Apple says the chip that powers the iPad Pro could power Macs. What's more, as it demonstrated in a simulation, a 2-year-old A12X processor can run x86_64 code faster than Microsoft can natively run an Arm version. And by a wide margin.
There's no doubt that if Apple can achieve such performance from an old chip, the A14 chips that power Macs, which will also power iPhones , will be fast.
However, the question remains whether Apple Silicon will be up to the challenge of replacing Intel Xeon within the next two years.
What is certain, however, is that Apple has changed the game in the processor sector. In addition to ending its partnership with Intel, it also seems to be moving away from existing processor manufacturers Arm and wants to rely on its own strengths.
However, the change from Intel Core to Apple Silicon is completely different from the case of Xeon, the processor that powers the Mac Pro and iMac Pro.
In the case of the Mac Pro, the base system comes with an 8-core 3.5GHz Intel Xeon W processor. However, upgrading to the 28-core 2.5GHz Intel Xeon W increases the price by $7,000.
Besides the cores, of course, there are other components in the Xeon processor.
Compared to Intel Core chips, Xeon offers more L3 cache, support for ECC RAM, and is designed to handle heavy loads on a daily basis.
With that in mind, Tim Cook announced that the timeline for the transition to Apple Silicon is two years. He believes that by 2022 they will be able to have chips that surpass Xeon in capabilities.
