KVR Audio

UltraJv · Post by **UltraJv** » Sun Sep 13, 2020 1:20 am

Apple just started production of the A14X chip. Fanbois were saying it was fast enough to take on Intel but are now surprised it will be used in future Macs.

"If Apple is going to use iPad chips in full fledged computers I am worried..."

https://www.macrumors.com/2020/09/09/a1 ... -pro-4q20/

Apple Silicon now has to compete with Intels 11th Gen Tiger Lake

https://www.macrumors.com/2020/09/02/in ... ake-chips/

Passing Bye · Post by **Passing Bye** » Sun Sep 13, 2020 1:56 am

Oh look more rumors and announcements...

DrGonzo · Post by **DrGonzo** » Sun Sep 13, 2020 11:44 am

The hype train have indeed started. YB is flooding with Apple Silicone videos at the moment

Tronam · Post by **Tronam** » Sun Sep 13, 2020 5:29 pm

UltraJv wrote: ↑Sun Sep 13, 2020 1:20 am Apple just started production of the A14X chip. Fanbois were saying it was fast enough to take on Intel but are now surprised it will be used in future Macs.

"If Apple is going to use iPad chips in full fledged computers I am worried..."

https://www.macrumors.com/2020/09/09/a1 ... -pro-4q20/

Apple Silicon now has to compete with Intels 11th Gen Tiger Lake

https://www.macrumors.com/2020/09/02/in ... ake-chips/

Considering there was no A13X and the last high performance Apple silicon CPU is over 2 years old now, I think an A14X would have no difficulty driving Apple's mainstream laptops. I doubt they'll call it that though. The only Mac with a form factor that resembles the thermal and power constraints of an iPad is the discontinued 12" MacBook. The others will most certainly be built around a different SoC and under its own naming scheme to distinguish their new family of Apple silicon, like they do with their custom chips for Watch and AirPods. I find it highly unlikely they'd somehow be surprised by Intel's Tiger Lake. As a longtime hardware partner they've likely seen Intel's realistic roadmap years in advance of the general public and if they didn't think they could meet or exceed current Mac performance levels this whole transition wouldn't be happening. In an interview about the A12 powered Mac mini dev kit they described it as "what the team can do when they're not even trying." We'll soon see if they can start living up to their own hype. I have no doubts about the low and midrange systems, but it's the high end I'll be most curious about.

DrGonzo · Post by **DrGonzo** » Sun Sep 13, 2020 5:38 pm

Tronam wrote: ↑Sun Sep 13, 2020 5:29 pm I have no doubts about the low and midrange systems, but it's the high end I'll be most curious about.

I wonder how they will solve the graphics. I would assume TB3 external graphics cards can still be used to drive video rendering, but I wonder if they will ditch AMD/Nvidia as well for their own internal graphics chips.

UltraJv · Post by **UltraJv** » Mon Sep 14, 2020 3:01 pm

The fun gets better. Nvidia has just bought ARM. Will they stick it to Apple as Apple stuck it to Nvidia a while back? Will it affect future Apple silicon licencing and designs? Don't tell me Apple saw that coming. It's been on the cards but everybody said it couldn't happen. Apple were offered ARM but refused.

https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/14/ ... quisition/

Tronam · Post by **Tronam** » Mon Sep 14, 2020 3:59 pm

UltraJv wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 3:01 pm The fun gets better. Nvidia has just bought ARM. Will they stick it to Apple as Apple stuck it to Nvidia a while back? Will it affect future Apple silicon licencing and designs? Don't tell me Apple saw that coming. It's been on the cards but everybody said it couldn't happen.

https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/14/ ... quisition/

No, it won’t. Apple doesn’t license their designs anyway; they design their own microarchitecture. They license the instruction set and it’s perpetual. SoftBank actually approached Apple first, but they weren’t interesting in buying. It doesn’t fit into their business model at all. After spending $40billion Nvidia wouldn’t be so stupid as to threaten large business licensing relationships like QualComm, Samsung and Apple. They couldn’t anyway, due to all the regulatory ramifications. Sites who are trying to dramatize stories like this have no understanding of how ARM and their licensing works.

The company who *should* be worried is Intel. Nvidia won’t be content to just make GPUs into the future.

UltraJv · Post by **UltraJv** » Mon Sep 14, 2020 4:07 pm

Wrong. Apple DO licence designs from ARM. They do not make their own. They simply modify existing ARM designs. Apple have made a huge mistake in going ARM for desktop and laptop on every level. They should have designed their own cpu. Now they are in bed with the enemy again. Out of the frying pan into the fire. Nvidia is a bully, like Apple. So they will have their pound of flesh.

Tronam · Post by **Tronam** » Mon Sep 14, 2020 4:27 pm

UltraJv wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 4:07 pm Wrong. Apple DO licence designs from ARM. They do not make their own. They simply modify existing ARM designs

They used to, prior to the iPhone 5. After acquiring PA Semiconductor (a fabless chip design firm) they’ve been designing their own custom CPU cores starting back in 2012 with the A6. They no longer license ARM CPU designs and haven’t been for a long time now. Their designs *do* conform to the ARM ISA (Instruction Set Architecture) though for compatibility, so they speak the same language.

UltraJv · Post by **UltraJv** » Mon Sep 14, 2020 4:35 pm

We will see. Nvidia will do something to change the scales with Apple. They may demand licencing in retrospect or ammend the agreement. It wouldn't surprise me if the Chinese were behind the Nvidia buy to get back at Trump over Huawei. Apple are a target due to their exorbitant marketing and flagrant display of financial gain publicly.

Tronam · Post by **Tronam** » Mon Sep 14, 2020 4:53 pm

UltraJv wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 4:35 pm We will see. Nvidia will do something to change the scales with Apple. They may demand licencing in retrospect or ammend the agreement. It wouldn't surprise me if the Chinese were behind the Nvidia buy to get back at Trump over Huawei. Apple are a target due to their exorbitant marketing.

Why would Nvidia threaten their business relationship with one of ARM’s oldest, biggest and most dependable licensees, especially now after such a huge investment? Not to mention the regulatory legal nightmare that would ensue. That makes zero business sense. The last thing Nvidia would want is to sour those relationships and push their partners to alternatives like RISC-V and then see ARM’s significance start fading away. What Nvidia really wants is to expand their own footprint in the CPU and embedded computing space. As I said earlier, it’s companies like Intel which should be truly concerned.

UltraJv · Post by **UltraJv** » Mon Sep 14, 2020 5:34 pm

Apple ditched Nvidia some while back. citing poor manufacturing etc. Same shit they pull with everyone. Why would Apple do that? You could ask the same questions now. Apple soured the relationship with Nvidia, IBM , Intel and also Devs and users. Your question should be directed at Apple. They like pissing every one off. What goes round comes round. Intel work with everyone so they don't need to worry.

machinesworking · Post by **machinesworking** » Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:28 pm

UltraJv wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 5:34 pm Apple soured the relationship with Nvidia, IBM , Intel and also Devs and users.

Yes, the worlds richest company has soured it's relationship with it's users, expect them to file bankruptcy soon.

revvy · Post by **revvy** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 5:36 am

machinesworking wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:28 pm
UltraJv wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 5:34 pm Apple soured the relationship with Nvidia, IBM , Intel and also Devs and users.
Yes, the worlds richest company has soured it's relationship with it's users, expect them to file bankruptcy soon.

Shhhh, Apple-haterzzz always know what's best for Apple users in Apple-related threads, didn't you get the KVR/The Reg memo?

cptgone · Post by **cptgone** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 1:01 pm

Oh my Brand, snapping at apple is blasphemous!

Apple Mac computers make jump to its own chips