Apple is always in the news for something, and this time it is being reported that the company is making its own chips for use in its Mac laptops. Apple’s chips will reportedly improve the battery life of its devices, according to Bloomberg.
Not replacing Intel chips
The chip is designed to perform some basic tasks such as checking emails and installing updates even when the computer is asleep. Currently, these tasks are under the control of the MacBook’s main processor. By building a low-power processor, the iPhone maker will remove the dependency on its core and also reduce battery consumption, notes The Verge.
Supposedly, the chip will be similar to the Apple-made processor that is already used inside the MacBook Pros to manage the Touch Bar. This seems to suggest that Apple hasn’t undertaken some bold initiative such as replacing the Intel processor at the core of every MacBook with an Apple-designed ARM processor, such as the ones used in iPhones and iPads, notes The Verge.
Citing sources, Bloomberg also said that abandoning the use of Intel chips in its laptops and desktops is not something Apple is planning in the near future. Apple is likely planning to continue augmenting the Mac with ARM processors, helping it access the benefits of both types of chip.
Apple aims to improve battery life
Apple is planning to release an upgraded MacBook Pro later this year, and the chip may debut the same time, said Bloomberg. It will be a good fit, as the company has already been receiving complaints about the poor battery life of its 13-inch MacBook with Touch Bar. The chip might help extend the battery life.
However, whether or not it will prove helpful to people who regularly leave their MacBook on battery power for long durations, cannot be said for now. The benefit, it seems, can only be reaped when the laptop is in sleep mode. So it might be possible that Apple is making an effort to improve the standby time of its computers “more so than how long they lasts during a day’s use,” says The Verge.
Apple will be able to more tightly integrate its hardware and software functions by building its own chips. Also it will be able to control some of the cost of components for its devices. Since a low-power mode already exists in the Macs, the iPhone maker may not even highlight the advancement whenever it releases a product with its new chip inside.
