Apple ARM Mac Based On Own 5nm CPU With 12 Cores To Launch In 2021 [Report]

We’ve been hoping and expecting Apple to announce its move away from Intel processors and towards its own ARM-based chips for years now and now it sounds like it’s closer than ever. According to a new Bloomberg report, we can expect Apple to announce an ARM Mac next year.

The report notes that Apple is working on not just a single processor, but a range of them that will be used in multiple machines going forward.

They’re all said to be based on a 5nm process with some featuring as many as 12 CPU cores. Given the improved performance, power management, and thermal prowess of ARM chips these could be very interesting indeed.

Because of that we’re very interested to see what Apple’s ARM-based Macs offer. The new chips will likely debut in Apple’s lower-end machines – the MacBook Air, probably – but they will ultimately need to be capable of powering future Mac Pro and iMac Pro computers.

On the subject of Apple’s need to make apps work on multiple architectures, Bloomberg says that the company is “exploring tools” that would allow apps to be built to work on ARM Macs in some form of compatibility mode. Apple did something similar when it moved from PowerPC to Intel chips twenty years ago.

If Apple does plan to switch next year it’s likely we will hear something about the plans for developers during this year’s WWDC event, taking place in June. The event will be an online-only affair due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

(Source: Bloomberg)

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