Apple announced its plans to transition Macs from Intel processors to Apple Silicon on June 22, 2020. At the time, the company said it would “ship the first Mac” with Apple Silicon by the end of 2020 and “complete the transition in about two years “. This two-year roadmap has already passed, and Apple has not yet completed the transition. Here's what we're still waiting for.
Apple Silicon Transition Timeline
There is always debate as to exactly when Apple originally planned to complete the transition to Apple Silicon. Some people saw the initial announcement at WWDC 2020 as the start of the transition. In that scenario, the company could ideally complete the transition to Apple Silicon. transition to June 2022.
On the other hand, some have argued that the transition to Apple Silicon officially began when the first M1 Macs were announced. announced new versions of MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini with M1 chip inside.
If you view the November announcement as the start of the transition process, Apple would have needed to complete everything by November 2022. This deadline has also passed. This means that Apple has missed its two-year transition goal, no matter what the deadline is.
What are we still waiting for?
With all that said, Apple has done an excellent job of switching the vast majority of its Macs to Apple Silicon over the last two years. Some machines, such as the MacBook Air, not only switched to Apple Silicon, but were upgraded to new Apple Silicon chips in the same window.
Meanwhile, products like the MacBook Pro have undergone a complete overhaul thanks to the introduction of Apple Silicon. The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros powered by the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips not only feature vastly improved performance over their Intel predecessors, but also feature an all-new design with more ports, improved displays, and more. .
The M2 variant of the MacBook Air features a completely redesigned design that completely abandons the previous wedge form factor. The 24-inch iMac with the M1 inside also features an all-new design and an impressively slim form factor.
And, of course, Mac Studio. Mac Studio is a brand new product from Apple and a rare addition to the Mac lineup. It coexists with the Mac mini as a more powerful option with more connectivity, and for many people, it fills the void left by the lack of an Apple Silicon-based Mac Pro.
So we're left where we are today. You have Apple Silicon options for every product category in the Mac lineup, with the exception of the Mac Pro. During a March event, Apple chief executive John Turnus teased that the Mac Pro with Apple Silicon was an announcement “for another day.” However, that day has not yet arrived.
After the presentation, the Mac Pro with Apple Silicon is expected to demonstrate incredibly impressive performance. Rumor has it that configuration options will include 24 and 48 CPU cores and 76 and 152 graphics cores. You will also reportedly be able to set up the machine with unified memory up to 192 GB.
While Apple's Silicon Mac Pro was rumored to be released in 2022 and may even have been originally planned to be released in 2022, we now expect it to be released sometime in early 2023.
There are now several Macs in the Mac lineup areas of interest. There is no Apple Silicon-based big-screen iMac, and Apple doesn't sell the old Intel-based big-screen iMac either. Instead, your only iMac option is a 24-inch iMac with an M1 chip inside.
Interestingly, Apple also continues to sell a version of the Mac mini with Intel inside. This machine is likely to be discontinued in the near future, but is likely still popular with some corporate buyers.
9to5Mac Opinion
Apple missed its two-year plan to end Apple Silicon, but does it really matter? No, it's not. What we have seen regarding the transition to Apple Silicon so far has been nothing short of impressive, and this transition should not be considered a “failure” due to the lack of an Apple Silicon Mac Pro.
I I think it's also important to zoom out and look at the big picture. The transition to Apple Silicon was announced in June 2020, just a few months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, there have been numerous disruptions in Apple's supply chain that have undoubtedly affected the Apple Silicon transition.
When supplies and production are tight, Apple has to make decisions about which Macs it prefers. The Mac Pro is undeniably at the bottom of the totem rankings. While it's the most powerful Mac in Apple's lineup, it also occupies a niche compared to things like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. If you have to choose, Apple will always choose the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro over the Mac Pro.
Apple Silicon is also used in all Apple products. Although all processors have different names, they all use the same technologies inside. This means that Apple must not only choose which Macs to prioritize, but also consider the demand for iPhone silicon. And the iPhone is king.
What do you think? Is the problem that the Mac Pro is still only available with Intel chips inside? Let us know in the comments.
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