The ARM-Based Mac

Adam Satariano, Peter Burrows and Ian King for Bloomberg:

Apple Inc. is exploring ways to replace Intel Corp. processors in its Mac personal computers with a version of the chip technology it uses in the iPhone and iPad, according to people familiar with the company’s research.

I guess this is interesting in that it would be the end of an era, of sorts. And it shows just how far ARM-based chips have come. But ultimately, Apple’s iOS device business is so much larger than the Mac business now (both in volume and revenue) that such a move would almost be an afterthought.

I suspect that yes, this will happen. The last three computers I’ve owned have all seemed to be about the same speed despite newer Intel chips in each. We’ve reached a plateau where most users simply won’t notice a major difference in PC chip upgrades — they’re all “fast enough”. If Apple can get their own A”X” chips up to those speeds in a couple of years, it will likely make sense from a cost perspective alone to make the move. Also, we all know how Apple loves to control the whole stack.

Also, if iOS devices and Macs start running the same silicon, the app compatibility equation becomes even more interesting.