Apple’s next revolution should ignore the MacBook Pro

Updated August 18. Article originally published August 16.

There’s no doubt that the hardware and software for Apple’s first ARM-powered MacBooks are impressive technical feats, but all of that will come to naught if Tim Cook and his team can’t sell the machine. Fortunately, this is one of Apple’s strengths. Let’s start at the top… what should the new Mac be called?

Update August 16: Noted Apple commentator Komiya KJ on Twitter has gathered information on the exit plan for Apple’s transition from Intel’s macOS platform to ARM.

“Transfer to Apple Silicon…” 2020: MacBook, MacBook Pro 13 inches. 2021: iMac (part), 16-inch MacBook Pro (part). 2022: iMac Pro, Mac Pro, iMac (rest), 16-inch MacBook Pro (rest). “

Two takeaways from this. The first is that the name of the MacBook Air cannot be found. The second is that the MacBook Pro name will remain in circulation with the 13-inch model making the jump to ARM. I’m curious how Apple will differentiate the “ MacBook ” and the “ MacBook Pro ”, and how much power ARM processors can produce. Apple clearly thinks that is enough to be worthy of the “Pro” suffix.

Update August 18: Details of Apple’s new A14X Bionic chip have been leaked. This processor is intended for the new iPad Pro and should power the first macOS on ARM hardware. Putting that into context is YouTuber Luke Miani:

“The performance of the A14X has been extrapolated from leaked / suspected A14 information + average performance gains from previous X chips. Place them around 7480 in Geekbench 5, almost on par with an i9 9880H. This thing could be crazy”

It remains to be seen how this will translate into actual performance and how well it will match existing MacBook Pro benchmarks. This is a promising sign that ARM hardware will match Intel hardware. The biggest question will be software compatibility. There’s no point in having so much power if critical business applications can’t run on newer laptops.

Tim Cook’s Apple is unlikely to ever send something to retail shelves called ‘The Apple MacBook (A14X Edition) laptop powered by MacOS on ARM‘(No I’m not looking at you, Redmond…) but it’s likely the team will think carefully about the rookie’s name.

While geekerati are going to be excited about the A14X chip, Apple’s first ARM-based processor for the Mac platform, Apple’s real goal is to make the transition from Intel to ARM as smooth as possible. Technical details of the new laptop will be mentioned in the background – instead, the benefits of using ARM will be front and center. Ideas of more power, better battery life, a slimmer design and a lighter laptop will be the focus.

ARM is all about the benefits of the Mac platform. Apple won’t want the general public to worry about app compatibility or any of the obvious headaches for those following the details of the story.

But there still has to be something to suggest that this is a new take on the MacBook, something new and groundbreaking that people should get involved with.

For me, that excludes the use of “MacBook Air”. When he launched “ AIr ” stood for something in bringing an ultraportable and lightweight laptop to the lineup. Over time, the original meaning of Air has been lost – to the point where Air now means “ slightly lower specs than the MacBook Pro, ” as there isn’t much physical difference between the 13 inch Pro and Air. Using MacBook Air for the new ARM-powered MacBook will remove any suffix value.

It’s probably best to exclude “ MacBook Pro ”, at least for the first ARM machine. While the initial credentials for Apple’s ARM Developer Transition Kit are solid, no one expects the first ARM-powered MacBook to rival the absolute performance of the MacBook Pro. That will likely follow in the future, but the new laptop trades in “small and portable” and not “growls and graphics.”

(Of course, if Komiya’s timing is on the nose, there will be a new MacBook Pro running the ARM processor. That puzzles me).

It’s also worth remembering that Intel-powered MacBook Air and MacBook Pro machines aren’t going to go away suddenly. They will remain on sale, they will remain in circulation for many years to come, and there has to be a clear line between this generation and the next generation.

Apple has been here before, with a new concept to launch with the “Air” and “Pro” designations used. Launched in March 2015, the 12-inch MacBook targeted the premium space between the Air and the Pro. It was small and light, it had a fanless design, and it was pushed as a highly portable laptop for everyday work. Sounds familiar?

The MacBook Air is too old and has lost its totemic luster. The aura of the MacBook Pro doesn’t quite match what is currently expected from Apple.

And “MacBook”?

Learn more about the impact of the ARM-powered MacBook on Google’s Chromebook project …