As most of you may already know, Apple has decided to abandon the x86-64 architecture that it used until now, leaving Intel aside, to proceed to use its own ARM architecture processors even on their Mac computers. Given the limitations of this architecture And how expensive the change will be for software developers, we can’t help but wonder: is this move a suicide for Apple, or is it a genius of the company?
Whether we like it or not, until now Apple has always been a company that has created a trend (and almost always with controversy, everything is said). That a company of this size has decided to abandon the x86-64 PC architecture and switch to ARM has implications that may end up putting the hardware industry in check, and many experts are already talking that even the PC industry could decide take the same path.
Apple’s ARM processors and their limitations
One of the main differences between the ARM architecture and the x86-64 implies that, internally, an ARM processor can only execute one instruction for each cycle of memory . This implies that it is necessary to make deep modifications at the software level to “compress” the instructions so that they can be executed in this way, or else it will take several cycles of memory to perform the tasks, which would entail a huge loss of performance.
Speaking of performance, Apple has always boasted that its computers provide the best performance, even in professional environments for audio and video editing. ARM architecture processors are essentially designed for mobile devices , so their focus has always been low power for greater battery life. Extrapolating this type of processor to desktop systems, such as the Mac Mini for example, avoids having to worry too much about this consumption, but the limitations regarding instructions per cycle remain.
We have an example in the first development kit that Apple has already begun to send to software developers so that they can begin to make the transition of architecture in their applications. These computers are Mac Mini with Apple A12Z processor, a 64-bit ARM SoC with 8 cores and 8 process wires at 2.49 GHz, paired with 2 MB of L1 cache and 8 MB of L2 cache and which of course has an integrated GPU . The team also has 16 GB of memory (which will presumably be LPDDR4X) and a 512 GB SSD, the technology of which they have not disclosed but it is understood that it will be NVMe.
Incorporating a SoC of this draft (similar to the iPad Pro 2020) in a desktop would allow it not only to have much more content than before, but also to develop much simpler thermal solutions or even dispense with them, since remember that these SoCs are designed for mobile phones where there is no cooling at all. However, the performance is also very resentful , and this has been shown by the first benchmarks.
In the single-core result, which is around 800 points, the performance is comparable to an Intel Pentium G3258 (2 cores at 3.2 GHz), and the multi-core result that oscillates between approximately 2500 and 2900 points would correspond , more or less, to an Intel Core i5-4570 processor (4 cores at 3.2 GHz). The results are frankly good seen like this, but are they enough for what Apple users need?
A good idea, or have they shot themselves in the foot?
As we indicated at the beginning, Apple is a company that is almost always surrounded by controversy, but whether we like it or not it often sets the trend. It is quite likely that those in Cupertino have precisely this hope with this decision, since of course the developers of the Apple ecosystem will have no choice but to migrate their software to the new architecture to continue being present.
Now, it seems that this paradigm shift has not sat well among users; many are already saying that they are not going to buy an Apple Mac with ARM processors because it would simply be like having a powerful smartphone in desktop format, and that these will not have enough power for the professional applications they need to use. So, they are recommending to buy the Macs that are in the catalog right now and “hold on” with them until Apple “regrets”, since this is a possibility that we must consider: if things do not go well, they can always go back to how they were now, right?
Another question that remains in the air is what the company is going to do with respect to the professional sector. There are many companies that depend on Apple technology for their day to day, such as audio or video producers that use Mac Pro systems. These computers have enormous computing power with Intel server processors, with enormous amounts of RAM memory and much Ultra-fast NVMe SSD storage, something that Apple will hardly be able to provide with ARM processors, at least for now.
The professional environment will define the success or failure of Apple
Although it is true that in Spain not many people use Mac (although many are sold, in reality it is a very small percentage compared to Windows systems), the reality is that Apple sells a large number of Mac computers worldwide , and especially in professional environments that, as we have said before, need it to carry out their day-to-day tasks, especially in audio and video production.
It is these companies who in the end leave the money buying Apple equipment, since they are the ones who need very powerful systems with a lot of RAM, storage and large computing capacity (and who buy that absurdly expensive monitor called Pro Display XDR), and Everything points to that depending on what Apple can offer them for this environment with its ARM processors, the success or failure of this architectural movement will be defined.
For now, everything indicates that Apple’s ARM processors will not be able to meet the performance demands of this segment, but it remains to be seen how the company will react to its demands.
