processors

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on processors:

Apple commits to buying chips from TSMC’s Arizona plant

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Apple might get cutting-edge 3nm processors in 2022
TSMC will start producing advanced 3nm processors for Apple in a factory in Arizona.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday that his company will buy processors made in Arizona by TSMC, which currently produces Apple’s most sophisticated chips primarily in Taiwan.

Plus, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company revealed that it will pour even more billions into Arizona by adding a second chip factory in the state.

Apple is already looking ahead to 2nm processors

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TSMC 7nm processor
Components in Apple processors keep getting smaller and smaller.
Photo: TSMC

A new report indicates Apple is preparing to start putting CPUs made with a 2nm process in its computers, although they won’t be available for several years. This would allow the chips to perform faster while using less power than today’s best.

Progress marches on… with the occasional stumble. The new report comes after the Mac-maker missed out on chips made with a 3nm process, forcing the company to use a 5nm one in its 2022 Mac, iPhone and iPad models.

Intel’s Cannon Lake processors may be delayed, again

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Intel Coffee Lake
Intel's Coffee Lake processors have a lot of potential.
Photo: Intel

The next great update for the MacBook Pro may not happen until late 2018 thanks to a delay in Intel’s highly anticipated Cannon Lake processors.

Intel has allegedly decided to push back the launch of its Cannon Lake processors yet again, according to a new report that claims the company is now looking to launch them toward the end of 2018.

Apple reveals epic 3-year drive to perfect A11 Bionic chip

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A11 Bionic chip is Apple's most powerful smartphone processor ever.
A11 Bionic chip is Apple's most powerful smartphone processor ever.
Photo: Apple

The new A11 Bionic processor that powers the iPhone 8 and iPhone X is the most powerful smartphone chip Apple ever created. But making a processor that’s perfect for AI tasks took some big bets by Apple.

In a new interview with the company’s SVP of hardware tech, Johny Srouji, and marketing boss Phil Schiller, Apple reveals how it took three years to come up with the perfect solution.

ARM’s new chips will come with 3.5x performance boost

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The iPhone's processor is about to get supercharged. Photo: iFixit
The iPhone's processor is about to get supercharged. Photo: iFixit

ARM holdings, the company behind the mobile processor architecture that powers the iPhone and iPad, unveiled its next generation processor blueprints today that it says will increase performance three fold compared to its current designs.

The new Cortex-A72 chips aimed at smartphone and tablets will make their debut next year — just in time for the iPhone 7 — and also use 75% less power while maintaining the same level of performance as today’s ARM processors, paving the way for thinner, more powerful iPhones in the future.

Intel Broadwell processors could slim MacBook Air to just 9mm thick

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Grab a great deal on a refurbished MacBook Pro Ivy i5 Dual 13
Grab a great deal on a refurbished MacBook Pro Ivy i5 Dual 13" Laptop.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The Apple rumor mill has been abuzz for months with whispers that the company plans to release an even thinner MacBook Air with a Retina display, and Intel’s new line of Broadwell processors could be the vital component that makes that makes wafer-thin MacBooks a reality.

Intel’s Broadwell chips have been delayed b early manufacturing problems, but today Intel revealed new details on its new 14-nanometer processors that combine the high-performance of the Haswell Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, with low power improvements that may allow Jony Ive to slim the next MacBook Air down to just 9mm thick.

Haswell MacBook Pros On Track To Ship In September [Report]

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A couple months back, Apple updated the MacBook Air line with Intel’s new, power-sipping Haswell processors, leading to a doubling of battery life across their lineup of ultraportables. No joke, Haswell’s like a miracle: my MacBook Air gets better battery life than my iPad these days.

Despite the fact that Haswell’s such an incredible boon to battery life, Apple still hasn’t rolled it out to the MacBook Pro line. A new report suggests that will change in September.

Intel Once Again Rumored To Be Working On iOS Device Chips With Apple

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A6

Apple has been using Intel’s desktop processors in the Mac since 2005. The next-gen Haswell processor is expected to come in the next iteration of the iMac.

For years, a reoccurring rumor has been that Intel will eventually provide mobile processors for iOS devices. But Apple has been designing its own ‘A series’ of chips for the iPhone and iPad based on ARM. Would Apple really abandon what it’s doing on ARM for Intel, a chip maker that’s been really struggling on mobile?

Now another report claims that Apple and Intel have recently discussed a mobile partnership.

Intel’s Next-Gen Haswell Processors Reveal What Will Likely Power The 2013 iMac

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Intel

Intel’s latest Ivy Bridge processor powers Apple’s 2012 iMac, and leaked details for Intel’s next-gen “Haswell” chips point towards the future in 2013. VR-Zone has gotten its hands on what it claims to be a leaked chart for Intel’s Haswell desktop architecture, slated to ship in the spring of 2013. Based on the leak, we may have the specs for what will power next year’s iMac.

Samsung Backs Apple Into A Corner With 20% Price Hike On All Mobile Processors [Report]

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Samsung currently supplies all of Apple's mobile processors.

Samsung has dealt Apple a nasty blow by increasing the price of its mobile processors — the ones built into every iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch — by 20%. According to a person familiar with negotiations between the two companies, Apple initially disapproved the price hike, but was forced to accept it with no replacement supplier available.

Apple Looking To Drop Intel On Mac For ARM-Based Processors From iOS [Report]

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For years, the rumor mill has been saying that Apple is looking to ditch Intel’s processors in the Mac lineup. Since the rise of iOS, Apple’s own “A” series chips have powered products like the iPhone and the iPad. Apple is a company known for wanting complete control over every facet of product design, including the innards of its iPhones and Macs.

Apple has partnered with Intel on the Mac for the past seven years, but internal changes within the Cupertino company could see the Mac move to ARM-based processors in the near future.

iPhone 5’s Logic Board With Possible A6 Processor Revealed?

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Is that an A6 chip I see?
Is that an A6 chip I see?

I’ve lost count of the number of iPhone 5 parts that have leaked out of Apple’s Chinese factories. But one thing that’s been notably absent from those leaks is the device’s new processor. We’ve questioned whether it will use the same A5X chip that features in the new iPad, or whether it will get an all-new A6 processor.

Thanks to the latest leak, that has become a little clearer.

Desperation Shows As Intel Promises Chips Apple “Can’t Ignore”

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Intel falls flat trying to claim it can convince Apple to use its chips in iPads and iPhones
Intel falls flat trying to claim it can convince Apple to use its chips in iPads and iPhones

Intel may be the biggest world’s biggest chip maker, but the company failed to cash in on the mobile technology craze. Staying focused on desktops and laptops where it had a near lock on general computing market, Intel missed out taking the lead in smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.

Now trying to play catchup, Intel has introduced its own ARM-competing tablets. The company is so confident (or arrogant) that it thinks it can make chips so compelling that Apple “can’t ignore” them for future iterations of the iPhone and iPad.

Apple Working On Revamped A5 Chip And Totally New A6 Chip At The Same Time [Rumor]

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A5X

With the announcement of the iPad 3 lurking in the shadows, the web has been buzzing with rumors and leaked parts as everyone tries to solve the puzzle of what the next iPad 3 will look like, and what new hardware it might have. Some have claimed the iPad 3 will sport a new quad-core A6 processor, while others claim it will merely get an improved A5 dual-core chip. It appears the confusion over which processor will actually be included in the iPad 3 stems from the fact that Apple is working on BOTH processors at the same time.

CES 2012 Preview: Why A Thousand Ultrabooks Will Try To Kill The MacBook Air (And Why They Don’t Have A Prayer)

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In late 2010, after years of abstaining from entering the netbook market, Apple finally succeeded in transforming the MacBook Air from a disappointing promise of laptops to come into a machine that revolutionized ultraportables the same way the iPhone revolutionized smartphones and the iPad revolutionzed tablets. Not only was the MacBook Air as thin as a samurai sword and about as small as a 12-inch netbook, it had the performance of a beefier laptop thanks to the inclusion of a proper CPU, dedicated GPU and ubiquitous flash storage… all at a sub-$1000 price point.

Overnight, the MacBook Air finished what the iPad had started and almost completely killed off netbook demand once and for all. Now all of the gadget makers who had previously been counting on netbook sales to boost their bottom lines are trying to catch up with Apple. But as usual, they’re about a year late.

What does this mean for CES 2012? Expect to see ultrabooks, ultrabooks and more ultrabooks.

Why Android Will Always Be Laggier Than iOS

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One of the things that really stands out using an iPhone is just how smooth it feels compared to using Android. Where as Android is laggy, with a measurable interim between when you touch the screen and when the OS responds, iOS almost seems to anticipate what you want to do before your finger touches the display.

How has Apple managed this incredible feat? A better question might be: “How has Google managed to screw up Android’s multitouch so much?” According to Andrew Munn — a software engineering student and ex-Google intern — Android is so messed up that Google might never be able to match an iPhone or iPad’s performance. Ouch!