Apple is an existential threat to the PC

[iMacmatician]

From Mark Gurman (Bloomberg): "Apple Readies MacBook Pro, MacBook Air Revamps."

For the new MacBook Pros, Apple is planning two different chips, codenamed Jade C-Chop and Jade C-Die: both include eight high-performance cores and two energy-efficient cores for a total of 10, but will be offered in either 16 or 32 graphics core variations.

The chips also include up to 64 gigabytes of memory versus a maximum of 16 on the M1.

[…]

Apple has also been working on a more powerful version of the Mac mini (code name J374) with the same chip as the next MacBook Pro.

Buyers of the high-end Mac Pro desktop planned for next year will likely have a choice of two processors that are either twice or four times as powerful as the new high-end MacBook Pro chip.

Codenamed Jade 2C-Die and Jade 4C-Die, a redesigned Mac Pro is planned to come in 20 or 40 computing core variations, made up of 16 high-performance or 32 high-performance cores and four or eight high-efficiency cores. The chips would also include either 64 core or 128 core options for graphics.

For a redesigned, higher-end MacBook Air planned for as early as the end of the year, Apple is planning a direct successor to the M1 processor. That chip, codenamed Staten, will include the same number of computing cores as the M1 but run faster. It will also see the number of graphics cores increase from seven or eight to nine or 10. Apple is also planning an update to the low-end 13-inch MacBook Pro with that same chip.

Regarding the Jade 2C-Die and the Jade 4C-Die, the codenames and core counts are consistent with multiples of 8 + 2 + 32 (especially the little CPU cores), which leads me to speculate that these CPUs may be multi-chip configurations of Jade C-Die à la AMD's Naples. Also, "Jade C-Chop" is suggestive of a Jade C-Die with half of the GPU cores "chopped" off.

So I'm thinking that the five codenames have the following core configurations, with the A14 and M1 listed for reference. All numbers reflect physical cores on die.

• A14 (2020): 2 big CPU cores, 4 little CPU cores, 4 GPU cores.
• M1 (2020): 4 big CPU cores, 4 little CPU cores, 8 GPU cores.
• Jade C-Chop (2021): 8 big CPU cores, 2 little CPU cores, 16 GPU cores.
• Jade C-Die (2021): 8 big CPU cores, 2 little CPU cores, 32 GPU cores.
• Jade 2C-Die (2022): 16 big CPU cores, 4 little CPU cores, 64 GPU cores — 2 × Jade C-Die.
• Jade 4C-Die (2022): 32 big CPU cores, 8 little CPU cores, 128 GPU cores — 4 × Jade C-Die.
• Staten (2021/2022): 4 big CPU cores, 4 little CPU cores, 10 GPU cores.

 

[PSman1700]

Sounds like real monsters in the works. How will they fair against samsungs new line of laptops?

 

[manux]

It's amazing how many socs appple can design and productize every year. Really superb execution from apple. New year, new product(s) with new soc(s) and new gpu and cpu and neural cores included.

 

[PSman1700]

It's amazing how many socs appple can design for every year. Really superb execution from apple. New year, new product(s) with new soc(s) and new gpu and cpu and neural cores included.

And the software side aswell, i still have my 6s laying around, which got IOS14.5.1, i bought this phone in 2015. Runs as quick as day one on IOS9. Maybe it even will get IOS15 (nothing official on that)

 

[Kaotik]

And the software side aswell, i still have my 6s laying around, which got IOS14.5.1, i bought this phone in 2015. Runs as quick as day one on IOS9. Maybe it even will get IOS15 (nothing official on that)

Software comes quite a bit easier when you control the hardware instead of having to cater infinite different hardware configurations

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Software comes quite a bit easier when you control the hardware instead of having to cater infinite different hardware configurations

Apple never had this problem, although as far as I can recall Hackintosh worked on both Intel and AMD processors, Apple only ever needed to test and compile optimisations for the hardware they chose to include Macs. The same with generic ARM cores in iDevices. Apple weren't wasting time testing iPhone software worked on some obscure SoC they didn't use.

 

[MfA]

It will make for a very very boring tech market once Apple's monopoly is fully formed though.

 

[Kaotik]

It will make for a very very boring tech market once Apple's monopoly is fully formed though.

That will never happen, though.

 

[PSman1700]

That will never happen, though.

Indeed, seems unlikely that Apple will take over everything. Even just Samsung in itself has a larger market.

 

[JoeJ]

If Apple wants to take over, they just give us their money so we can afford
But M1 chip is really kicking ass, so maybe they come up with a different strategy. Or at least others draw some inspiration...

 

[PSman1700]

Apple has the software advantage, you get four to five OS updates. Atleast samsung extended with one year (3 os updates and 3 years security).
I think samsung and others should support their devices for 5 OS updates aswell.

 

[manux]

Apple has the software advantage, you get four to five OS updates. Atleast samsung extended with one year (3 os updates and 3 years security).
I think samsung and others should support their devices for 5 OS updates aswell.

Couple of years ago I would have disagreed. Not anymore. Nowdays phones are so good that especially highend phones could work for 5+years.

 

[Arnold Beckenbauer]

https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/19/craig-federighi-mac-malware-problem/

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is presiding over the Epic vs. Apple case, asked Federighi about why the Mac can have multiple app stores, but not the iPhone. “It is regularly exploited on the Mac,” Federighi explained. “iOS has established a dramatically higher bar for customer protection. The Mac is not meeting that bar today.”

“Today, we have a level of malware on the Mac that we don’t find acceptable,” Federighi added.

Sounds to me like Apple will go the Windows 10S path.

 

[Entropy]

https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/19/craig-federighi-mac-malware-problem/

Sounds to me like Apple will go the Windows 10S path.

Nah. He’s just pointing out an obvious truth.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

It will make for a very very boring tech market once Apple's monopoly is fully formed though.

Few would argue that Apple has too much control over their iDevice ecosystem, both from a developer and consumer perspective, but Apple's market share in phones and computers is tiny. Android dominates the mobile device market and Windows dominates the desktop OS market.

WTF are you worried about Apple? Just ignore them They are easily ignorable.

 

[PSman1700]

Few would argue that Apple has too much control over their iDevice ecosystem, both from a developer and consumer perspective, but Apple's market share in phones and computers is tiny. Android dominates the mobile device market and Windows dominates the desktop OS market.

WTF are you worried about Apple? Just ignore them They are easily ignorable.

Here in europe Apple/iphones can be ignored as were not so into imessage and facetime, but the in the US its basically only imessage/facetime as their standard communication protocol. Rest of the world whatsapp/fb messenger and others do the same job but not bound to just one brand of phone.
Android for sure is catching up in terms of OS/updates (project treble, longer update support), google messages/duo are just as good as imessage and facetime i think.

What apple has going for it is better 3rd party app quality in the appstore as compared to playstore.

 

[Kaotik]

Here in europe Apple/iphones can be ignored as were not so into imessage and facetime, but the in the US its basically only imessage/facetime as their standard communication protocol. Rest of the world whatsapp/fb messenger and others do the same job but not bound to just one brand of phone.
Android for sure is catching up in terms of OS/updates (project treble, longer update support), google messages/duo are just as good as imessage and facetime i think.

What apple has going for it is better 3rd party app quality in the appstore as compared to playstore.

You're exaggarating the US situation for sure, it's 60/40 share for iOS, while in Europe it's around 70/30 for Android

 

[MfA]

Few would argue that Apple has too much control over their iDevice ecosystem, both from a developer and consumer perspective, but Apple's market share in phones and computers is tiny. Android dominates the mobile device market and Windows dominates the desktop OS market.

Apple dominates margins/profits and it's marketshare in richer countries is growing, it's an unstable situation. They can invest more, actually ship in larger volumes (per high end model) etc etc. They will dominate the high end and slowly edge everyone else from the low end.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

You're exaggarating the US situation for sure, it's 60/40 share for iOS, while in Europe it's around 70/30 for Android

Yup. In terms of modern global markets it is not helpful or useful to focus on any singe market unless it's disproportionately influential like Asia (specifically China/India) and Europe shows different preferences country-by-country.

This is the data I was drawing from: https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/all/worldwide/2020. Whichever way you cut it, Apple's market is in the distinct minority. If Apple did usurp mobile and desktop OS markets it's only because existing market leaders f***ed up so badly Apple would probably be a better bet!

Apple dominates margins/profits and it's marketshare in richer countries is growing, it's an unstable situation. They can invest more, actually ship in larger volumes (per high end model) etc etc. They will dominate the high end and slowly edge everyone else from the low end.

Apple's desire for higher margins (profits) is what limits their appeal. This is what is preventing them breaking into the absolutely massive low-end market. Apple seemingly don't want this market as their are no profits to be had, which has got to be the direction from their shareholders. Spending money to secure a market with no ability to monetise it is just dumb.

 

[PSman1700]

You're exaggarating the US situation for sure, it's 60/40 share for iOS, while in Europe it's around 70/30 for Android

https://gs.statcounter.com/vendor-market-share/mobile

Samsung alone is already having a larger mobile market share then Apple. Apple in total is a tiny market compared to android mobile devices.

Apple dominates margins/profits and it's marketshare in richer countries is growing, it's an unstable situation. They can invest more, actually ship in larger volumes (per high end model) etc etc. They will dominate the high end and slowly edge everyone else from the low end.

Am just not seeing it happening, Apple taking over the entire phone market, let alone the whole market.