I’ve been a Mac user since 2001, so I thought I’d take a moment to share my perspective on Apple’s recent processor transition. This addresses Apple’s next transition to its own, ARM-based silicon, and discusses how Apple has changed its hardware and priorities since and because of the Intel transition, as well as the impact of stagnation resulting from Intel’s monopolistic position and behavior in the market.
There was a time when Apple wanted to be the ideal platform for creative professionals. The Mac offered options from Apple’s software catalog: Final Cut Pro (1998-), Color (2006-2009), Shake (2003-2009), Motion (2004-), Aperture (2005-2014), and Logic Pro (2002-). These tools gave users plenty of room for growth once they mastered iMovie (1999-), iPhoto (2003-2013), and GarageBand (2004-). Sadly, much of this professional-grade software was discontinued and much of its functionality remains absent from Apple’s current software lineup, particularly when it comes to video production and photography. Many professionals in the film and broadcast industries consider Final Cut Pro X neutered in comparison to its predecessor.
Back in PowerPC days, Apple was proud of its hardware. After 2000, every Power Mac came with standard Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking. While most PCs only had USB 1.1, Apple included FireWire 400/800 on every Mac, and this was essential for portable video editing. FireWire’s dedicated controller took the stress off the CPU and the reduced overhead meant it could maintain peak speeds longer than USB 2.0 even while the system was busy with other tasks.
Apple was proud of using dedicated graphics. No matter which Mac you bought, there was a dedicated GPU with dedicated VRAM that was essential for running creative workloads and multiple displays in those times. When Apple switched to Intel, integrated graphics or shared RAM suddenly became acceptable.
The original Rosetta and the end of support for PowerPC machines was dramatic. It was a sad time for those last PowerPC Macs and Apple ended software updates for these machines abruptly. The 2005 PowerMac G5 only received one point update (10.4.2 – 10.5.8), shocking for a desktop with a starting price of $1999 (USD). We can only hope Apple will continue to provide meaningful point updates for Intel machines so users don’t feel abandoned once all the Apple Silicon machines are released.
Switching to Intel enlarged the base for hesitant switchers from Windows-based PCs. Macs could suddenly dual-boot or virtualize Windows, in case you still needed it. There were other major positive points to the switch, including a full recompile of the system for 64-bit. As CPU core count increased, multi-tasking functionality was dramatically improved.
Intel CPUs enabled many vital advances in Apple hardware releases:
- The release of the “impossibly thin” MacBook Air (2008)
- The transition to SSDs over rotating storage
- Retina displays (2012)
- a thinner iMac (2013)
The stagnation the Mac and Intel-based systems in general, over the last 6-8 years, has been profound. Intel began failing to innovate the way it had before and became unable to shrink their process, often favoring increased power consumption over per-watt performance. This strategy caused an increase in heat output at a time when Apple was choosing to design smaller MacBook Pros and iMacs. Both Mac designs resulted in sub-optimal cooling and intense thermal throttling. While adequate for casual use, these design changes were less than ideal for professional workflows with sustained CPU and GPU loads. Before the release of AMD’s Ryzen platform, Intel didn’t have strong competition pushing it to innovate.
Apple’s partnership with NVidia ended, too. While it was formerly happy to alternate between NVidia and AMD (and ATI before then), Apple’s last NVidia offering was the MacBook Pro launched in 2014. This eventually meant that NVidia Macs would not receive web driver updates beyond High Sierra (v10.13), leaving many NVidia Macs with poorer optimization of Apple’s built-in driver. Apple only used AMD GPUs after that.
The death of the Mac Pro upgrade cycle was a significant blow to professionals. The lack of upgradeable GPU on the 2013 and the Xeon’s lack of Intel’s QuickSync Video component often meant that Final Cut Pro X video exports performed better on iMacs and MacBook Pros. But eventually, the larger issue was intense uncertainty about when Apple might release new hardware revisions or whether it still cared about the Mac Pro line at all. Before the 2013 release of the “trash can” Mac Pro, the only difference between the 2009 and the 2012 Mac Pros was an upgraded processor and new EFI firmware.
Storage and memory changed dramatically. As Apple sought to shrink their machines, RAM became soldered (MacBook Air and 2012 MacBook Pro with Retina) and eventually storage (2018 MacBook Pro). Apple’s base MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros often shipped with only 4 GB of RAM and 64 or 128 GB of storage and as the OS grew, these limitations quickly became painful even for casual use.
2016 meant dark times for the MacBook Pro as it lost USB-A, Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, and SD reader Apple created a special dongle hell for professional users. As if that wern’t enough, the new keyboard design was notoriously unreliable with tight clearances that made even small specs of dust problematic.
The M1 transition is a logical one for Apple. The unfortunate design choices and lackluster performance gains from Intel Macs have likely worn on many users’ patience. A good many Mac users are probably craving better battery life, especially considering the weight of Big Sur. But Apple’s issues with the Mac go deeper than hardware. M1 Macs can also run iOS / iPad OS apps and this is a desperate move to compensate for the lack of developer adoption of the Mac App Store. The Mac App Store has failed to attract Netflix, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and several other major players we see on our phones nearly every day.
Here at DallasComputer.io, we consider the Apple Silicon Macs a new product category and for that reason, we hesitate a recommendation until the lineup has fully transitioned.