WWDC 2020 was highlighted by the biggest announcement of Apple’s shift from Intel processors to Apple Silicon.
As experience would tell, adapting early to a new device isn’t always the best decision for many. First-generation devices tend to be the litmus test whether or not the product will fly off the shelves. As such, Apple’s big announcement during WWDC 2020 is going to put the company under the microscope for the new Mac releases.
Rocky road ahead for Apple Silicon
For someone who’s on the market for a new Apple laptop, the choice will most likely be whether to wait for the first Mac with Apple Silicon or go for the reliable Intel-based Mac. The answer to this is “it depends.”
As mentioned earlier, first-generation devices tend to be fluky when it comes to performance. Apple Silicon has only been through lab and internal tests. It still has to pass a consumer performance rating. On the other hand, Intel-based Macs have been on a tear ever since Apple tinkered with its internals last year.
However, Apple is confident that Apple Silicon-based computers will be ready for the market on day one. Some tests showed that the Apple Silicon even performs better in graphics and AI.
Apps compatibility
It’s not just the physical hardware that must be considered. Considering that Apple is going to change the processor on the Macs, developers also need the time to migrate their apps to run on Apple Silicon.
Apple said that the migration would not be a problem for the developers. The company has already prepared Xcode 12 to facilitate the transition smoothly. Adobe and Microsoft apps, on the other hand, can run on the Apple processor from the get-go.
Meanwhile, having an Apple Silicon Mac means that the apps running on the iPhone and iPad can run as well on Apple computers. For developers that will have a hard time transitioning, Apple has provided Rosetta 2. The updated program can do the ‘translation’ of the apps to run smoothly on the Apple Silicon Macs.
Apple-style release
Apple has always been a patient company. It never jumped the gun on new tech or innovation. It always played a carefully planned strategy that makes their releases close to perfect. However, Apple is also prone to mistakes similar to the butterfly mechanism on the Macbooks.
Many users that immediately bought the new laptops had a hard time with the keys getting stuck all the time. Since then, Apple has reverted to its old keyboard mechanism.
This does not mean that Apple will eventually go back to Intel-processors. However, consumers that are considering purchasing Macs must give a bit of time for the company to adjust completely. Otherwise, they may just encounter problematic glitches throughout the Apple Silicon Macs’ initial release.
Image from Apple/ YouTube screenshot