Apple Silicon - Nerd's Christmas 🎄 was on 10.11.2020

Yesterday, on the 10th of November 2020, Apple released its first computers based on in-house designed ARM architecture. It was something I was really looking forward to. The exceptional capabilities of ARM processors in comparison to x86 architecture was taught to me over and over again during my Computer Engineering studies. So I may be a bit biased here ;)

So what did we get yesterday? You can say that we got one spec sheet in three form factors: two laptops and one desktop computer bearing the same processor and the same (almost) components inside.

For me, the most exciting one is the MacBook Air. Apple showed some very impressive numbers for such a small computer. And, yes, some of the comparisons were very vague, so we need to wait for the real-life tests to really see what is what. But we've seen that they were able to edit several 4k video tracks... on a fanless computer 🤯 weighing 1,29kg 🤯. It will be a huge performance upgrade to the last generation of Macbook Airs or even MacBook Pro 13-inch. And apart of the speed boost, we will get as well a matching increase in battery life? Doesn't that sound like Christmas? All that at 999$ starting price. This could be one of the most affordable laptops when judging by the "performance-battery life unit"/1$. You would get a lot for your bucks.

If you are in the market for a new laptop and you don't need Windows, there is no much competition for the MacBook Air right now. There is not much that Windows laptop can offer. They are stuck with x86 for now. And they can't lower the prices due to low margins. In my opinion, the choice is obvious.

What are the drawbacks? There must be some, right? I'm not sure what is going to happen to Boot Camp and whether it will support ARM processors or not. It would be a bummer if we lost this capability though. And it looks like the eGPU won't be supported as well.

I'm very curious what 2021 will bring, as right now we still have the old laptops designs. Switching to ARM was like putting an electric engine into a fossil-powered car. Yes, it is much better than dinosaur fueled ICEs. It gives you the instant torque, the punch... but it is still the same frame, you don't get any gains regarding space and how the car is shaped. But once the engineers have time to embrace the new potential, the future laptop platform can be really excellent.

What is the next big thing I'm looking forward to? It will be the Apple Glasses 🕶

Cheers and see you soon 👊 żółwik!