Apple Event: One More Thing
This is the third Apple Event in the past 3 months but it is the biggest announcement for Apple. The unveiling of their M1 chip, the first Apple-made computer chip, that will power their Mac line-up.
M1 Chip
Throughout the presentation, the Apple Event highlighted the efficiency, power, and speed of their M1 chipset when compared to a high-quality computer chip. The M1 chip is the first personal computing chip using 5nm technology that features 16 billion transistors.
General Specs
8 Cores
4 High – Performance single-thread cores (High demanding tasks)
4 High – Efficiency single-thread cores (Low demanding tasks)
2x performance per watt compared to PC chip
8 Core GPU
2x performance per watt for Graphics
Able to perform 11 trillion operations per second
16 core neural engine – Machine Learning
The M1 chip enables Safari to be 1.5 times speedier at Javascript and 2x more responsive. Graphics intensive tasks will now benefit from the M1 chip due to M1’s unified memory architecture which allows Apps to get access to more graphics memory than ever.
Next Generation Mac Line-Up
MacBook Air
The first MacBook Air to feature the M1 chip will be 13-inch, thinner, lighter, and 3x faster than the previous MacBook Air. The MacBook Air will have the ‘world’s fastest integrated graphics’ which will be up to 5x faster than the previous model. The M1 allows the new MacBook Air to have 3.5x faster CPU than the previous MacBook. The power efficiency on the M1 enables the new MacBook Air to last 2x longer than the previous MacBook Air. The starting price will be £999 for the first M1 MacBook Air.
MacBook Mini
The new Mac Mini will also feature the new M1 chipset, which allows it to have 6x more performance in graphics and 3x faster CPU than the previous mini. The Mac Mini features a new cooling system, which will keep it nice and cooler during high intensive tasks. The Mac Mini is 60% more energy-efficient and has up to 15x faster in machine learning. Starting price for the Mac Mini is £699, which is £100 less than the previous version.
MacBook Pro
The new M1 MacBook Pro will have 5x faster graphics than previous MacBook Pro models. The M1’s power efficiency will allow 17 hours of web battery life, 20 hours of video playback which makes it the longest battery life ever in a Mac. When compared to the previous model, the new MacBook Pro will be 2.8x faster than the previous model.
Big Sur
Apple OS, the Big Sur will be available 12th November. The Big Sur is optimised for the M1 chipset making the operating system more responsive.
Summary
It’s a big announcement for Apple who have dived into chipset manufacturing. Of course, they have learnt a lot from creating the mobile chipsets for their iPhone and iPad line-up. The main message taken from the announcement is that the Apple M1 chipset has been designed to be more powerful, faster, and more power-efficient than PC chipsets. The variety of comparative numbers you are loaded with during the presentation shows that Apple can compete with CPU manufacturers such as Intel who they dropped from providing chips to their Macs. The availability of the M1 chipset will slowly seep to other products in the Mac line-up. The pricing for the Mac Mini is a good announcement for some, the price decrease is a huge positive along with the announcement of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Overall the announcement is a great step for Apple who have started to manufacture their own chip for their Mac lineup. Time will tell whether the M1 is truly more powerful than the PC chipsets that are available in today's market.