Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Apple may ditch Intel for an Arm-based MacBook within the next 18 months

Luke Larsen
By

Reports about an Arm-based MacBook have been in the works for years. But according to a new prediction from noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the timetable for these new products is being pushed forward.

Kuo states that a Mac with an Apple-branded processor will be released within the next 12 to 18 months. According to 9to5 Mac, Kuo cited a “more aggressive” pursuit of 5nm process processors as a reason for this push, especially since the outbreak of the coronavirus. These 5nm processors are supposed to be an important part of Apple’s platform for 2021 devices, including the Mac.

Recommended Videos

This doesn’t mean necessarily that Apple would move its entire Mac lineup to Arm. Apple could lead with an entry-level device like the MacBook Air and keep its Pro-level devices with Intel. The Air would be a good contender for the A-series treatment as it currently uses a slower dual-core Intel processor.

Related

MacBooks have been running on Intel processors since 2005, marking this change as a serious departure from the previous era of Apple laptops.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

An Arm-based MacBook faces some challenges in terms of user experience. Because these Arm chips aren’t based on the x86 instruction set, they can’t install many of the traditional Mac apps you might be used to. That’s likely we Apple is using its Catalyst development program to help developers port their apps over to the Mac App Store from iOS or iPad. The first of these apps came from Apple itself, which ditched the legacy iTunes application for a trio of Catalyst apps.

We expect to get some kind of update to Catalyst in June at Apple’s annual developers conference.

There have also been reports that Apple is considering a switch to AMD in MacBooks this year. AMD launched new Ryzen laptop processors that feature an astonishing eight cores in as little as 15 watts. These could make dramatically increase the content creation capabilities of the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Apple usually saves its biggest MacBook updates for later in the year, such as 2019’s late launch of the 16-inch MacBook Pro. That said, a March 31 event has been rumored, which could bring a keyboard and processor update to the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Other rumored products at the event include the iPhone SE 2 and the AirTags.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Luke Larsen
Luke Larsen
Senior Editor, Computing
Luke Larsen is the Senior editor of computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.
All the ways Intel Macs are still better than Apple Silicon Macs
cheap macbook deals

MacBooks are pretty amazing these days. Thanks to the efficiency of Apple Silicon, you get all-day battery life, as well as the ability to edit videos when unplugged from power. The new MacBook Air with the M3 chip is even good enough for gaming.

All of that is in contrast to the Intel Macs of the past.

Read more
Apple’s next Pencil may work with the Vision Pro headset
All three versions of the Apple Pencil lined up next to each other.

A couple of news reports posted on Monday suggest that Apple has been testing a new Apple Pencil that can be used with the company's recently released Vision Pro headset. One of them even suggests that the new Vision Pro-compatible Apple Pencil could launch alongside new iPads in the next few weeks, but this is by no means confirmed.

Both MacRumors and GSM Arena cited people with knowledge of the matter, with the former saying that support for the Apple Pencil would “essentially turn your surroundings into the Pencil's canvas.”

Read more
Which color MacBook should you buy? Here’s how to pick
The MacBook Air on a table in front of a window.

Apple’s MacBook laptops come in a range of colors, and selecting which is right for you can be a tricky business. Sure, it’s perhaps not as important as deciding which chip to pick or how much memory you should buy, but it’s still a vital part of the equation. After all, you’re going to see that color every time you reach for your MacBook. You don’t want it to be something that fills you with regret.

But how should you pick a MacBook color? And what do the colors even look like in the first place? We’ve got the answers to those questions in this guide. We’d also advise you to go to an Apple Store to take a look at the MacBook colors in person, as some can be hard to appreciate just by browsing Apple’s website.

Read more