Apple would be working to develop special low-power ARM chipsets to be used alongside Intel processors in future MacBooks and MacBook Pros
Apple, as Microsoft seems to be doing, seems willing to move towards an ARM coprocessor – codenamed T310 – able to work alongside Intel CPUs in order to support it in the management of all those “accessory” low-power functions.
The indiscretion comes from sources, not better specified, of Bloomberg that reveals that the ARM chip that could already make its appearance on an updated model of MacBook Pro expected by the end of the year. Apple’s aim is to ensure longer battery life on the new generation of MacBooks, which are often criticized for their poor battery life. It should also be mentioned that ARM technology is not new on Apple laptops. The MacBook Pros with Touch Bar and Touch ID currently on the market already use a custom ARM chip – known as T1 – but Apple is aiming for a new, low-power unit developed specifically to handle tasks such as, for example, background activities.
MacBook mimics iPhone
What Apple is trying to do with the new chip is to take a similar approach to that used by iPhones. The latest iPhone models, in fact, employ what’s called a coprocessor that can handle processes or components that don’t require the enormous computing power typical of a CPU such as, for example, sensors or the Siri virtual assistant. Apple could, in this way, extend battery life by keeping the main chip in standby, while the coprocessor takes care of “routine” tasks. It is also likely that the T310 chip is simply an updated version of the T1 optimized for low-power operation that Apple refers to as “Power Nap.”