New reports from the supply chain claim that Apple is readying a MacBook as its first Apple Silicon Mac, and is also going to use its own GPU in a new iMac.
First details of Apple’s planned specifications for its forthcoming Apple Silicon Macs have begun to emerge from sources within the supply chain. As well as details of the forthcoming MacBook, it’s claimed that Apple is developing its own GPU which may first appear in an iMac to be released in the second half of 2021.
The report claims that the new Apple Silicon MacBook will run on an Apple A14X processor, which is expected to used in the next iPad Pro models.
It’s possible that the reference to a MacBook instead of a MacBook Pro is generic and that the sources are simply describing any Mac laptop. However, those sources also specify that the device will have USB Type-C and weigh less than 1kg. It will provide a battery life of between 15 and 20 hours. For comparison, the last MacBook weighed less than a kilogram. The current MacBook Air weighs 1.29kg and the 13-inch MacBook Pro weighs 1.4kg.
The A14X processor design has reportedly been finalized and is expected to go into mass production at TSMC, using that firm’s 5nm process. It’s claimed that Apple has bought TSMC’s production capacity that was previously to be used by Huawei.
TSMC’s 5nm process is also said to be being used for a forthcoming Apple-designed GPU. The design for this is still being worked on but China Times says that it is progressing smoothly. It’s not clear whether all Apple Silicon Macs will gain this Apple GPU, but the publication says that a revised iMac launching in the second half of 2021 will.