5 ms·

Energy efficiency? Not so much in circles.

by samat 6y ago

quelsolaar 6y ago
Sure, if your goal is to get the longest running battery then you want something else, but this is also the problem with Apples design, it is designed to be low power. If you want the best graphics/ML/Compute/Ray-tracing/videoencoding/decoding and you are not running on a battery then the M1 is not for you. I think this is a big deal, because it will mean that all the innovation on the bleeding edge will happen on other platforms then the MAC. In WIN/Linux land loads of people are innovating, on hardware for all these things, OS features, applications, peripherals (Like VR). On the Mac side almost nothing can happen unless one company makes it happen. A single company have limited resources and most of all attention span. The problem with controlling everything and doing everything yourself, is that you have to be the best at everything. In the long run you will fail at something. My guess is that the GPU is where Apple will fall behind first, and where it will be most obvious. They simply dont have the muscle and inclination to go head to head with nVidia on GPUs.
- yoz-y 6y ago
  The whole impressive thing about the M1 is that it is low power AND fast. With all other current gen processor you can only pick one. > They simply dont have the muscle and inclination to go head to head with nVidia on GPUs. I wouldn’t bet on this, Apple has a history of barging into markets and becoming tech leaders in them. Mainly because they have enough money and clout to attract the best talent in the areas.
  - quelsolaar 6y ago
    No the have a terrible history of catering to high-end needs, b2b and specialty needs. Remember the Xserver? They killed off most of the high end video market with FinalCutX, Everyone in the CGI space will not forgive Apple for what they did to Shake. The drop of OpenGL made loads of CAD apps give up on Apple. AAA game developers have long ago given up on Apple making something competitive. And add to that the debacle that was the trashcan, and the cheese grater. Neither of which was anywhere near competitive. Apple is great at figuring out what the mass market wants, for everyone else they have a very poor track record.
    - yoz-y 6y ago
      I agree that on the software front it’s a whole different story. I was thinking about broader categories like the music players (initially derided), phones (that Ballmer interview really aged poorly and and all large phone manufacturers couldn’t believe what was happening). Watches - all the media portrayed the Apple Watch as a failure even years after it was a market leader. The M1 is the same story, all the benchmarks were showing that A series chips had great performance compared to x86 and yet people still somehow managed to be surprised that M1 is fast. That’s why I wouldn’t bet agains apple when it comes to graphics cards. Now, the software story is different. Even if they have the greatest GC, the question is “what for?” As you mentioned they managed to scared off professionals. And they chased gaming away years ago.

Energy efficiency? Not so much in circles.

by samat 6y ago

Energy efficiency? Not so much in circles.

Sure, if your goal is to get the longest running battery then you want something else, but this is also the problem with Apples design, it is designed to be low power. If you want the best graphics/ML/Compute/Ray-tracing/videoencoding/decoding and you are not running on a battery then the M1 is not for you. I think this is a big deal, because it will mean that all the innovation on the bleeding edge will happen on other platforms then the MAC. In WIN/Linux land loads of people are innovating, on hardware for all these things, OS features, applications, peripherals (Like VR). On the Mac side almost nothing can happen unless one company makes it happen. A single company have limited resources and most of all attention span. The problem with controlling everything and doing everything yourself, is that you have to be the best at everything. In the long run you will fail at something. My guess is that the GPU is where Apple will fall behind first, and where it will be most obvious. They simply dont have the muscle and inclination to go head to head with nVidia on GPUs.

yoz-y 6y ago
The whole impressive thing about the M1 is that it is low power AND fast. With all other current gen processor you can only pick one. > They simply dont have the muscle and inclination to go head to head with nVidia on GPUs. I wouldn’t bet on this, Apple has a history of barging into markets and becoming tech leaders in them. Mainly because they have enough money and clout to attract the best talent in the areas.
- quelsolaar 6y ago
  No the have a terrible history of catering to high-end needs, b2b and specialty needs. Remember the Xserver? They killed off most of the high end video market with FinalCutX, Everyone in the CGI space will not forgive Apple for what they did to Shake. The drop of OpenGL made loads of CAD apps give up on Apple. AAA game developers have long ago given up on Apple making something competitive. And add to that the debacle that was the trashcan, and the cheese grater. Neither of which was anywhere near competitive. Apple is great at figuring out what the mass market wants, for everyone else they have a very poor track record.
  - yoz-y 6y ago
    I agree that on the software front it’s a whole different story. I was thinking about broader categories like the music players (initially derided), phones (that Ballmer interview really aged poorly and and all large phone manufacturers couldn’t believe what was happening). Watches - all the media portrayed the Apple Watch as a failure even years after it was a market leader. The M1 is the same story, all the benchmarks were showing that A series chips had great performance compared to x86 and yet people still somehow managed to be surprised that M1 is fast. That’s why I wouldn’t bet agains apple when it comes to graphics cards. Now, the software story is different. Even if they have the greatest GC, the question is “what for?” As you mentioned they managed to scared off professionals. And they chased gaming away years ago.