Intel has been the leader in the processing world for nearly fifteen years – basically forever in tech terms. Their microprocessors power the bulk of commercial computers, with the Core i7 processor being especially famous for its speed and capability. What is a microprocessor, you may ask? For such questions we turn to… Wikipedia! There we discover it is a “multipurpose, clock-driven, register-based, digital-integrated circuit that accepts binary data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and provides results (also in binary form) as output.” Wow. In layman’s terms, it’s your computer’s brain and Intel probably made it.
Then at this year’s Apple WWDC, the company announced their goal to sell their upcoming Macs and Macbooks with their own silicon chips (AKA, microprocessors), instead of Intel’s. Rumor has it that Intel’s struggle to reduce transistor size to 10nm, with the goal of fitting more transistors on a processor. More transistors means less space between them, and thus less resistance, less heat, and greater computing power. Apple also, understandably, wants to establish a common architecture for all of its devices, instead of using its own processors for iPads and iPhones, but Intel for computers.
So What’s Special about Apple’s Silicon?
Apple will be launching a proprietary ‘system on chips’ (SoC) based on ARM or ‘reduced instruction-set computing,’ which theoretically will allow for more powerful processing without any limitations from the size of transistors. Since the instruction-set is reduced, the processor doesn’t have to deal with the vast number of commands that an Intel microprocessor handles based on its complex instruction-set computing. Unlike other ARM-based systems, though, Apple’s SoC has been designed to handle 64-bit applications, as well as offer advanced power management, machine learning, the Secure Enclave, the Neural Engine, Apple’s own GPU, and much more. Additionally, they will now be able to integrate all their products perfectly, allowing for an even more seamless Apple experience for users.
Any Downsides?
Since Apple is somewhat new to the silicon industry (they only introduced their first microprocessing chip in 2010) compared to Intel (1971), there may be some bugs to work out as they introduce their first range of processors. However, that’s where an expert Authorized Service Provider comes in. If you buy a new Mac with Apple silicon in a few months, and experience some technical hiccups along the way, ComputerCare will be here to help you out. We offer lots of convenient options for maintaining your devices, even with the limitations of the pandemic. And if you prefer to stick with Intel…no worries! We’ve still got your back.
