Why Apple Started Making Its Own Chips

for years Apple relied on Tech giants like Intel to power their devices by making its own chips Apple aims to improve the performance of its products have more control over their development save costs and create a more seamless experience for users but what motivated Apple to take this step Apple's Journey with computer chips has evolved significantly since its Inception the Apple 1 was released in 1976 and the Apple 2 was introduced in 197 7 utilizing the MOs technology 6502 microprocessor this 8bit CPU was chosen for its affordability and performance and was instrumental in establishing apple as a significant player in the personal computer Market the Apple 2 Series was notable for its color graphics and expansion capabilities making it popular in homes schools and businesses the Apple 3 was launched in 1980 as a business-oriented successor to the Apple 2 this version used the ctech 6502a an enhanced version of the 6502 despite its Advanced features including an 80 column display and built-in floppy Drive the Apple 3 suffered from reliability issues such as overheating which hampered its success in 1983 Apple introduced the Lisa one of the first personal computers with a graphical user interface or GUI the Lisa used the Motorola 68000 processor providing substantial performance improvements over the 8bit 6502 the original Macintosh released in 1984 also utilized the Motorola 68000 subsequent Macintosh models saw the use of upgraded Motorola processors including the 68020 68030 and the 40 each offering enhanced speed memory management and computational Power in 1994 Apple transitioned to the power PC era developed in collaboration with IBM and Motorola the power PC 601 processor marked the beginning of this era with power PC chips based on risc or reduced instruction set Computing providing significant performance advantages the power PC 603 and 604 followed each bringing improvements in speed and efficiency the power MAAC G5 introduced in 2003 was notable for its high performance and was the first 64-bit processor used in personal computers in 2006 Apple announced a major shift in Intel processors starting with the Intel Core duo in the MacBook Pro and iMac this transition was driven by the need for better performance per watt essential for portable devices and energy efficient desktops the Intel Core 2 Duo introduced later in 2006 continued this trend by offering even better performance and efficiency over the years Apple adopted various Intel processors including the I3 I5 i7 I9 and the xon used across its MacBook iMac Mac Pro and Mac Mini lines broadening their appeal to a wider audience in 2020 Apple's moved to custom silicon with apple silicon marked a significant shift driven by several factors focused on performance efficiency and strategic control its in-house chips demonstrated Superior performance and efficiency compared to Intel processors this success with mobile devices suggested that similar benefits could be achieved in Max by designing its own chips Apple can closely inte great hardware and software resulting in a more seamless and optimized user experience this integration allows Apple to innovate and update its products on its own timeline without being dependent on third-party suppliers like Intel it can also focus on tighter security features and enhanced machine learning capabilities through the integrated neural engine Apple's dissatisfaction with Intel's pace of innovation technical issues and delays also played a significant role reports indicated that Apple's frustrations with Intel's quality assurance especially with the Skylake processors contributed to the decision additionally Intel's processor shortages in 2019 impacted Mac sales further pushing Apple toward a change but why are Apple's chips better than Intel's the M1 chip integrates multiple components such as CPU GPU and neural engine into a single system on a chip or S so this Arrangement enhances performance and power efficiency providing up to 3.5 times long longer CPU performance and up to six times faster GPU performance compared to intel-based Max the M1 Pro and M1 Max further enhance performance with up to 10 core CPUs and 32 core gpus enabling faster processing better graphics performance and improved battery life compared to intel-based Max the M1 uses a unified memory pool accessible by all components reducing the need to copy data between different memory locations while Intel CPUs like the 10th and 11th gen core processors offer strong single core performance and good multi-core performance they typically lag behind Apple silicon in efficiency and integrated GPU performance the integrated 16 core neural engine provides up to 15 times faster machine learning performance essential for modern applications leveraging Ai and ml Technologies on the other hand Intel's processors include AI accelerators but they are generally not as optimized for ML tasks compared to Apple's dedicated neural engine the M1 chip design significantly improves power efficiency allowing for much longer battery life in portable devices for example the M1 MacBook Air can achieve up to 18 hours of battery life the efficiency of the M1 also means less heat generation allowing for fanless designs in devices like the MacBook Air providing quieter and more reliable operation Intel based laptops typically offer shorter battery life around 10 to 12 hours at the most due to higher power consumption and and less efficient design since 2020 Apple has made significant efforts in its chip development starting with the M1 chip based on arm architecture the chip offers significant performance improvements and power efficiency featuring an 8 core CPU including four performance cores and four efficiency cores the chip can be used in the MacBook Air 13-in MacBook Pro Mac Mini and later 24in iMac and iPad Pro in 2021 Apple expanded its chip lineup with the M1 Pro and M1 Max off offering even greater performance capabilities especially for professional users the M1 Pro featured a 10 core CPU including eight performance cores and two efficiency cores up to 16 core GPU and up to 32 GB of unified memory the chip could be found in the 14in and 16-in MacBook Pro Models the M1 Max featured a 10 core CPU and up to a 32 core GPU and supports up to 64 GB of unified memory used in the higher-end configurations of the 14in and 16 16-in MacBook Pro in 2022 Apple introduced the M1 Ultra combining two M1 Max chips using Apple's Ultra Fusion architecture resulting in a 20 core CPU and up to 64 core GPU and up to 128 GB of unified memory the chip was introduced with the Mac Studio aimed at professional users needing Extreme Performance for tasks like 3D rendering and video editing later in 2022 Apple revealed the M2 Chip offering incremental improvements over the M1 including better graphics performance and enhanced machine learning capabilities the M2 Chip features an 8 core CPU up to 10 cor GPU and supports up to 24 GB of unified memory powering the latest MacBook Air and 13-in MacBook Pro Models in 2023 Apple continued its advancements with the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips the M2 Pro offers enhanced performance with 10 core or 12 core CPUs up to 19 core gpus and up to 32 GB of UniFi memory used in updated versions of the MacBook Pro and Mac Mini the M2 Max includes a 12 core CPU up to 38 core GPU and supports up to 96 GB of unified memory found in the highest end configurations of the MacBook Pro and Mac Studio the Apple M3 chip introduced in late 2023 represents a significant advancement in apple silicon technology built on tsmc's 3 nanm process the M3 chip brings improved performance and efficiency over its predecessor the M2 which was based on a 5 nanm process the Next Generation chip Powers a range of new Apple devices including the 14-in MacBook Pro 24in iMac and both 13-in and 15-in MacBook Air models in terms of battery life the M3 chip is designed to be extremely efficient with the MacBook Pro boasting up to 22 hours of battery life and that's the story of how Apple took a bold step into the world of Chip making changing the game for the tech world what's your favorite Apple device that uses their custom chip design let us know in the comments make sure to subscribe for more Tech stories

Channel: Tech Trek

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Length: 9min 6sec (546 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 04 2024