Initial reactions to Apple’s new M1-powered Macs - the Mac mini, MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro - have been overwhelmingly positive, with many reviewers confirming that the company has delivered on its bold performance claims. However, if a report in Bloomberg is to be believed, this is just the start.
The report cites “people who are familiar with the matter”, and says that new silicon chips, which are based on ARM technology, will be included in both a new MacBook Pro and upgraded iMacs, starting in the spring and running into the autumn. A new silicon-powered Mac Pro will follow and complete the transition away from Intel processors.
This all sounds totally plausible, as does the suggestion that the next-generation silicon chip - possibly called the M1x - will have up to 16 cores (possibly reduced to 12 cores in lower-priced Macs). For comparison, the M1 has a maximum of eight cores.
There’s a further rumour that the next Mac Pro - possibly arriving in 2022 - could have up to 32 cores. Presumably, the higher-end silicon chips will also be able to offer more memory; the M1 can offer a maximum of 16GB, which some computer musicians - specifically, those who use a lot of high-end sample-based instruments - will consider not to be enough.
Plenty to ponder, then, and we also wait to see what kind of chip will be in the next iPad Pro, and when/if Logic Pro will make its way over to iOS.
