Apple Mac computers to translate ARM processors in 2016. This statement was made by the former CEO Jean-Louis Gasse, who was at the helm of Apple from 1981 to 1990. The main arguments in favor of ARM-architecture senior manager called energy efficiency, low cost, and native integration with mobile devices.
Apple is investing heavily in their own design based on ARM, and the fruits of these investments, we are already seeing on the chips A6 and A7 in the iPhone and iPad - they were designed by the corporation itself, and they were only used proprietary technologies.The interest in this area kupertintsev say and made acquisitions in recent years, for example, the purchase of the company, developer PA Semi. In this modern performance ARM-processors is enough to serve a minimum of mobile computing, as evidenced by the appearance on the market of "Chromebooks" from Google.
Jean-Louis Gasse believes ARM reaches an acceptable level for desktops in 2016.According to him, this technology has a number of advantages: better use of computing power, the native integration with other devices, lower cost. Clicking on the processors of its own design, Apple can save significantly as buying components from Intel is much more expensive than ordering the production of its chips from Samsung and TSMC. In addition, the company will be able to choose their own graphics engine: whether to use graphics Intel HD, or leave the graphics from Imagination Technology. Businessman convinced that Apple A10 processors will be used not only in the iPhone and iPad, but also in computers Mac, instead of the suggested solutions Intel x86.
First rumors about the transition to the ARM industry arose after Apple publicly threatened to abandon its Intel processors, if the latter does not optimize the power consumption of their designs. Earlier media reported, though in Cupertino already prototypes of computers MacBook Air, Mac mini and iMac based on ARM processors with 4 or 8 cores and 64-bit architectures. Commercialization of these products have not received.
Apple could theoretically go on chips ARM, but in practice, the company will face a number of challenges. First, desktop programs for Mac are not optimized for ARM, secondly Apple will have to change a significant part of the system logic for the new processors. Thirdly, while the chips Intel, although consume 2-3 times more power than chips ARM, offer significantly better performance. Ex-head of "fruit" of the company believes that in 2016 Apple will be able to eliminate all these problems.