Future Mac computers are reportedly powered by Apple’s homemade arm-based chips, unlike the 2019 iMac shown above.
Sarah Tew / CNET
According to a research report by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will be launching its first arm-based Mac at the Worldwide Developers Conference this week. The first five models to use the processors are expected to include a 13-inch MacBook Pro and an iMac with an “all-new form factor,” according to Kuo’s note, which Apple Insider has seen.
Apple is said to be ready to start Use your own homemade chips for Mac computersJust like in 2014 with the newly revealed iPad tablet. The long-rumored move would mean that Apple would start throwing Intel’s processor chips out of the head of at least some of its computers. The partnership, which was announced publicly in 2005, has enabled devices such as the MacBook Air laptop.
The move to power its Mac computers with its own chips would give Apple the opportunity to design custom chips that match its preference for ever smaller, thinner, and more durable devices.
The first models with a processor developed by Apple could already be shown in the fourth quarter, with the arm-based iMac according to 9to5Mac being delivered with a 24-inch screen according to Kuo.
The company’s newest chip, the A13 Bionic, powers the iPhone 11 and iPhone SE. Apple’s chips are based on technologies developed by Arm Holdings, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Softbank. Arm’s designs are also used as the basis for chips from Samsung, Qualcomm and Nvidia.
WWDC 2020 takes place on June 22nd and will take place online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.