Johny Srouji at Apple's chip facilities in Cupertino.
Apple Inc. designs its own system on a chip (SoC) and system in package (SiP) processors for its consumer devices. Marketed as "Apple Silicon", development is headed by Senior VP of Hardware Technologies Johny Srouji at Apple's chip facilities in Cupertino, California and Herzliya, Israel.[1][2]
History[]
Apple's chip durability lab in Cupertino.
In April 2008, Apple acquired P.A. Semi for $278 million to bring fabless processor design in-house to the company. At the time, Apple relied on Intel for central processing units in its desktop products and Samsung for its mobile products.[3]
Early processors[]
Apple first used SoC (system on a chip) designs in early revisions of the iPhone and iPod touch. Specified by Apple and manufactured by Samsung, they combine into one package: a single ARM-based processing core (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and other electronics necessary for mobile computing.
- The APL0098 (also 8900B[4] or S5L8900) is a package on package (PoP) system on a chip (SoC) that was introduced on June 29, 2007, at the launch of the original iPhone. It includes a 412 MHz single-core ARM11 CPU and a PowerVR MBX Lite GPU. It was manufactured by Samsung on a 90 nm process.[5] The iPhone 3G and the 1st-generation iPod touch also used it.[6]
- The APL0278[7] (also S5L8720) is a PoP SoC introduced on September 9, 2008, at the launch of the 2nd-generation iPod touch. It includes a 533 MHz single-core ARM11 CPU and a PowerVR MBX Lite GPU. It was manufactured by Samsung on a 65 nm process.[5][6]
- The APL0298 (also S5L8920) is a PoP SoC introduced on June 8, 2009, at the launch of the iPhone 3GS. It includes a 600 MHz single-core ARM Cortex-A8 CPU and a PowerVR SGX535 GPU. It was manufactured by Samsung on a 65 nm process.[8]
- The APL2298 (also S5L8922) is a 45 nm die shrunk version of the iPhone 3GS SoC and was introduced on September 9, 2009, at the launch of the 3rd-generation iPod touch.[5]
A series[]
The Apple A series is a family of SoC designs developed by Apple for use in their mobile and consumer devices. They integrate one or more ARM-based processing cores (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), cache memory and other electronics necessary to provide mobile computing functions within a single physical package. These were originally manufactured for Apple by Samsung, but production has since shifted to TSMC.[9]
Apple A5X chip
Apple A6X chip
Apple A12 chip
- Apple A4 — (2010) introduced in the original iPad and also used in the iPhone 4, iPod touch (4th generation), and Apple TV (2nd generation).
- Apple A5 — (2011) introduced in the iPad 2 and used in the iPhone 4S, iPod touch (5th generation) and 1st generation iPad mini.
- Apple A5X — (2012) introduced in the iPad (3rd generation).
- Apple A6 — (2012) introduced in the iPhone 5 and later used in the iPhone 5C; contained a custom CPU designed internally at Apple (called "Swift") instead of one licensed from ARM.[10]
- Apple A6X — (2012) introduced in the iPad (4th generation).
- Apple A7 — (2013) introduced in the iPhone 5S, the company's first 64-bit mobile processor. Also used in the 2nd and 3rd generation iPad minis and 1st generation iPad Air.[1]
- Apple A8 — (2014) introduced in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus; also used by the iPad mini 4, 6th generation iPod touch, and the 1st-generation HomePod.
- Apple A8X — (2014) introduced in the iPad Air 2.
- Apple A9 — (2015) introduced in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, and later used in the 1st-generation iPhone SE and the 5th-generation iPad.
- Apple A9X — (2015) introduced in the 1st-generation iPad Pro, the company's first "desktop class" processor for mobile devices.[1]
- Apple A10 Fusion — (2016) introduced in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and later used in the 6th and 7th-generation iPad. This was the first processor produced for Apple solely by TSMC.[9]
- Apple A10X Fusion — (2017) introduced in the 2nd-generation iPad Pro, and also used in the 1st-generation Apple TV 4K.
- Apple A11 Bionic — (2017) introduced in the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X. First implementation of Neural Engine machine learning.
- Apple A12 Bionic — (2018) introduced in the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max, and also used in the 3rd-generation iPad Air, 5th-generation iPad mini and the 2nd-generation Apple TV 4K, and later used in the 8th-generation iPad.
- Apple A12X Bionic — (2018) introduced in the 3rd-generation iPad Pro.
- Apple A12Z Bionic — (2020) introduced in the 4th-generation iPad Pro, and used in the 2020 Mac mini-based Developer Transition Kit.
- Apple A13 Bionic — (2019) introduced in the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max; also used in the 2nd-generation iPhone SE, 9th-generation iPad, and Studio Display.
- Apple A14 Bionic — (2020) introduced in the 4th-generation iPad Air; also used in the iPhone 12 series and the 10th-generation iPad.[11][12][13]
- Apple A15 Bionic — (2021) introduced in the iPhone 13 series and the 6th-generation iPad mini;[14] also adopted by the 3rd-generation iPhone SE in March 2022, and iPhone 14 and 14 Plus in September 2022.[15]
- Apple A16 Bionic — (2022) introduced in the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max in September 2022, and iPhone 15 and 15 Plus in September 2023.[16]
- Apple A17 Pro — (2023) introduced in the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.[17]
M series[]
The Apple M1 processor family
The Apple M series was introduced by Apple in late 2020 to transition its Mac computers away from Intel processors. They integrate a custom ARM-based central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU). The M series is presently manufactured by TSMC and in June 2023, the 3rd-generation Mac Pro was the last-remaining Intel-based model to be replaced by Apple Silicon.[18][19]
How Apple Just Changed the Entire Industry (M1 Chip)
- Apple M1 — introduced in November 2020 with support for up to 16 GB RAM for the first Apple Silicon-based Macs, the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini;[20] also adopted by the 24-inch iMac and 5th-generation iPad Pro in April 2021;[21] as well as the 5th-generation iPad Air in March 2022.[15]
- Apple M1 Pro — introduced in October 2021 with support for up to 32 GB RAM for the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros.[22]
- Apple M1 Max — introduced in October 2021 with support for up to 64 GB RAM in the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros;[22] also adopted by the base model Mac Studio in March 2022.[15]
- Apple M1 Ultra — introduced in March 2022 with support for up to 128 GB RAM in the Mac Studio.[15]
- Apple M2 — introduced in June 2022 to support the new MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro;[23] also adopted by the 6th-generation iPad Pro in October 2022 and the updated base model Mac mini in January 2023.[24][25]
- Apple M2 Pro — introduced in January 2023 to support the updated Mac mini, and 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros.[26]
- Apple M2 Max — introduced in January 2023 with support for up to 96 GB RAM in the updated 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros.[26]
- Apple M2 Ultra — introduced in June 2023 with support for up to 192 GB RAM in the Mac Pro and Mac Studio.[19]
- Apple M3 — introduced in late October 2023 with dynamic caching of the GPU in the updated 24-inch iMac; also adopted by the updated 14-inch MacBook Pro in November 2023.[27]
- Apple M3 Pro — introduced in early November 2023 with support for up to 36 GB RAM in the updated 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros.[27]
- Apple M3 Max — introduced in November 2023 with support for up to 128 GB RAM in the updated 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros.[27]
M series (motion coprocessors)[]
- Apple M7 — introduced with the Apple A7 in the iPhone 5S in September 2013.
- Apple M8 — introduced with the Apple A8 in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in September 2014.
- Later versions (Apple M9, M10, M11) were integrated on the die of subsequent Apple processors, starting with the Apple A9. For more information, see Apple motion coprocessors.
R series[]
- Apple R1 — introduced in the Vision Pro.
S series[]
Apple S1 chip
- Apple S1 — introduced in the original Apple Watch.
- Apple S1P — introduced in the Apple Watch Series 1.
- Apple S2 — introduced in the Apple Watch Series 2.
- Apple S3 — introduced in the Apple Watch Series 3.
- Apple S4 — introduced in the Apple Watch Series 4.
- Apple S5 — introduced in the Apple Watch Series 5; also used in the 1st-generation Apple Watch SE and HomePod mini.
- Apple S6 — introduced in the Apple Watch Series 6.
- Apple S7 — introduced in the Apple Watch Series 7; also used in the 2nd-generation HomePod.
- Apple S8 — introduced in the Apple Watch Series 8; also used in the 2nd-generation Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Ultra.
- Apple S9 — introduced with a 4-core Neural Engine in the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.[17]
T series[]
- Apple T1 — manages the system management controller (SMC) in the 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros
- Apple T2 — introduced in the iMac Pro and latter Intel Macs. Based on the Apple A10.
W series[]
- Apple W1 — manages Bluetooth and battery usage in the 1st-generation AirPods.
- Apple W2 — integrated into the Apple S3 used in the Apple Watch Series 3.
- Apple W3 — integrated into the Apple S4, S5, S6, S7, and S8 used in the Apple Watch Series 4, 5, 6, SE (1st gen), 7, 8, SE (2nd gen), and Ultra.
H series[]
- Apple H1 — introduced in the 2nd-generation AirPods for increased efficiency over the W1.
- Apple H2 — introduced in the 2nd-generation AirPods Pro.
U series[]
- Apple U1 — uses ultra-wideband technology to control spatial awareness in the iPhone 11 series, iPhone 12 series, iPhone 13 series, iPhone 14 series, Apple Watch Series 6, 7, 8, Ultra, HomePod mini, and AirTags.
- Apple U2 — introduces updated ultra-wideband technology with the ability to measure precise distances in the iPhone 15 series, and Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2.[17]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Brad Stone, Adam Satariano, and Gwen Ackerman. "The Most Important Apple Executive You’ve Never Heard Of", Bloomberg, 2016-02-18.
- ↑ WWDC Special Event — June 22 by Apple, YouTube. 2020-06-22.
- ↑ "Apple Buys Chip Designer", Forbes. Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
- ↑ iPhone 1st Generation Teardown. iFixit (June 29, 2007). Retrieved on September 19, 2013.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Choi, Young (May 10, 2010). Analysis gives first look inside Apple's A4 processor. EETimes. Archived from the original on September 15, 2013. Retrieved on September 15, 2013.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 That iPod touch runs at 533 MHz. TechHive (25 November 2008).
- ↑ iPod Touch 2nd Generation Teardown. iFixit (September 10, 2008). Retrieved on September 19, 2013.
- ↑ Lal Shimpi, Anand (June 10, 2009). The iPhone 3GS Hardware Exposed & Analyzed. AnandTech. Retrieved on September 13, 2013.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lovejoy, Ben (2016-07-18). Apple reportedly dropping Samsung for not only A10 in iPhone 7 but also A11 in iPhone 8 (en-US). 9to5Mac.
- ↑ The iPhone 5 Review - Decoding Swift. AnandTech (October 16, 2012). Retrieved on October 17, 2012.
- ↑ Apple Event — September 15 by Apple, YouTube. 2020-09-15.
- ↑ Apple A14 Processor To Exceed 3.1GHz by Yasir Zeb, Research Snipers. 2020-03-15.
- ↑ Apple unveils completely redesigned iPad in four vibrant colors, Apple Inc. 2022-10-18.
- ↑ Apple Event — September 14 by Apple, YouTube. 2021-09-14.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Apple Event — March 8 by Apple, YouTube. 2022-03-08.
- ↑ Apple Event — September 7 by Apple, YouTube. 2022-09-07.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Apple Event — September 12 by Apple, YouTube. 2023-09-12.
- ↑ The Mac Pro is now Apple’s last machine with an Intel chip by Jon Porter, The Verge. 2023-01-17.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 WWDC 2023 — June 5 by Apple, YouTube. 2023-06-05.
- ↑ Apple unleashes M1, Apple Inc. 2020-11-10.
- ↑ Apple Event — April 20 by Apple, YouTube. 2021-04-20.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Introducing M1 Pro and M1 Max: the most powerful chips Apple has ever built, Apple Inc. 2021-10-18.
- ↑ WWDC 2022 - June 6 by Apple, YouTube. 2022-06-06.
- ↑ Apple introduces next-generation iPad Pro, supercharged by the M2 chip, Apple Inc. 2022-10-18.
- ↑ Apple introduces new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro — more powerful, capable, and versatile than ever, Apple Inc. 2023-01-17.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Apple unveils M2 Pro and M2 Max: next-generation chips for next-level workflows, Apple Inc. 2023-10-17.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Apple Event - October 30 by Apple, YouTube, 2023-10-30.
See also[]
External links[]
- Apple Silicon at Apple Developer
- List of Mac Laptops with Apple Silicon at The iPhone Wiki
- Apple at WikiChip
- Apple-designed processors at Wikipedia
Articles[]
- Apple Silicon: The Complete Guide by Juli Clover at MacRumors (2021-11-08)
- Ten years of Apple technology shifts made the ARM Mac possible by Mike Peterson at AppleInsider (2020-06-12)
- How Apple Built a Chip Powerhouse to Threaten Qualcomm and Intel by Mark Gurman at Bloomberg Technology (2018-01-29, archived 2018-01-29)
