Apple Unveils its First Silicon Processor M1 for Mac Devices: All You Need to Know

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posted on 3 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Mac devices featuring Intel Core processors will be replaced by the new Apple M1 processor over the next two years. Similar to the A14 Bionic SoC powering iPhone 12 models, the M1 SoC is based on 5nm process.

Apple has finally unveiled its in-house M1 system-on-a-chip (SoC) at its One More Thing event that took place earlier today. The new M1 SoC is Apple’s first ARM-based Mac processor, and it will power devices such as Mac Mini (2020), 13-inch MacBook Air, and 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020). The octa-core processor is based on the 5nm process and uses Apple’s unified memory architecture that is touted to run multiple applications and programmes simultaneously and seamlessly. Apple had first mentioned about its Apple Silicon processor at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), and it will replace Intel Core processors that powers several Mac device in the course of next two years.

Notably, the Apple M1 processor has integrated graphics with the GPU containing up to eight cores. The company claims that this “world’s fastest integrated graphics” on any processor and it is said to save the hassle of looking for dedicated GPU for a PC. The Apple M1 also contains a 16-core Neural Engine that can complete 11 trillion operations per second – similar to the A14 Bionic SoC that powers iPad Air (2020). This feature is touted to improve the processor’s machine learning capabilities. Additionally, the M1 comes with support for Thunderbolt 4, PCI Express Gen 4, and NVMe storage. Apple further highlights that the new processor improves the battery backup of the device, for instance, the new 13-inch MacBook is touted to offer 18 hours of video playback on a single charge – more than any MacBook model.

It was also added that the processor is optimised for the next-generation Mac operating system the – the Big Sur. Applications such as Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro are said to provide up to six times faster. With the launch of the new M1 processor, Apple will hope to rival premium notebooks running the latest, 11th Gen Intel Core processors. Meanwhile, Apple’s new Mac models – the Mac Mini (2020), 13-inch MacBook Air, and 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020) will ship with Rosetta 2, which will translate existing x86-based apps so that they can run on M1 Macs.

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