After yesterday’s 3D iPad rumor, another one is spreading throughout the Internet today. Tech-blog SemiAccurate reports that they have heard word from their business insiders telling them that Apple is moving away from Intel processors to full 64-bit ARM processors by 2013. The blog says that this transition is already a closed deal for Apple’s laptop line; the desktop computers might follow after that.
Apparently Apple is still waiting for the next generation of processors to be ready, giving the machines the capability of accessing more than 32-bit memory. According to SemiAccurate, that will be mid-2013.
At that point, Apple can move to ARM without worrying about obsoleting code with an ISA that is on the verge of changing, and no memory overhead worries either. Basically, it looks like the perfect time. Ironically, SemiAccurate’s moles tell us that the boys on infinite loop are planning to move laptops to ARM at about that time. Coincidence? Nope.
This report will come as a surprise for Intel, as they supposedly don’t know about Apple’s decision yet:
Intel doesn’t know about this particular change of heart yet, […] In any case, it is a done deal, Intel is out, and Apple chips are in.
Apple currently uses a modified version of ARM’s processors in the latest generation of all iOS devices. That means the company is no stranger to that architecture and knows how to work with it to get the best out of it.
A change of the Mac’s processor architecture is connected with a lot of work, both for Apple and Mac developers. The OS and all existing applications will have to be recompiled to support the new processors and run natively on the machines.
This might seem very uneconomical at first, but Apple could use this change and the need for all the apps to be recompiled to introduce the walled-garden situation we know from the iOS App Store. A change of the OS would be required anyway, so why not make all apps Mac App Store exclusive?
What do you think about this report/rumor? Would it be a good idea for Apple to move away from Intel in the near future, taking into consideration all the work that comes with it? Is it a move they have to make? What do you think about the idea of App Store exclusivity for all apps? Let us know what you have to say about this in the comments!
Article Via MacRumors
