Apple’s lead in performance and power consumption with its A line of ARM-based processors has become a significant advantage for the company’s mobile devices. With the announcement that it would move Macs to Apple silicon, the company is poised to bring that advantage to the personal computer market, too.

Which M1 Mac Should I Order? — Mac Geek Gab 843

· John F. Braun & Dave Hamilton · Mac Geek Gab Podcast

Apple announced their M1 Macs today, the first Macs made with Apple Silicon chips. Join Dave and John as they dig into the specs to find out what the differences — and similarities — are between these models, helping you decide which one to order. Press play… and don’t get caught!

Apple Silicon Could Lead to Lower-Cost Macs, Predicts Top Analyst

· Charlotte Henry · Link

The first Apple Silicon MacBook May be Announced September 15

Apple will host its ‘One More Thing’ event on Tuesday, at which the first Apple silicon macs are expected to be unveiled. In a new note to investors, JP Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee became the latest to predict that the shift may result in lower-cost Macs.

“With the move to in-house capabilities, Apple is looking to regain control over the pace of the technology roadmap on the processor chips, and create a common architecture across all Apple products, making it easier for developers to write and optimize applications for the product ecosystem,” the analyst writes. For consumers, Chatterjee believes that a lower bill of materials cost with a new Apple Silicon chip could lead to Mac devices with a lower price point targeting a wider market. More specifically, the analyst contends that Apple could release an SKU with a price point between that of the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air. The analyst estimates a standalone market opportunity of 10 to 15 million unit volume for the new Mac device, with a starting average selling price (ASP) of $1,000. That implies about a $15 billion opportunity for Apple, “which will assure multi-year growth in a lackluster PC market.”

All the New Apple Event and Product Release Dates

· John Martellaro · Particle Debris

Apple event and product release dates

Lots of things we were hoping for from Apple didn’t get announced on September 15 and October 13. Now there’s been a bunch of predictions gushing forth.

Sleuthed: Apple Silicon Release Dates

· John Martellaro · Particle Debris

Apple Silicon and Tim Cook.

Apple Insider looks at the history of the PowerPC to Intel transition, what Tim Cook has said to date, practical constraints, and product timing logic to lay out a thoughtful roadmap for Apple Silicon release dates.

Physics Professor Dr. Brad Marston - BGM Interview

· John Martellaro · Background Mode Podcast

Dr. Brad Marston on Background Mode.

Dr. Brad Marston is a professor of physics at Brown University and Associate Director of the Brown Theoretical Physics Center. A graduate of Caltech, he received his Ph.D. from Princeton University and did postdoctoral work at Cornell University. Brad is an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow and is also an Apple developer.

Brad and I chatted about his computational and theoretical physics career. At Caltech, he attended physics classes taught by two of his heroes, the legendary physicists Dr. Richard Feynman and Dr. Kip Thorne. There, he developed his interest in quantum physics and computational models. Later, when he left Sun workstations behind, he adopted the UNIX-based Mac and Xcode as his tools of choice. That’s what he used to build his visual climate model, GCM, already compiled for Apple Silicon. Tune in and geek out with me and this amazing physicist and Mac guru.