Apple’s (AAPL 0.20%) long-rumored shift to internal chips to power its Mac computers could be announced later in June during the iPhone maker’s developers conference.
Bloomberg, citing people familiar with Apple’s plans, reported that if Apple makes the announcement at its WWDC conference slated to kick off June 22 it would give developers enough time to prepare for the move. The shift could be a blow to Intel (INTC -0.65%) which currently supplies the main processors for Apple’s Macs even if Apple isn’t a large player in the PC market.
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In March influential Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities predicted Macs with Arm processors will be launched in the first half of 2021. The chips, which are codenamed Kalamata, will reportedly be more efficient and faster than the A13 chips used in the iPhone 11. The semiconductors are being developed with the same iPhone technology but Macs will run on the macOS instead of iOS, noted Bloomberg. Sources told Bloomberg the Arm-based chips have proven to perform better than Intel chips particularly in terms of graphics and when running apps powered by artificial intelligence. The chips also have a longer battery life. If Apple moves ahead as expected, it will mark the first time the tech stock will have internal chips in its computers.
Apple’s WWDC conference is being held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to potentially announcing internal chips for its Mac, the iPhone maker is expected to release a beta version of iOS 13.5.5 at the conference.
