According to Bloomberg Communications, Apple has begun developing chips for the MacBook Pro that focus on low-power features since last year. The project is known internally as code-named T310, and is said to be similar to the ARM-based chip Apple developed for the MacBook Pro touchbars in 2016.
Bloomberg said it will put the T310 into a MacBook Pro model that Apple will show later this year. The main processor is Intel Kavu Lake chip, but the low-power related parts such as background app activity and PowerNap mode will be designed by the T310 to handle the next generation of MacBook Pro products. In the context of the situation, Apple has not abandoned the Intel Architecture (IA) chip in the MacBook, but it is moving toward the role of an ARM-based chip.
As a result of Apple's growing portion of its own ARM chips in the MacBook Pro notebook, Adrian King Slay Hughes IT columnist recently commented on the ZDNet that it was a reasonable step. Not only could we gain control over the ecosystem, but also could lead to a favorable upgrade cycle for processors and graphics chips.
He also pointed out that Apple's expansion of ARM chips in the MacBook is intended to narrow the distance between iOS and the Mac OS, ultimately enhancing the competitiveness of the MacBook. Apple did not rule out the possibility of ultimately integrating iOS and Mac OS.
Whether Apple will continue to use Intel chips in the MacBook mainstream processor over the mid- to long-term is also a key point. Apple's success with the MacBook Pro shows that there are nuances that it is considering breaking with Intel chips in the future. Adrian King Slay Hughes also argued that Apple's move was the beginning of a process to break with Intel, assuming Bloomberg news coverage to be true.
The rumor that Apple is going to put an ARM chip on its MacBook product has been intimidating for years. Since Apple has designed 64-bit A-series chips for its iPhone and iPad, it has become more of a rumor.
The fact that mobile is firmly established as the center of the computing paradigm also seems to be the reason why Apple is using ARM chips in the MacBook Pro. As the proliferation of connected devices means that mobile processes are spreading that many places, there are also reports that making PCs compatible with devices with mobile chips is a reasonable move.