Thoughts on the newly announced iPhone SE, iPad Air, and Mac Studio, and an in-depth look at the M2 chip, Mac Pro, iMac Pro, and Apple's future display plans
Apple would, if they choose, have the tools to assault & undercut the entire Windows PC market. Its closest competitor, Raspberry Pi 400, is $100, with a dramatically weaker chip than M1 https://twitter.com/... Basic Apple Guy / @basicappleguy : iMac in new iPad Air colors. https://twitter.com/... Vadim Yuryev / @vadimyuryev : M1 Ultra Duo Vadim Yuryev / @vadimyuryev : This idea from PowerOn made the most sense to me for the Mac Pro chip until @marcan42 said it's impossible because the M1 Max's IRQ controller only has support for 2 dies, not 4. But if Apple can somehow get around that, it makes the most sense for a Mac Pro coming this year. [Apple could roll out a Mac Pro with an M1 Ultra as well as a dual M1 Ultra without giving that higher-power chip a new name.] Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith : Might be fun to see Apple ruthlessly go for market share after decades of single digits on the Mac. When increasingly significant amounts of Apple's revenue is in add-on services, does upfront cost matter all that much? Especially for low-end chips they have plenty of Vadim Yuryev / @vadimyuryev : @NathanHatton1 That's the million dollar question lol. They would most likely be stacked on top of eachother. no gap. @tldtoday : haven't talked about it and I know there's some haters but it's wild the iPhone SE 3 packs an a15 inside. If they could have priced it at $399 I think the perception changes. Boring design with ridiculous guts. The sleeper iPhone. Vadim Yuryev / @vadimyuryev : Yes, I actually think THIS is how Apple will create a 4-die QUAD chip for the Mac Pro, backed by official Apple patents.. and yes, I still think it's coming THIS year. Let me explain.. https://www.youtube.com/... https://twitter.com/... @halidecamera : We can't wait to test the camera on the new iPhone SE. The chip makes a huge difference in what you can achieve with a camera module nowadays. We're very curious to test it. https://twitter.com/...
BloombergMark Gurman
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s first M1 Mac chip established a single in-house architecture for the Mac line; the iPad Pro’s subsequent M1 adoption extended that architecture beyond notebooks and desktops. The new product set puts that shared-chip strategy across entry iPhone, iPad, and desktop tiers.
At the high end, M1 Ultra’s debut gives Mac Studio a new performance ceiling while reports of multi-die Mac Pro configurations leave Apple’s ultimate desktop tier as the next unresolved step.
First-order effects
Apple adds the A15-equipped iPhone SE alongside a new iPad Air, while Mac Studio creates a desktop option built around M1 Max or M1 Ultra.
Mac Pro planning is brought into sharper focus: the reported dual- or quad-M1 Ultra configurations would need to differentiate the flagship from the newly introduced Mac Studio.
Second-order effects
Mac buyers seeking high-end Apple silicon gain a defined choice between Mac Studio configurations before any further Mac Pro design is announced, concentrating scrutiny on Apple’s desktop product segmentation.
The pairing of M1 Ultra in a desktop and Apple-designed chips in iPhone and iPad reinforces Apple’s ability to reuse its silicon roadmap across device categories rather than treat each line as a separate processor program.
Third-order effects
If Apple continues scaling one silicon family from mobile devices into premium desktops, product tiering will increasingly be set by chip configuration and memory capacity rather than by separate processor suppliers.
Later related coverage of M3 testing and a reported A18 Pro MacBook plan points to a durable architecture strategy: Apple can introduce newer chip generations into new Mac price bands as well as refresh existing ones.
The trend: Apple is turning its in-house silicon roadmap into the organizing layer for product segmentation across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Yes, I actually think THIS is how Apple will create a 4-die QUAD chip for the Mac Pro, backed by official Apple patents.. and yes, I still think it's coming THIS year. Let me explain.. https://www.youtube.com/... https://twitter.com/...
haven't talked about it and I know there's some haters but it's wild the iPhone SE 3 packs an a15 inside. If they could have priced it at $399 I think the perception changes. Boring design with ridiculous guts. The sleeper iPhone.
Just wait until you see how Apple connects two M2 Ultra chips vertically using a silicon bridge to allow all 4 dies to communicate with each other. Up and down and diagonally, all at the same time. My video on this topic is coming tomorrow morning 😉 @tatech15 image credit. https:…
No MagSafe on the new iPhone SE is a massive long-term strategic error. It is the prime opportunity to introduce the MagSafe ecosystem to a new customer base. It is the future of the iPhone, and any chance to move more people towards it not taken is a massive loss.
This is a great read that explains why the Mac Studio is so great and reaffirms, at least to me, why *I* don't see the need for larger and more powerful iMacs anymore. https://twitter.com/...
Btw, Apple could decide to give it a new name based on a new Mac Pro-exclusive chip family. This is because the Mac Pro is only expected to get big updates every few years. This way, you won't feel bad when an M3 Ultra Mac Studio comes out, beating your M2 Ultra Mac Pro.
How does Apple's M1 Ultra REALLY compare to Intel's CPU's and Nvidia's GPU's? We made some comparison charts here, including the use of newly leaked benchmarks for M1 Ultra. https://www.youtube.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@tldtoday It's also the best phone for grandma and grandpas. Can't beat the intuitiveness of the home button. Glad to see the design accommodated for another 5 years minimum in iOS too. Good!
Also get this. Apple went from making their FIRST EVER desktop processor to challenging the juggernauts of the industry with faster and FAR more efficient chips in like... 18 months. I don't care who you are, that's crazy impressive.
On Mac-in-a-keyboard patent: say Apple did make a macOS-based product in this style — Apple would, if they choose, have the tools to assault & undercut the entire Windows PC market. Its closest competitor, Raspberry Pi 400, is $100, with a dramatically weaker chip than M1 https:/…
This idea from PowerOn made the most sense to me for the Mac Pro chip until @marcan42 said it's impossible because the M1 Max's IRQ controller only has support for 2 dies, not 4. But if Apple can somehow get around that, it makes the most sense for a Mac Pro coming this year. [Ap…
Might be fun to see Apple ruthlessly go for market share after decades of single digits on the Mac. When increasingly significant amounts of Apple's revenue is in add-on services, does upfront cost matter all that much? Especially for low-end chips they have plenty of
We can't wait to test the camera on the new iPhone SE. The chip makes a huge difference in what you can achieve with a camera module nowadays. We're very curious to test it. https://twitter.com/...