Apple Silicon: A groundbreaking move and bad news for Intel

Apple Silicon: A groundbreaking move and bad news for Intel

Apple's annual World Wide Developers Conference ( WWDC ) is held online on June 22. This is the first time Apple has taken the conference online due to the epidemic. The conference lasted from June 22-26. At this conference, Apple unveiled various features of its product line-up. Apple's most talked about topic at this year's WWDC was the shift from Intel to its own processor. This means that Apple will no longer use Intel processors in their new devices.

Apple has not only changed the processor, but it has also changed the whole architecture. They have announced that by 2022, all types of devices, apps will shift from their current to the new architecture. Now the question is - what does this mean for consumers? And what is its impact on future technology? And why is this bad news for Intel?

Processor architecture

Let's clear up the basic concepts before moving on to the main topic. How a processor will work, how fast it will depend on the processor design or architecture. Each processor works with some set of instructions. The instruction set tells the processor what to do with it. When we launch software or program, it is converted into machine language (0 and 1) and the instruction set shows them what to do, if they go to any address, the program can do its job. The two most widely used processor architectures currently used by almost all computers in the world are x86 and -x86-64. x86 is 32 bits and x64 Although K is considered to be 64 bit, there are some other technical issues in it which are large and are not discussed here as they are unnecessary.

Use of ARM; Image Source: Toptal.com

Apart from this, all the small devices starting from our mobile phones are running in a different architecture. Its name is ARM. ARM processors run on different architectures because the X86 architecture built by Intel is only valid for use by a handful of companies, including AMD, outside of Intel. The X86 is a remarkable architecture that allows us to get such a fast computer processor and solve complex problems easily. ARM is used to solve the Sojasapta problem so that it can solve the task at a much lower energy cost. This is why ARM is used in all types of devices, especially those that rely on batteries. And the less energy it generates, the more advantage it has of ARM processors. Simply put, the X86 architecture is for heavy work, and the ARM architecture is for light work.

Comparison of Arm with Intel; Image source: Arm.com

So the reason we talk so much about architecture is that before creating a program, you have to decide which architecture it will run in. This means that any program designed for the X86 architecture will not run on ARM. The same goes for the X86. Now another thing that may come to mind is that I have heard about the use of Snapdragon, MediaTek, Bionic in smartphones, then where did ARM come from! In fact, ARM Holdings (ARM architecture makers) only make processor designs, they don't make any processors. These designs are bought and modified by Samsung, Apple, Qualcomm to make their own chips.

What is Apple Silicon?

Apple Silicon is basically an SoC (System on a Chip). Now, what is SoC again? Usually, a processor has only the processor component, but the main things to manage a device in an SoC, such as processor, graphics, memory, security features, are all together.

Apple Silicon is not that new! They have been using it on their iPhone, iPad for a long time. Apple's current A13 Bionic is the world's fastest smartphone processor. Apple has gone so far in designing its Arm processor that in the computer world, they have decided to use Apple Silicon.

Apple Silicon

Apple has made such changes before. In 1994 they shifted from 68K to PowerPC processors, and in 2001 they released a new version of Mac OS. Then in 2007, it shifted from PowerPC to Intel and released Intel-based MacBook Pro and iMac. The reason for shifting from PowerPC to Intel was the capabilities of Intel processors. Now again, the reason for this change is not only the increase in the efficiency of the Arm processor, but there are also more aspects of the accessory. Now let's talk about that.

The advantages-disadvantages of this change

Apple is famous for its ecosystem. The interface of each of Apple's devices is so well-organized and comfortable that they have created a certain fanbase. Besides, people are constantly shifting to Apple's ecosystem. However, the conversion rate is much lower in MacBook or iMac than in smartphones. Apple has used Apple Silicon on every one of their devices except MacBook-iMac. As a result, Apple has full control over their products.  

Increase efficiency and save energy

The progress of arm-based processors is really commendable. The world's fastest supercomputer is currently powered by arm-based technology. Also, Apple's current A13 Bionic is almost a hundred times more powerful than its first Arm-based processor, A4. This shows how much Apple has advanced in its technology and has been able to maintain a continuum of improvements.

There is a term in the processor world called Performance per watt,  which means how much Performance a processor can give per watt power. Because of this Performance per watt, Apple shifted from PowerPC to Intel. Since the Arm processor consumes much less power i.e., if a 5 watt Arm processor can give the same performance as a 15 watt Intel processor, then another 15 watt Arm processor will be able to give more Performance.

Arm's performance increase in 2 years; Image Source: PhoneArena

And since Apple will build its own processors, they will also have the opportunity to optimize their operating system. This will make the user experience more comfortable, as has been the case with their iPhones and iPads.

New feature and neural engine

Apple's neural engine has no less reputation. Basically, it is placed separately in the SOC. It has the ability to work spontaneously like CPU or GPU. With the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning, it can complete heavy tasks faster. With the addition of MacBook, technologists believe that things like video rendering can be done faster. And it goes without saying that Apple will bring new and interesting features thanks to its own chip.

More security

Intel processor security bugs are not new. There are still some bugs that could not be fixed. And Apple does not compromise on the security of its products. We all know more or less about the security of the iPhone. With Apple Silicon, higher security is now available on MacBooks, which is definitely good news for consumers. And they don't have to wait for Intel to fix a new bug.

The possibility of reducing the price of the product

Intel processors are the most expensive in the processor world. For this, companies have to pay huge sums of money to Intel, which increases the price of the product and has an impact on consumers. Since Apple will now make their own processors and the production cost of the Arm processor is low, the price of the product is expected to go down. Apple also doesn't have to wait for Intel's processor to be released. They will be able to release the product to the market according to their time.

The iPhone-iPad app will run on Mac.

As it is arm-based, iPhone and iPad apps will run on Mac without any hassle. As a result, Mac users will have the opportunity to use the huge app database of iOS. However, this raises another question. Arm processors will not run x86-based applications, but all current Mac applications are built for the x86 architecture, what will happen to them?

Apple has come up with Rosseta 2 and Universal 2 to solve this problem. The current x86-based application will run Rosseta 2. Rosetta 2 is an emulator, meaning that when an application is launched, it will convert the x86 instruction set to the arm's instruction set and then run it on the processor. They have shown that it is possible to run games through it. Applications built with Universal 2 will run on both Intel and Apple Silicon. That's why Apple said 2 years. During this time, developers will have the opportunity to create all their applications for Apple Silicon. That's why Apple is renting developer kits to developers. For just 500 dollars, this kit has an Apple A12Z processor, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD. Technicians say it's ideal for developers.

Developer Kit; Image Source: Apple Insider

In the midst of so many benefits, a question arises as to whether it will have any negative impact?  

Not really. It is also a very positive plan for consumers. However, Apple has not yet issued any instructions for those who use Bootcamp (running Windows on Mac). However, it is hoped that they will open a system in the future.

However, this is bad news for Intel, as their market share has plummeted due to AMD, and the end of their so-called relationship with Apple may not be good news for them. Many are applauding Apple's change. This will do little to improve the performance of Intel's processors over the past few years. On the other hand, AMDO has hinted at bringing mobile processors. Apple Silicon's announcement has opened the door to new possibilities for arm-based processors, which is undoubtedly good news for consumers.