Apple giving up on Intel processors, said to be working on new Mac chip to help improve battery life in the company’s laptops
After powering Apple Macs for nearly three decades, Apple is giving up on Intel. Apple is reportedly designing its own chips for the upcoming Mac laptops that would lessen its dependence upon Intel, according to a Bloomberg report. Apparently, the new chip that is being built using ARM architecture would work alongside the Intel processors. If all go according to Apple’s plans, its next range of Macs would finally ditch Intel processors in favour of the new in-house ARM manufactured chips.
Known internally as T310, the chip is being designed to handle low-power mode functionality. The chip itself is said to be a variant of the T1 SoC that Apple first introduced on the recently released MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar. Apple new chip is being designed to carry more of the system load for certain tasks.
Apple engineers are planning to offload the Mac’s low-power mode, a feature marketed as “Power Nap,” to the next-generation ARM-based chip. This function allows Mac laptops to retrieve e-mails, install software updates, and synchronize calendar appointments with the display shut and not in use. The feature currently uses little battery life while run on the Intel chip, but the move to ARM would conserve even more power, according to one of the people.
The Cupertino company already produces processors for its iPhones and iPads, and it made another chip, dubbed W1, for its AirPods.
While the current configuration uses very little power but Apple’s chip will apparently conserve even more battery. Additionally, the report says the new chip will power storage and wireless components, freeing Intel’s processor up for more additional power management tasks.
By developing its own chip, Apple would get the flexibility to integrate hardware and software functions. The new chip is expected to be available in an upgraded version of the MacBook Pro, which is likely to release later this year. However, Apple is said to have no intention of abandoning Intel chips in its laptop and desktop computers.
