Mac transition to Apple silicon

The genesis of the third switch began in 1985, when Acorn's ARM architecture was spotted by Apple's Advanced Technology Group (ATG), an internal research laboratory.

The ATG thought it might replace the MOS 6502 of the Apple II range or the 68000 of the original Macintosh, or become the basis of a tablet device, under Paul Gavarini and Tom Pittard, in a project labelled Möbius.

In the 2010s, media reports documented Apple's frustrations and challenges with the pace and quality of Intel's technology development.

[7] Apple reportedly had trouble with Intel modems for iPhones in 2017 due to technical issues and missed deadlines.

Intel CTO Mike Mayberry countered that quality assurance problems may arise at large scale from any CPU vendor.

The project was cancelled but Apple again partnered with Acorn when it needed a low-power, efficient processor for its future Newton PDA.

[13][14][15] In 1990, a new joint-venture was created between Acorn, Apple and VLSI Technology with the goal of pursuing the development of the ARM processor.

At his 2005 WWDC keynote address, Steve Jobs said that continuing to use PowerPC processors, which consumed more energy than Intel chips, would prevent Apple from making better workstation computers and laptops.

[citation needed] By June 2006, only Apple's high-end desktop computer and server products were still using PowerPC processors.

[21] The hardware transition was completed when Intel-based Mac Pros and Xserve computers were announced in August 2006 and shipped by the end of the year.

[22][23] Apple ceased support for booting on PowerPC as of Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard[24] in August 2009,[25] three years after the transition was complete.

Rumors of Apple shifting Macintosh to custom-designed ARM processors began circulating in 2011, when SemiAccurate predicted it would happen by mid-2013.

[35] In the months and weeks leading up to Apple's 2020 WWDC, multiple media reports anticipated an official announcement of the transition during the event.

Many third-party apps are similarly being made dual-platform, including prominent software packages such as Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Word.

[47] In March 2022, Apple announced the Mac Studio, a new high-end compact desktop model that uses the M1 Ultra, a dual-SoC configuration of two M1 Max chips.

[50] Senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus confirmed the development of an Apple Silicon-based Mac Pro.

As of late June 2020[update], Apple said it has "no plans to direct boot into Windows" on ARM-based Macintosh computers.