Does iFan with MacBook need to worry when Apple switches Macs from Intel chips to ARM chips?

It was not until WWDC 2020 that information about ARM-based Macs appeared. Information about ARM-based Macs first appeared in 2018, spread to both Intel officials and earlier this year was confirmed by “fellow” Ming Chi-Kuo.

But for Mac users, this can be a big jump on the machine they use every day for work. ARM and Intel x86 are two very different chip architectures, not even using the same instruction set architecture (ISA). Will the arrival of ARM-based Macs create application compatibility issues, and more importantly, will it make Intel-powered Macs obsolete?

The answer is no. And here are three reasons why current MacBook users don’t need to worry about the big move Apple is about to make.

1. macOS is designed for all types of processors

As a Unix operating system, macOS (Mac OS X) is independent of the chip architecture.

This is not the first time Apple has changed the processor used for Macs, and Intel is not the first processor Apple has chosen for Macs that has helped revitalize the company. Before 2005, Macs used PowerPC chips developed by the Apple, IBM and Motorola alliances.

PowerPC is also the same architecture used on Xbox 360, PS3 and Nintendo Wii. The difference between PowerPC and Intel is the reason why the game port quality (switching platform) from console to PC using x86-64 chip and running Windows during this time is not uniform. However, with Apple, the process of switching from PowerPC to Intel chip is quite “smooth”.

The reason is because, according to Steve Jobs, ” Our principle is that the design of OS X must not depend on the processor .” Even before moving to Intel, Apple secretly compile (compile) software source code on both PowerPC and Intel within 5 consecutive years. Considering the rumors surrounding Macs and ARMs over the past two years, perhaps even Mojave (2018) and Catalina (2019) already have support for ARM chips.

2. Apple will continue to support Macs running Intel for a long time

Macs have a very, very long support life cycle.

The decision to switch to Intel chips did not turn Macs running PowerPC into “junk”. It was not until 6 years later that Apple put the last Macs using PowerPC on the “obsolete” list and stopped providing software updates for this device.

The latest macOS version still supports Macs since 2012. The two older versions, but still updated with the Mojave and High Sierra versions even support Macs since 2009. Thus, in the school It is unlikely that Apple will abandon Intel chips entirely to switch to ARM chips only, existing Mac users can rest assured that their machines will be supported for a long time.

3. Apple will continue to support Intel chips

One of Apple’s most important user groups is professional users: coders, designers, researchers, etc. With this user group, the cross-compatibility of Macs is the biggest reason to choose. choose Apple. If you switch to ARM chips only, Apple will make the Mac lose most of its compatibility with Windows, especially when Microsoft still can not help its operating system to run on ARM.

Therefore, in our opinion, it is likely that Apple will only use ARM on a limited number of Macs instead of replacing them entirely. Due to ARM’s advantage in battery life, its ability to integrate well with 4G / 5G models, and its thin and light design, it is almost certain that Apple will only use this chip for MacBook Air and Mac Mini, or to “revive”. Future 12-inch MacBook.

Apple will probably limit ARM to thin and light Macs like the MacBook Air or the 12-inch MacBook.

Just 3 months ago, Apple also launched the new MacBook Air and MacBook Air. All use Intel chips. Neither company will launch a new product just to make the list “obsolete” a few months later, and so iFans can rest assured that Apple will always support both ARM and Intel.

Most importantly, Apple has no reason to give up x86 . The demand for x86 remains, the Mac operating system is compatible with all chips available on the market, and AMD is slowly depriving Intel of being the number one supplier of x86 chips today. All of these factors have gathered for Apple to launch more Mac ARM next to Mac x86, rather than to replace it completely.