Apple switch Intel with ARM?

It seems that ARM has started to become a real competitor to Intel and AMD processors on the market for personal computers. IDC forecasts say that ARM will earn 15% of processor market for personal computers until 2015. The rumor says that Apple has already decided in favor of removing Intel processors for the new notebook models. Apple will make the transition to ARM until 2013, when the new 64bit ARM processor, A15 is announced for release.

It seems that Apple already looking for production facilities for this type of processor and they are in talks with Samsung, Global Foundries and TSMC. According to Ars Technica said a switch from Intel to ARM will not be so complicated for Apple. The iOS operating system for iPad and iPhone already works on ARM, and Mac OS X and iOS are based on the same technical foundation.

Both the iPhone 4 and iPad use ARM processors A4 and A5 produced by Samsung. On the other hand people from Ars Technica are not so sure that the transition will be complete by the ARM platform for the entire range of Apple computers. They believe that ARM performance of architecture is not yet comparable to the x86 from Intel and AMD.

Thus these ARM processors will be introduced only as ultraportable laptops range of MacBook Air. Since Intel launched Ivy Bridge next year a new range of processor performance based on 22 nanometer technology and 3D transistors, it is hard to believe that ARM can provide processors strong enough that could compete in those from Intel.

On the other hand ARM processors have great advantages in the current consumption and therefore are used in all types of mobile phones and tablets. In addition, Microsoft announced that the next version of Windows 8 will run on ARM platform which opens a new very large market for ARM technology. For the average user a switch to ARM technology may mean that a computer will have a far greater operating time per battery than the current computer and will give off much less heat.

Therefore are less noise and no need for cooling fans.  On the other hand who has gone through various transitions of technology Apple knows that a switch from architecture to another is an adaptation for two years until all providers of software made stable applications for the new platform stable. Hopefully the transition will be justified by a serious benefit as it was when it passed on the Intel platform.

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