APPLE SILICON
The Platinum Age of CPUs is Upon Us
We’ve never had it so good
When last we spoke I was defending myself from attack after stating the obvious fact that Apple’s lead in microprocessor design has been largely erased¹. I don’t know why others see this as at all controversial and more perplexingly why they see this as a bad thing (except perhaps Apple shareholders).
I’ve lived and worked through almost the entire history of microprocessors, with February marking my fortieth anniversary as a computer science professional. The first computer I ever programmed on was powered by the 8-bit MOS Technology 6502. A few years later I launched a software startup² with a development system powered by the 16-bit Intel 80286. So, as an Apple developer, believe me when I tell you that I thank god or whatever for the miracle that is Apple silicon. But the rising tide that facilitated the creation of M-series processors did indeed lift all of Apple’s competitors.
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
Perhaps there is no clearer example of Apple’s competitors gaining ground than the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite SoC that was…
