Why now? What would drive the Mac’s move to Apple’s ARM family

If rumors hold true, we can expect Apple to start introducing Macs based on its own A-series chips next year. Such a transition would represent the third major processor architecture transition for the third and likely last time in its astonishing 36-year roller coaster ride. That’s several lifetimes compared to many computing platforms. Following the first transition from Motorola’s 68000 family to PowerPC and then PowerPC to x86, the Mac would finally come to a processor family developed on its home turf. Must-see offer 13-inch MacBook Pro Available at Apple.com in Space Gray or Silver colors. Starts at $1,299. Read More This transition would have different rationales than the others, which were both driven by competition with Intel. The mid-1990s PowerPC transition reflected Apple’s reluctance to adopt the same processor used by its PC competitors, while the mid-2000s Intel transition signified Apple’s acceptance that it had to to remain competitive. Thermal efficiency played a role in both of those transitions, and it would in an ARM transition for the Mac as well.But, back in those days, the Mac was essentially Apple’s business. These days, it is not only a small part of its business, but something of a question mark… Read full this story

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