Apple is experimenting with its own custom processor
After 15 years partnering with Intel for its central processing units, Apple appears ready to switch to its own model
![Laptops.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aFoobjsf2L3N59LQ8CVuUg-415-80.jpg)
Each week, we spotlight a cool innovation recommended by some of the industry's top tech writers. This week's pick is an Apple update.
Apple's next MacBook could come equipped with its own custom processor, bypassing chip giant Intel, said Mark Gurman at Bloomberg. After 15 years partnering with Intel for its central processing units, or CPUs, Apple appears ready to switch to its own model "based off the A14 processor in the next iPhone," which uses technology from Arm Inc.
Arm-based chips use "less energy than Intel's offerings" and have generally been geared toward mobile devices rather than laptops and desktops. But "a slowdown in Intel's chip advancements" has been blamed for the decline in Mac upgrades. While the first Mac chips "won't be able to rival the performance Intel provides," Apple is working on designs that can pack in 12 or more "cores," or processing units, in place of the two-core Intel processors currently used in its entry-level models.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Paloma recipe: the cocktail of the summer
The Week Recommends This refreshing drink balances the fresh and fizzy taste of grapefruit soda with a subtle flavour of smooth tequila
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Mushroom edibles are tripping up users
the explainer The psychedelics can sometimes have questionable components
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Prisons are simply not prepared for extreme heat
Under the radar Inmates are at severe risk of heat-related illness
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published