What's Apple Rumoured The Big Change Could Mean the Future of Mac

Apple’s Mac computers have gone through just two major CPU architecture transitions in their entire history: moving from Motorola 68k to PowerPC processors in 1994, and then switching from PowerPC to Intel x86 chips in 2005. Based on recent reports (and nearly half a decade of rumors), it appears Apple is on the precipice of a third major transition, with strong expectations that Apple will announce the first ARM-based Mac next week at WWDC 2020.

For Apple, the benefits of moving away from Intel chips to custom ARM-based processors similar to the existing A-series chips Apple uses in iPhones and iPad are clear. Not only would Apple gain greater control over the roadmap and features built into the CPUs that power its computers, but Apple would also stand to reap greater profits by cutting yet another third-party supplier out of the equation. On top of that, with Apple’s A-series chips often delivering similar single-core performance and better performance-per-watt numbers compared to Intel x86 chips, an ARM-based MacBook could be just as fast while offering increased battery life.

But for me, the most interesting effect of Apple’s switch from x86 to ARM is how this change could affect the design of future Mac computers. What operating system would an ARM-based Mac run? Will Apple simply update macOS to better support ARM, or is Apple planning another big software transition similar to what we got when the company moved from Mac OS 9 to OSX. In Steve Job’s keynote speech at WWDC 2005, he said all the work that went into OSX set Apple up for the next 20 years. But now in 2020, we’re drawing close to the end of that window. So what comes next?

Furthermore, what potential impacts could the switch to ARM have on product design? So in advance of WWDC 2020 which kicks off next week on Monday, June 22, I wanted to ruminate on some of the possibilities presented by Apple’s big transition

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