to Intel, Apple translated the applications surprisingly well into the new code. This time, the transition can be different with Project Catalyst and the ability to create code-sharing apps on iOS, iPad, and macOS. But for now, things still need to be polished up.
Kuo also says Apple is being more aggressive with its budget for research, development, and production of 5-nanometer processors. The company would use combined heat and power to produce the new chip.
Apple Beyond Intel: The possible third transition
Anyway, they are still all rumors, so we will have to wait until next year to see if they finally become reality. At the most, we will see this June at WWDC20 (Apple’s developer conference) if tools for developing applications on an ARM will come out, giving developers some time to make the transition.