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APPLE SILICON
Apple Is One Step Closer to the Mac Nano
I come to praise the Mac mini, not to bury it.
On March 30, 2021, Apple was granted patent 10,966,343 for bringing the Mac Pro’s housing construction to handheld devices. When BGR reported on the patent, it focused on the implications for future iPhones, going so far as to headline its article, “Apple just patented a totally new iPhone design you’re going to hate so much.” I saw things differently, imagining a pocket-sized Mac paired with AR/MR/VR glasses.
This patent is all about dissipating heat. Since Apple has already delivered an M4 chip in the iPad Pro without redesigning the case, it seems unlikely the company will place a chip in the iPhone with thermals that mandate the extra expense of this advanced housing construction. High-end Mac chips, however, do require significantly more power with corresponding higher thermal budgets.
An analysis of the M4 Pro on Notebookcheck lists the M3 Pro’s max power consumption at 28 watts and the M4 Pro’s at 46 watts. Since high-end Mac chips increasingly need significant cooling solutions, placing one of these chips in an iPhone-size enclosure would benefit from the invention disclosed in the patent. The resulting “Mac nano” would usher in a new Mac deployment paradigm.
