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Or alternately one where some Windows / Linux manufacturer could match Apple for all the innovations in the M1 Macbooks. I'm not an Apple fan but I'm envious of

Or alternately one where some Windows / Linux manufacturer could match Apple for all the innovations in the M1 Macbooks. I'm not an Apple fan but I'm envious of what they've accomplished and wish I could run Windows and Linux on similar hardware. Other folks are starting to get there but only from the mobile device direction, e.g. Tensor. Maybe I should look closer at what Microsoft has done with ARM Surface.

smoldesu 5y ago
It doesn't help that Apple bought the entire manufacturing capacity for 5nm silicon from TSCM right before the chip shortage hit. I think the next few years are going to get very competitive though, and I'm excited to see how Intel and AMD respond.
- taf2 5y ago
  How is Amazon able to product their arm chips for aws? Assuming those are not the 5nm?
  - smoldesu 5y ago
    There's still 5nm silicon for sale, but just not at TSCM (the largest semiconductor manufacturer in the world). Companies like Samsung are just now getting around to mass-producing 5nm, and afaik there were a few domestic Chinese manufacturers who claimed to be on the node too. As for Amazon specifically though, I've got no idea. They're a large enough company that they could buy out an entire fab or foundry if they wanted, AWS makes more than enough money to cover the costs.
    - pezezin 5y ago
      Nitpick: it's TSMC, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
      - smoldesu 5y ago
        Good catch, my mind always interprets it as Taiwan Semi-Conductor Manufacturer
        pezezin 5y ago
        Yeah, I always need to think twice before writing or saying their name. Same with ASML. I guess there is a reason why TLAs are much more common than FLAs.
- phkahler 5y ago
  Apple has done that before. IIRC when the original iPod came out it used a new generation of HDD. Apple went to the drive manufacturer and said "we'll take all of them" and they agreed.
meragrin_ 5y ago
> all the innovations in the M1 Macbooks What are the innovations in them? From everything I've heard, they just basically reverted all the changes most people hated for the last few years and slapped a new chip in there.

smoldesu 5y ago

It doesn't help that Apple bought the entire manufacturing capacity for 5nm silicon from TSCM right before the chip shortage hit. I think the next few years are going to get very competitive though, and I'm excited to see how Intel and AMD respond.

taf2 5y ago
How is Amazon able to product their arm chips for aws? Assuming those are not the 5nm?
- smoldesu 5y ago
  There's still 5nm silicon for sale, but just not at TSCM (the largest semiconductor manufacturer in the world). Companies like Samsung are just now getting around to mass-producing 5nm, and afaik there were a few domestic Chinese manufacturers who claimed to be on the node too. As for Amazon specifically though, I've got no idea. They're a large enough company that they could buy out an entire fab or foundry if they wanted, AWS makes more than enough money to cover the costs.
  - pezezin 5y ago
    Nitpick: it's TSMC, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
    - smoldesu 5y ago
      Good catch, my mind always interprets it as Taiwan Semi-Conductor Manufacturer
      - pezezin 5y ago
        Yeah, I always need to think twice before writing or saying their name. Same with ASML. I guess there is a reason why TLAs are much more common than FLAs.
phkahler 5y ago
Apple has done that before. IIRC when the original iPod came out it used a new generation of HDD. Apple went to the drive manufacturer and said "we'll take all of them" and they agreed.

meragrin_ 5y ago

> all the innovations in the M1 Macbooks What are the innovations in them? From everything I've heard, they just basically reverted all the changes most people hated for the last few years and slapped a new chip in there.