Apple’s first Apple Silicon-powered Macs will include a revamped, ultra-light 12-inch MacBook and an iMac boasting a custom GPU, says a new report.
The China Times says Apple’s first ARM-based Mac will boast an A14X processor, which is codenamed “Tonga” and manufactured by TSMC. The new laptop, which is said to weigh less than 1 kilogram, will have a battery life of 15 to 20 hours.
According to Apple’s supply chain, Apple is expected to launch a Macbook with a 12-inch Retina Display at the end of this year, using its self-developed and designed A14X processor, with the development code of Tonga, supporting a USB Type-C interface and weighing less than 1 kilogram, because of the low-power advantage of the Arm-based processor. The Macbook battery lasts 15 to 20 hours. The A14X processor will also be used in the new generation iPad Pro tablet.
Apple is reportedly working on at least three Mac processors that are based on the 5-nanometer A14 chip that will be used in the upcoming iPhone 12 models. The China Times report says the first Apple-designed A14X processor has been finalized and mass production using TSMC’s 5-nanometer process will begin by the end of the year.
The report also claims that Apple will launch a new Apple Silicon iMac next year that will feature a powerful custom-designed graphics processing unit, replacing the mobile AMD GPUs that Apple has usually included in their Macs.
The report claims the A14 chip expected to power Apple’s upcoming iPhone 12 lineup is codenamed “Sicilian.”
The first Apple Silicon processors are expected to boast 12 cores, including eight high-performance cores and at least four energy-efficient cores. The company is reportedly exploring Mac processors with more than 12 cores for the future and is said to be already designing a second generation of Mac processors to be based on the A15 chip.
