Apple is expected to move to a 3nm process for all its new processors in 2022, and early performance estimates look promising. Apple’s 2022 iPhone, iPad, and Mac chips could be up to 33% faster than today’s models — which already sport among the fastest silicon on the market. The 2022 chips are also said to consume up to 50% less power.
Apple’s ARM-based A-series silicon currently powers the iPhone and iPad tablets, and will soon be headed to the Mac — all of which will benefit from the increased efficiency. Apple relies on partner TSMC, or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, to actually manufacture these custom-made processors. At the annual Technology Symposium, TSMC outlined its manufacturing road map, revealing plans to arrive at a 3nm process by 2022.
TSMC is already expected to deliver its smaller 5nm manufacturing process this year on the A14 chip featured in the upcoming iPhone 12, expected to launch this fall. According to a report on AnandTech, the smaller 5nm node on the upcoming A14 processor could deliver a performance gain of up to 15% and a 30% reduction in power consumption, though it will ultimately be up to Apple to design its custom processors to optimize between these two factors.
At its simplest, a change in process node means more transistors, which is where that extra power and efficiency comes from. Historically, Apple often prioritized performance gains over reduced battery consumption with each successive processor generation, according to a MacRumors report, so improvements to battery life may be negligible if Apple continues to follow the same strategy. Apple also offers slightly different variations of its processors in the same generation. with optimizations and tuning targeted at specific devices.
For example, the iPhone with a smaller battery capacity could have silicon optimized for reduced battery consumption, while the iPad, which the company had previously positioned as a PC replacement, could be optimized for better performance. Theoretically, with MacBooks having larger batteries and optimized TDP, Apple could further double down on performance gains as it tries to outmaneuver Intel and AMD in the space for desktops and laptops.
As it moves from the 5nm-based A14 processor to a 3nm A16 processor in 2022, we can expect to see similar gains according to TSMC’s chart. Similar to the move from 7nm to 5nm, we can expect up to a 30% reduction in power consumption and up to a gain of 15% in performance when Apple moves from the A13 to the A14 chipset. A cumulative reduction of 50% power consumption in a span of two years will give Intel-powered laptops some serious competition when it comes to battery life.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.