Discussion Apple Silicon SoC thread

[Eug]

M1
5 nm
Unified memory architecture - LP-DDR4
16 billion transistors

8-core CPU

4 high-performance cores
192 KB instruction cache
128 KB data cache
Shared 12 MB L2 cache

4 high-efficiency cores
128 KB instruction cache
64 KB data cache
Shared 4 MB L2 cache
(Apple claims the 4 high-effiency cores alone perform like a dual-core Intel MacBook Air)

8-core iGPU (but there is a 7-core variant, likely with one inactive core)
128 execution units
Up to 24576 concurrent threads
2.6 Teraflops
82 Gigatexels/s
41 gigapixels/s

16-core neural engine
Secure Enclave
USB 4

Products:
$999 ($899 edu) 13" MacBook Air (fanless) - 18 hour video playback battery life
$699 Mac mini (with fan)
$1299 ($1199 edu) 13" MacBook Pro (with fan) - 20 hour video playback battery life

Memory options 8 GB and 16 GB. No 32 GB option (unless you go Intel).

It should be noted that the M1 chip in these three Macs is the same (aside from GPU core number). Basically, Apple is taking the same approach which these chips as they do the iPhones and iPads. Just one SKU (excluding the X variants), which is the same across all iDevices (aside from maybe slight clock speed differences occasionally).

EDIT:



M1 Pro 8-core CPU (6+2), 14-core GPU
M1 Pro 10-core CPU (8+2), 14-core GPU
M1 Pro 10-core CPU (8+2), 16-core GPU
M1 Max 10-core CPU (8+2), 24-core GPU
M1 Max 10-core CPU (8+2), 32-core GPU

M1 Pro and M1 Max discussion here:

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M1 Ultra discussion here:

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M2 discussion here:

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Second Generation 5 nm
Unified memory architecture - LPDDR5, up to 24 GB and 100 GB/s
20 billion transistors

8-core CPU

4 high-performance cores
192 KB instruction cache
128 KB data cache
Shared 16 MB L2 cache

4 high-efficiency cores
128 KB instruction cache
64 KB data cache
Shared 4 MB L2 cache

10-core iGPU (but there is an 8-core variant)
3.6 Teraflops

16-core neural engine
Secure Enclave
USB 4

Hardware acceleration for 8K h.264, h.264, ProRes

M3 Family discussion here:

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[Thibsie]

I think many people value silence over performance, either because nothing they do is "slow" on today's hardware or the amount of time it takes is relatively immaterial. I remember a software developer once told me any compiler that finishes more quickly than it takes to go to the bathroom and get a fresh cup of coffee is pointless.

This was ~25 years ago when linking anything big would take multiple minutes - or longer if it was over NFS - so his workflow was probably messing with code for an hour or two until his coffee cup was empty and his bladder was full so he'd check where he stood with the compiler.

Silence or form factor.
A MBA or any ultrabook-like form factor won't show the same performance as larger notebook.
Expecting otherwise is uninformed or 'not very smart' IMO.
(and I see myself defending Apple, so I'm not *that* anti-Apple as some might think).

My HP Envy 13" 5800u makes me happy, I don't care if it performs less than an Alienware brick.

 

[Glo.]

Yup. No MacBook of any kind for US$799 or less retail anytime soon, but the M2 iPad Air will be released to meet those lower price points.

However, instead of an M2 iPad Air release at US$599 for 64 GB storage, I think it could get bumped to US$649 with 128 GB storage for the new base model (with the 64 GB model deleted).

This would follow a bump in storage to the iPad Pro. I'm thinking the new base model OLED iPad Pro 11.x" will be US$899 or $949 with 256 GB storage (with the 128 GB model deleted).

For 599 you get M2, 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of SSD, with the upgrade option being bumped to 512 GB on iPad Air.

 

[Eug]

For 599 you get M2, 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of SSD, with the upgrade option being bumped to 512 GB on iPad Air.

For 128 GB devices, Apple typically offers 256 GB as the next step up.

For 64 GB devices, sometimes Apple offers 128 GB as the next step up (in the case of some iPhones), and sometimes Apple offers 256 GB as the next step up (typically for iPads).

 

[Glo.]

For 128 GB devices, Apple typically offers 256 GB as the next step up.

For 64 GB devices, sometimes Apple offers 128 GB as the next step up (in the case of some iPhones), and sometimes Apple offers 256 GB as the next step up (typically for iPads).

Typically for iPad Air - Apple offers base storage, and 1.5 half tiers higher storage.

 

[Thibsie]

Other than the pretty colors, I think most of it could be done with HTML5, CSS and JS. Maybe there's something very complex in that app that they are not showing in the sample screens?

Oh, technically I'm certain there's nothing that could be done with HTML/CSS/JS/SQL.
But I won't develop it myself so I have to rely on what exists and thge developper always stated that they would NOT port it to Windows.

 

[poke01]

Oh, technically I'm certain there's nothing that could be done with HTML/CSS/JS/SQL.
But I won't develop it myself so I have to rely on what exists and thge developper always stated that they would NOT port it to Windows.

What is app used for?

 

[Thibsie]

School grades (all sorts, customizable, country specific too), grades reports, schedules etc.

 

[Eug]

Typically for iPad Air - Apple offers base storage, and 1.5 half tiers higher storage.

Sometimes they do, but it’s not necessarily “typical”. They change their storage tier mix from time to time, when it makes sense to do so. Anyhow, the rumours are in overdrive now for new iPad models coming, both for the iPad Air and the iPad Pro, within the next few weeks.

I could be wrong, but I’m guessing 256 GB base for the iPad Pro, 128 GB base for the iPad Air, and 64 GB for the iPad. However, if that does happen, it would likely be accompanied by a price hike to both the Pro and Air.

 

[Glo.]

Sometimes they do, but it’s not necessarily “typical”. They change their storage tier mix from time to time, when it makes sense to do so. Anyhow, the rumours are in overdrive now for new iPad models coming, both for the iPad Air and the iPad Pro, within the next few weeks.

I could be wrong, but I’m guessing 256 GB base for the iPad Pro, 128 GB base for the iPad Air, and 64 GB for the iPad. However, if that does happen, it would likely be accompanied by a price hike to both the Pro and Air.

I also think the base will go up to 256 GB for iPad Pro, to justify 999$ entry price tag. But the storage upgrade on base iPad will be without price change. Remember, 12.9 replaces the Pro in price bracket.

 

[FlameTail]

GUYS. HAVE YOU FOGGOTEN THAT THE UPCOMING IPAD PROS ARE GETTING OLED?

And it's not any run of the mill OLED. It's going to be Double-stacked Tandem OLED.

iPad Pro starting price will certainly be >$1000. Maybe even $1500.

 

[igor_kavinski]

It's going to be Double-stacked Tandem OLED.

Don't think it's easy to mass produce those in enough volume to satisfy Apple's demands. It may be restricted to the most expensive SKU.

 

[Eug]

GUYS. HAVE YOU FOGGOTEN THAT THE UPCOMING IPAD PROS ARE GETTING OLED?

And it's not any run of the mill OLED. It's going to be Double-stacked Tandem OLED.

iPad Pro starting price will certainly be >$1000. Maybe even $1500.

US$899 11” 256 GB
US$999 13” 256 GB

Or at most:

US$949 11” 256 GB
US$1049 13” 256 GB

Meaning that even with OLED, the iPad Pro starts at well below US$1000.

 

[FlameTail]

Don't think it's easy to mass produce those in enough volume to satisfy Apple's demands. It may be restricted to the most expensive SKU.

Well, you are wrong.

OLED is coming to the iPad Pros this year. All the leakers and display analysts have agreed on that.

 

[Glo.]

US$899 11” 256 GB
US$999 13” 256 GB

Or at most:

US$949 11” 256 GB
US$1049 13” 256 GB

Meaning that even with OLED, the iPad Pro starts at well below US$1000.

You are way more optimistic on this topic than me .

But yeah, if 12.9 inch Air is 899$, then 11 inch Pro also could be 899$, knowing how Apple builds their pricing structures.

 

[igor_kavinski]

OLED is coming to the iPad Pros this year. All the leakers and display analysts have agreed on that.

I was suggesting that the cheaper models may have single stack OLED.

 

[Glo.]

I was suggesting that the cheaper models may have single stack OLED.

Air's?

They will have the same 60 Hz LCD display as they have currently. Only Pro lineup gets dual-stacked OLED, and all of them get this treatment.

 

[FlameTail]

I don't think any iPad is getting single-stack OLED. The display analysts have written at length why Apple does not want to use single stack.

 

[Mopetar]

For those following this, what's so special about these OLED displays over regular OLED that people will just "have to" have one.

 

[poke01]

For those following this, what's so special about these OLED displays over regular OLED that people will just "have to" have one.

Brightness but most will be with OLEDs that are on Tab S9 already

 

[Eug]

For those following this, what's so special about these OLED displays over regular OLED that people will just "have to" have one.

Dual-stack OLEDs can go brighter and yet at the same time have lower risk of burn-in. For people like me, dual-stack OLED may be overkill, but it seems these are targeted at the true creative professionals, where this would actually matter. Related to this, without dual-stack OLED, going from a mini-LED iPad Pro to an OLED iPad Pro could be a big step down in terms of brightness. The other aspect to this is that dual-stack OLED actually uses less power than regular single-stack LED for bright images.

So, dual-stack is brighter, longer lasting, and lower power than conventional single-stack, but way, way more expensive and up until now, was only ever produced in low volumes.

 

[igor_kavinski]

up until now, was only ever produced in low volumes.

So what has changed? Where is Apple getting its hands on, I dunno, a million of these panels???

 

[FlameTail]

So what has changed? Where is Apple getting its hands on, I dunno, a million of these panels???

BOE, LGD, SGD.

 

[Eug]

BOE, LGD, SGD.

I know that LG Display and Samsung Display are making iPad Pro panels, but is BOE also now too? Last I had read is that they weren't included for the iPad Pro.

https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=109829

Mind you, this article has the wrong sizing listed:

Apple reportedly placed orders for the development of 10.9-inch and 12.9-inch panels for the iPad with Samsung Display and LG Display. BOE was excluded.

 

[FlameTail]

BOE commercializes tandem smartphone AMOLED displays to improve lifetime and efficiency | OLED Info

According to reports, BOE has commercialized a new tandem OLED architecture, that enabled an improvement of 40% in power consumption and a 600% increase in display lifetime. As you can see from the teaser poster above, Chinese smartphone maker Honor will release the first phone to adopt the new...

www.oled-info.com

BOE is also making Tandem OLED. They are not to be underestimated.

Although idk if they will supply for the iPad Pros coming this spring.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Oh wow, three different panel suppliers. Yay for panel lottery? Good thing I won't be getting subjected to that after spending a lot of money. Don't care about anything Apple.