苹果弃用英特尔芯片，对Mac进行重大改造

本周一，苹果首席执行官蒂姆·库克表示，要在未来两年内实现从英特尔处理器向自家研发的处理器的过渡，首批弃用英特尔处理器的Mac电脑将在今年年底前出货。此次变动，旨在加强苹果对其产品、客户和软件开发商的控制。

这批新的Mac电脑将采用他们自己的硅工程师（silicon engineers）设计的更高效的集成芯片。这些基于Arm Holdings技术的芯片将有效提高电池寿命和加快处理速度，并提供新的安全功能。库克说：“在苹果，整合硬件和软件是我们所有工作的根本，也是我们的产品如此伟大的原因。而硅，是我们硬件的核心。“据分析师分析，一旦苹果的芯片完全转型成功，英特尔将失去来自苹果的大部分收入，估计每年约30亿美元。

那么，放弃英特尔芯片，改用自家研发的芯片对苹果来说意味着什么呢？1. 芯片的转型也将意味着软件的更新，苹果将推出语言翻译服务、改善iPhone群组消息的功能以及Apple Watch的睡眠追踪功能；2. 可以使iPhone上的移动应用在Mac上更无缝地运行，这有可能吸引更多iPhone软件的开发者转向其笔记本电脑，不过也要求一些软件开发商为新系统更新应用程序；3. 为未来的Mac带来特殊功能，就像苹果曾使用机器学习算法加快iPhone的图像处理速度一样；4. 有助于在未来整合5G技术时，调制解调器芯片；5. 苹果的产品发布将不再受到英特尔芯片的限制；6. 近年来，英特尔芯片技术开始落后，且每块芯片的费用也比苹果为Mac自制的芯片成本高出约75美元至150美元，所以运用自己的芯片，苹果能省下不少成本。

Apple Inc. is ditching Intel Corp. technology that rejuvenated the Mac computer over the past 15 years, in a split aimed at tightening the tech giant’s control over its products, customers and software developers. Chief Executive Tim Cook said Monday that Apple would begin jettisoning Intel processors from its Macs later this year in favor of more efficient integrated chips designed by the tech giant’s silicon engineers. Apple said the transition from Intel to its own processors would occur over the next two years, with the first Macs with custom-designed chips shipping by year-end. The company said the chips, based on Arm Holdings technology, will improve battery life and allow for faster processing speeds and new security features. “At Apple, integrating hardware and software is fundamental to everything we do,” Mr. Cook said. “That’s what makes our products so great, and silicon is at the heart of our hardware.” The chip transition headlined a day of software updates that included the introduction of a language translation service, features that improve group messaging on iPhones and sleep-tracking capabilities for the Apple Watch. Apple’s plan to bring its own processors to MacBooks has the potential to open its laptops to more iPhone developers, making it possible for their mobile apps to work more seamlessly on the roughly 20 million Macs it ships each year. It is an ambitious undertaking that will require some software developers to update their applications for the new system. The new chips could make it possible for Apple to bring special features to future Macs, just as it has done to speed image processing through machine-learning algorithms on its iPhones. It can also integrate 5G modem chips in the future. Custom chips on the iPhone and iPad have cut costs, boosted performance and increased Apple’s control over future releases. Intel had run into supply constraints in recent years and fallen behind schedule on its own technology road map. It also charged Apple about $75 to $150 more per chip than it would cost the company to build its own processors for the Mac, according to analysts, who said Apple can pass those savings on to customers or shareholders.  source

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