Why Is Apple’s New M1 Chip So Good?
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Apple has announced the new M1 chip during its most recent special event. It is the first computer chip designed by Apple itself and will initially arrive in three new Macs:
- MaxBook Air
- Mac Mini
- MacBook Pro (13-inch)
One of the main reasons it has switched from Intel’s X86 architecture processors to ARM-based custom-designed chips is it allows products to deliver better performance while consuming less power — a bold claim indeed. It also allows for increased security and easier app development due to greater control over almost every single component that goes into the computer. This can be quite ground-breaking for Apple if they manage to pull off the transition and meet expectations for most of their product line.
So why is it so good from initial observations? Well the upcoming computers will be faster, more efficient (Apple claims a whopping 100% increase in battery life for the new MacBook Pro) and somehow even quieter. By sharing RAM across both the CPU and GPU of the new integrated system, this new chip, according to Apple, has the “world’s best CPU performance per watt”. This statement was then backed up by a surprisingly simple chart which had extreme marketing vibes but regardless, I’m happy to trust their bullish statements for now.
While we wait for the first wave of new Macs to be sent out next Tuesday and the initial reviews to inundate YouTube, it’s assuring to know that the new MacBook Air has achieved a higher Geekbench score than the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Whether this is the case for everyone in non-ideal conditions is yet to be answered…
One thing is for sure — we will never know what ‘M1’ stands for.
