Apple is nowhere near the limits of Apple Silicon

High computational performance with low energy consumption. These words now define Apple’s entire ecosystem, an advantage that will only grow as Apple sets the scene for the first M5 Macs, even while preparing 2nm and soon 1.4nm Mac chips.

This fast-paced evolution means Apple still hasn’t hit the chip development glass ceiling, and even when it does, the company has other advantages that will enable it to tweak, tease, and tousle performance from its chips.

Where are we now?

Where we are now is pretty exciting. Apple is getting ready to introduce its first M5 processors inside new Macs and iPads. These will be 3nm chips, though Apple and its chip manufacturing partner, TSMC, are thought to be near ready to bring 2nm processors to market, presumably when Apple launches M6 (and their A equivalent) Macs late next year.

That’s not the endgame, as TSMC says development of 1.4nm process technology is ahead of schedule, which means Apple chips based on that smaller process won’t be terribly far behind (c. 2028). 

What does this mean? 

For most of us, it means Apple can promise and deliver long-range commitment to its platforms. That commitment is articulated in significant ways, with annual operating system upgrades and regular product improvements. 

Those improvements build on the huge leap forward Apple enjoyed when it introduced the first M1 chips, which were so, so, so much better than the Intel chips they replaced. Apple’s current M4 range of Macs builds on that — the company claims the M4 MacBook Air delivers up to 23x the performance of the last Intel-based model, while also being twice as fast as the M1 MacBook Air. 

Five years since the introduction of the latter model, huge numbers remain in active use and are only just beginning to show their age, which is itself an expression of the strength of Apple’s processor story. That story includes near annual hardware upgrades with new chips that enable the company to release 10% to 15% performance and power consumption improvements every time. 

It’s all on the road map

Meanwhile, TSMC/Apple’s coming migration to 2nm and subsequently 1.4nm processors means Apple has locked down a processor road map that should keep the company punching for the next 7 to 10 years. 

So, if you think the M4 Mac you are using right now is fantastic, then think how the equivalent model five years down the line promises to be twice as fast again. That shouldn’t really be seen as conjecture, either, as all of this is visible in the existing public development road map for the 1.4nm TSMC chips.

Returning to the here and now, what we already have from Apple are Macs, iPads, and iPhones that are completely and totally capable of running native artificial intelligence (AI) models on the device. 

Apple builds the real AI PC

Combined with Apple’s AI strategy, which is to introduce tools for the tasks people most want AI to do for them, then you have real AI PCs (Macs) that cam already run AI on the device. That’s significant, as it makes AI tasks more secure because data is not shared with the cloud. It also matters because on-device AI doesn’t require servers, and as Apple’s systems are already low-energy, it promises the benefits of AI without the massive strain on tech infrastructure, water, and energy supply. 

Perhaps this does not matter to every technologist, but as a recent MacStadium survey showed, 73% of US CIOs already rely on Macs for AI processing. That means that when it comes to business computing, there’s a growing demand both for self-hosted AI solutions and for Macs powerful enough to run those solutions without running up eye-wateringly painful energy bills.

Can other platforms truly compete with this? When the latest iPhone ships with MacBook Pro levels of performance, I don’t really think others can compete.

What does it all come down to?

It comes down to high computational performance with low energy consumption. Seven words that define both Apple’s ecosystem and the needs of modern business at this stage of the ever-accelerating digital transformation.

That alignment of need with Apple’s solutions and the company’s clearly visible road map for future processor innovation spells out the kind of long-term stability business users have always wanted from Cupertino. A stability Apple now provides. Accompanied by regular security patches and free software updates.

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