Apple has announced that it’s hosting an online launch event on November 10th and suggestions are that it might be to reveal Arm-powered MacBooks at last.
The event invite which has the tagline ‘One more thing’ doesn’t actually tell you anything more than where to watch online at 10am PST on November 10th. However, the general thinking is that it must be Arm-powered MacBooks. That’s mostly through a process of elimination as we’ve already seen new iPhones, Apple Watches and iPads launch recently, there’s not much else to pick from. At least, not unless Apple suddenly decides to get a bit overexcited about a new Apple TV.
Assuming the company is announcing Arm-based MacBooks, they will be the first MacBooks to be powered by a non-Intel processor since Apple transitioned to Intel processors back in 2006. It’s going to be a huge change that will presumably eventually push out anyone with an existing Intel-based system (although Apple is keen to stress that won’t happen any time soon).
Rumours suggest that Arm-based processors will probably emerge in consumer-friendly products like the MacBook and Mac Mini with systems like the MacBook Pros and iMacs following afterwards before eventually the Mac Pro embracing the power of Arm. That would make sense given the risk of any potential teething issues along the way. Apple has already stated that the transition process will take about two years, although it’s worth noting that the switch to Intel processors actually went much faster than originally anticipated.
Sharing the same architecture as iPhones and iPads could prove useful for the firm with ensuring that the ecosystems merge a little more efficiently for all involved, but we’ll have to wait and see what Apple has planned there.
We’ve known the change would happen since late June but there hasn’t been much word on official confirmation as to when things would move forward next. It’s expected that any new systems will still retain Thunderbolt 3 so at least recent converts won’t have to replace all their cables again.
Of course, the announcement might not be anything to do with Arm but, well, it seems rather likely. Keep your eyes out and if you’re planning on a new Apple purchase, maybe hold off for another week.