Apple announced M1 processor for Macs


Apple today announced M1, the most powerful chip it has ever created and the first chip designed specifically for the Mac. M1 is optimized for Mac systems in which small size and power efficiency are critically important. As a system on a chip (SoC), M1 combines numerous powerful technologies into a single chip, and features a unified memory architecture for dramatically improved performance and efficiency. M1 is the first personal computer chip built using cutting-edge 5-nanometer process technology and is packed with an astounding 16 billion transistors, the most Apple has ever put into a chip. It features the world’s fastest CPU core in low-power silicon, the world’s best CPU performance per watt, the world’s fastest integrated graphics in a personal computer, and breakthrough machine learning performance with the Apple Neural Engine. As a result, M1 delivers up to 3.5x faster CPU performance, up to 6x faster GPU performance, and up to 15x faster machine learning, all while enabling battery life up to 2x longer than previous-generation Macs. With its profound increase in performance and efficiency, M1 delivers the biggest leap ever for the Mac.

The focus of the presentation was on the power and space efficiency of Apple's custom integrated designs. Apple touted CPU performance over laptop CPUs at the same wattage. The company said the M1 can match peak PC performance running at 25% the power.

While performance/per watt is most advantageous for laptops, desktops users tend to look for more performance. The A14 CPU for iOS and iPadOS scores very respectable using benchmarks, but it's more difficult comparing mobile and desktop usage in actual performance. Apple touted M1 performance specs but mostly related to its own software. It will be very interesting to see how the M1 compares to Intel Macs in real-world performance and benchmarks in general.