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Keep repeating the same thing again and again, and people eventually start believing it. I don't believe Apple processors are "game changing" as the hype warra
by webmobdev 6y ago
Keep repeating the same thing again and again, and people eventually start believing it.
I don't believe Apple processors are "game changing" as the hype warrants or that AMD and Intel or DOOMED, because the comparison with AMD and Intel CPU itself is flawed. It's only game changing like the lightening connector of Apple - it was based on existing technology that Apple was bold enough to customise and innovate for its specific needs. Their current processor is the same.
People are forgetting that this is not the first time that different CPU architectures are competing with one other! Apple themselves are historical proof of this with the many switches they have made over the last 3+ decade.
Apple has made a system-on-chip that is obviously quite different from the current Intel or AMD processors. Moreover their software is finely optimized for it. Kudos to them for doing so - they certainly have been bolder in pushing for these obvious existing innovations that no one was willing to spend some money to do so.
While Intel and AMD also offer integrated GPU with some of their CPU, they are nothing like the current spread of ARM SoCs that offer many other units integrated with the CPU - as this article itself points out, Apple's SoC contains a GPU, an image processing unit, a digital signal processing unit, Neural processing unit, video encoder / decoder, a "secure enclave" for encryption / decryption and unified memory (RAM integrated). (Note that this is not a unique innovation as claimed by this article, and some others - many ARM SoCs like these already exist in different variations. In fact, it's what made ARM popular.)
Obviously, when a system software or application uses these specific units of an SoC to process specific data, they may be faster than a processor that doesn't have these units. And Intel and AMD processors currently don't have these specific units integrated with their CPU. That is why comparing the Apple SoCs with Intel or AMDs processors and calling them "better" is bullshit to begin with as they aren't the same thing. If Intel and AMD also had these units along with RAM integrated within it, than it would be a reasonably fair comparison. (Assuming all the other hardware and software remain the same, which is quite difficult to do so with Apple computers as they make custom hardware that doesn't easily accept other parts.)
Yes, Apple system-on-chips for its desktop PC do appear to give a comparable performance to the current Intel and AMD CPUs (and even surpass it in some specific computing) through macOS. But calling it an AMD or Intel killer however is just illogical and exaggerated marketing - there is nothing that prevents either AMD or Intel to innovate even beyond what Apple has done, and integrate the RAM or build similar SoCs, if the market demands it.
I am betting that while Apple will certainly increase their profits and customer base with their own chips, they will also lose many "insignificant" customers like me who have no interest in buying an even less customisable and more closed system from Apple. Intel and AMD CPUs offer me more computing freedom than an Apple Silicon ever will.
- scottisbrave84 6y agoI really like your post and it's descriptness. I wanted to add that the apple core is doing 2+2 in some kind of dual socket configuration. The x1 by arm in a dual socket configuration would be similar performance. So it's there in the specs. Apple has arranged their implementation in some kind of funky 2+2 plus two plus two arrangement in the fan so if theirs failures it just becomes an apple a series chip.
- ramraj07 6y agoThese are the exact same arguments folks made and probably still make with the original iPhone release. A decade later, Apple is one of the most valuable companies, no one profits from mobile business more than they do and their phones are clearly the best premium phones (the majority of its competition is from the budget category). The way it's similar is that you yourself make a clear case in the number of ways apple's new silicon is actually groundbreaking but then you really are trying to concoct it in a way to find a flaw. The only real problem that you point out here, which also exists with the iPhone, is the anticompetitive and customisable nature of the future Apple is creating. Someone taking a stand on that in principle is commendable though questionable practically. Ignoring that for a moment, it is not really up to argument except by biased "old timers" that this is truly amazing work in chip and software design. It's not like no one else wants or cares about any of these metrics, it's that no one has been able to get their sh*t together in a way that Apple has. Which is interesting because just a few years back MacBooks became a very bad choice for anyone for a number of hardware issues (outrageous keyboard, finicky motherboards, etc). So this is a very interesting 180 indeed.
- blablabla123 6y ago> These are the exact same arguments folks made and probably still make with the original iPhone release. So true. The iPhone was by far not the first smartphone but it appeared with optimal timing as it was possible to create something really polished while still having enough features. Also now low energy is a trend and having a fast laptop with passive cooling is just surreal. The MacBooks seem inferior in many ways but if you compare just the fact sheets, they are just more close to what a mobile user needs. (Battery life, generally solid components, low weight, it just works - and if not you can go to the next Apple store) Intel definitely went a few times in the wrong direction with Itanium and also all the CPU bugs (although ARM had them as well). But I'm sure they'll come up with something new if needed, this wouldn't be the first time