What Software Engineers can learn from Apple’s M1 Chip

As a software engineer, I’ve had the opportunity to see many software and hardware technologies introduced over the years. Beyond writing code, I also work as an educator, teaching computer science essentials to other iOS developers. Back when I started, the Java programming language was just released, and the possibilities of the internet were being realized with the launch of Mosaic and Netscape. It was the golden age of the x86 platform, including countless PCs being sold with 386, 486, and Pentium processors.

Fast forward to today, and much of the innovation seen is on mobile devices. While we were amazed by the original form factor of the iPhone (and later the iPad), it’s what’s being done on these devices today that is truly surprising. More than just photos, any device from the iPhone or iPad family (e.g., Air, Pro, etc.) can easily support document creation, gaming, video editing, video production, and more. As many fans and industry experts have anticipated, most mobile devices can now meet or exceed their desktop counterparts’ performance.

Measuring Software Performance

Software developers write code and build things. When building something new or even making incremental improvements, we are often faced with the best way to write a function or sequence. Mostly…