苹果将芯片组问题掌握在自己手中

在周二播出的一次网上在线活动中，苹果以新的苹果硅芯片为基础，推出其首款电脑型号。

Mac Air、Mac Mini 和 13 英寸 MacBook Pro 都使用该公司基于 ARM 的新 M1 芯片进行刷新。此举是从英特尔芯片和苹果硅转型的开始，预计需要两年时间。

"苹果喜欢做的一件事是控制自己的命运，"加州坎贝尔的技术咨询公司——创意策略公司总裁蒂姆·巴贾林解释道。

"这是苹果最后一大难题，"他告诉TechNewsWorld。"他们终于有了一个 他们创造且控制的CPU。

他指出，苹果一直渴望拥有自己的芯片组，而不是依赖摩托罗拉或英特尔等公司来开发处理器。

Bajarin 评论道："一大症结是，他们总是依靠英特尔的下一代处理器来驱动下一代 Mac。"这总是令人沮丧的。

"现在，"他继续说，"通过使 Mac 拥有自己的 CPU，他们可以使其更节能、更安全，并且可以与永远无法与其他公司制造的处理器配合的操作系统连接。

燃烧的性能？

苹果的M1芯片在单个芯片上堵塞了8核CPU、8核GPU和16核神经引擎。

苹果称，CPU是上一代处理器的3.5倍，GPU的图形速度高达5倍;神经引擎的速度比英特尔 Mac 快九倍。

不过，这些说法尚未得到独立证实。

M1 具有 8 核 CPU，由四个高性能内核和四个高效内核组成。

Tirias Research首席分析师凯文？克雷韦尔（KevinKrewell）表示："下周，我们应该看到一堆独立的第三方基准测试结果，这些测试结果应该告诉我们哪些效果良好，哪些效果不好。

他告诉TechNewsWorld："苹果对其性能做出了一些大胆的宣称，但除非人们动手操作机器并进行独立测试，否则我们并不确定这些说法。"这就是为什么在我们接受 Kool - Aid 之前， 等待第三方验证苹果的主张总是好的。

摩尔洞察与战略公司创始人兼首席分析师帕特里克·摩尔黑德（Patrick Moorhead）认为，M1的业绩几乎无法衡量，因为苹果没有就它提出的任何业绩声明提供任何详细的证据。

他在一份声明中表示："我认为，应该对这些基准进行广泛审查，因为我相信CPU基准可能使用极合成的基准（如 GeekBench）来衡量。

迷你定价惊喜

ARM 处理器主要用于移动设备，以延长电池寿命而广为人知。M1 似乎就是这种情况，新款 MacBook Air 和 MacBook Pro 的电池续航时间在 15 到 20 小时之间。

"电池续航时间的承诺是惊人的，"摩尔洞察的另一位分析师马克N.维纳说。

他告诉TechNewsWorld："苹果不仅可以使用自己的芯片，还可以优化与大苏尔操作系统的集成。

在苹果事件之前，有人猜测苹果可能会以更低的价格将生产自己的硅的节省部分转用于消费者。

对于Air and Pro， 事实并非如此。他们以目前999美元和1299美元的价格出售。然而，Mini的价格跌至699美元。

"他们似乎想在服务器场和专业应用等场所扩大Mini的可地址市场，"Reticle Research首席分析师罗斯·鲁宾（Ross Rubin）指出。

他告诉TechNewsWorld："如果你把它与廉价的键盘和显示器配对，那么进入苹果硅市场是最便宜的方式。

"我认为Mini可能会出人意料地受到这一切的打击，"Technalysis研究公司的创始人兼首席分析师鲍勃·奥唐纳补充道。

"如果我对基于ARM的Mac感到好奇，"他告诉TechNewsWorld，"使用Mini是进行实验的完美方式。

更多价值，相同价格

鲁宾解释说，在Mac系列一些更实惠的产品中推出苹果硅，应该能让更多的产品与M1芯片进入市场更快，并加快从英特尔芯片的迁移。

"让开发人员支持新芯片的一个方法就是向他们展示这种转变正在迅速发生，"他说。

鲁宾补充说，Air和Pro的定价是由价值驱动的。"当你获得以前架构的所有优势以及更好的性能和电池寿命时，为什么要少付钱呢？而对于MacBookAir，没有这样的情况。"他推理道。

不过，奥唐纳表示，对定价有些失望。"有些人希望他们能达到一些更主流的定价，比如799美元。

对于那些迫不及待地购买新机型的消费者来说，苹果非常包容。他们可以在本周订购一个单位，并在上周之前订购。

Vena 说："通常，您必须等待三、四天或一周才能在公告后订购，然后在公告发布后等待 10 天才能交货。"看起来他们的供应链已经确定。

始终打开的笔记本

正如苹果从摩托罗拉向英特尔芯片过渡时所做的，它也将包括软件，Rosetta 2，使旧版应用程序能够在新的Mac上运行。

鲁宾说："我们遵循了苹果熟悉的剧本，了解苹果如何处理上次的过渡，这对他们来说效果非常好。

然而，摩尔黑德认为苹果在活动上没有提及足够的传统应用程序。"公司也没有谈论关于兼容性的很多内容，"他说，"但确实做了一些巨大的声称，Rosetta 2可以运行你最喜欢的游戏。

"我发现这几乎是不可能的，"他继续说，"因为新的GPU没有AMD、英特尔和NVIDIA新GPU中的高端质量功能。

虽然这次活动没有提及5G连接性，但阿比研究公司的研究主管大卫·麦奎因认为，苹果硅的未来是光明的。

他告诉TechNewsWorld："此举也标志着苹果向5G集成和笔记本电脑的'始终打开'连接迈出了重要一步。

他表示："这种转变可能为苹果所有设备实现5G连接铺平道路，从而在未来可能提供与自身5G调制解调器的紧密集成。

"如果这样的举措取得成果，"他继续说，"这将推动创造5G始终打开的笔记本电脑市场。

Apple Takes Chipset Matters Into Its Own Hands

By John P. Mello Jr. Nov 11, 2020 4:00 AM PT

Apple pulled the wraps off its first computer models based on its new Apple Silicon chip at an online event aired Tuesday.

The Mac Air, Mac Mini and 13-inch MacBook Pro are all being refreshed with the company's new ARM-based M1 chip. The move is the beginning of a transition, expected to take two years, away from Intel chips and to Apple Silicon.

"One thing Apple likes to do is control their own destiny," explained Tim Bajarin, president or Creative Strategies, a technology advisory firm in Campbell, Calif.

"This is the last big piece of the puzzle for Apple," he told TechNewsWorld. "They finally have a CPU that they created and they control."

He noted that Apple has always coveted having their own chipset, rather than depending on companies like Motorola or Intel for processors.

"One big sticking point was they were always relying on Intel's next generation processors to drive the next generation Mac," Bajarin commented. "That was always frustrating."

"Now," he continued, "by having their own CPU for the Mac, they can make it more power efficient, more secure, and they can tie it to their own operating systems in ways that they could never do with processors made by other companies."

Blazing Performance?

Apple's M1 silicon jams on a single chip an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU and 16-core neural engine.

According to Apple, the CPU is 3.5 times faster than previous generation processors, the GPU produces up to five times faster graphics; and the neural engine is nine times faster than those in Intel Macs.

Those claims, though, haven't been independently verified yet.

M1 features an 8-core CPU consisting of four high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores.

"We should see a bunch of independent, third-party benchmark test results next week, which should tell us what works well and what does not," observed Kevin Krewell, a principal analyst with Tirias Research.

"Apple made some bold claims about performance, but until people get their hands on the machines and do independent tests we won't know for sure about those claims," he told TechNewsWorld. "That's why it's always good to wait for third parties to validate Apple's claims before we drink the Kool-Aid."

Patrick Moorhead, founder and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, maintained that M1's performance is nearly impossible to gauge because Apple didn't provide any detailed substantiation around any of the performance claims it made.

"I think these should be scrutinized extensively as I believe the CPU benchmarks are likely measured using very synthetic benchmarks like GeekBench," he said in a statement.

Mini Pricing Surprise

ARM processors, which are primarily used in mobile devices, are known for prolonging battery life. That seems to be the case with the M1, with battery life in the 15 to 20 hour range for the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

"The battery life promises are astounding," observed another analyst with Moor Insights, Mark N. Vena.

"Apple can do that by not only using its own silicon, but by optimizing integration with the Big Sur operating system," he told TechNewsWorld.

Before the Apple event, there was speculation that Apple might pass on the savings from making its own silicon to consumers in the form of lower prices.

For the Air and Pro, that wasn't the case. They're selling at their current prices of $999 and $1,299 respectively. However, the Mini's price tag dipped to $699.

"They seem to be wanting to expand the addressable market for the Mini in places like server farms and specialty applications," noted Ross Rubin, the principal analyst at Reticle Research.

"If you pair it with a cheap keyboard and monitor, it's the least expensive way to get into the Apple Silicon market," he told TechNewsWorld.

"I think the Mini could be surprise hit of all this," added Bob O'Donnell, founder and chief analyst with Technalysis Research.

"If I'm curious about ARM-based Macs," he told TechNewsWorld, "the Mini is the perfect way to experiment."

More Value, Same Price

Rubin explained that launching Apple Silicon in some of the more affordable products in the Mac line should get more products with the M1 chip in them into the market faster and speed along the migration from Intel chips.

"One way to get developers to support the new chip is to show them the transition is happening quickly," he said.

Rubin added that the pricing of the Air and Pro is value-driven. "Why should you be paying less when you're getting all the benefits of the previous architecture and far better performance and battery life? And in the case of the MacBook Air, no fan," he reasoned.

Still, O'Donnell said there is some disappointment about the pricing. "Some people were hoping they would hit some more mainstream pricing, like $799."

For consumers who can't wait to get their hands on one of the new models, Apple is being very accommodating. They can order a unit this week and have it by next week.

"Usually you have to wait three or four days or a week to order after an announcement and then 10 days after that to get delivery," Vena observed. "It looks like they have their supply chain in gear."

Always-On Notebooks

As Apple did when it transitioned from Motorola to Intel chips, it will include software, Rosetta 2, that enables legacy applications to run on the new Macs.

"We're following a familiar playbook from Apple in terms of how it handled that last transition, which worked out very well for them," Rubin said.

However, Moorhead felt Apple didn't mention enough about legacy apps at its event. "The company didn't talk a lot about compatibility either," he said, "but did make some giant claims that Rosetta 2 could play your favorite games."

"I find that nearly impossible," he continued, "as the new GPU doesn't have the higher-end quality features found in AMD, Intel and NVIDIA's new GPUs."

Although 5G connectivity wasn't mentioned at the event, David McQueen, a research director at ABI Research, believes that's in the future for Apple Silicon.

"This move could also signal a significant step for Apple toward 5G integration and 'always-on' connectivity in its notebooks," he told TechNewsWorld.

"The shift could pave the way to making it easier for all of Apple's devices to enable 5G connectivity, potentially providing tight integration with its own 5G modems in the future," he said.

"If such a move were to come to fruition," he continued, "it would boost the drive to create a 5G always-on notebook market."