This week Apple confirmed that it’s preparing to transition from Intel to ARM chips for upcoming Mac computers, and the upcoming macOS Big Sur will be the company’s first desktop operating system designed for Apple Silicon chips based on ARM architecture.
Befitting a move so big, it’ll also be the first version of the Mac operating system in 18 years that’s not called OS X. Say hello to OS 11.
Among other things, the move will give Apple more control over the way its Mac hardware and software interact with one another. It’ll also mean that iPhones, iPads, and Macs will eventually all be running similar chips… so it should come as no surprise that iOS apps will run on ARM-based Macs.
Concerned that ARM chips might not offer the kind of performance we’ve come to expect? It all depends on how they’re configured — in another big win for ARM this week, a supercomputer with ARM-based chips took the number one spot in the TOP500 and GRAPH500 lists of the world’s most powerful supercomputers for the first time.
The Fugaku supercomputer built by Riken and Fujitsu isn’t exactly an energy-efficient machine though. It offers 415 petaFLOPS of performance, but consumers a massive 28 megawatts of power.
Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.
- New #1 Supercomputer: Fugaku in Japan, with A64FX, take Arm to the Top with 415 PetaFLOPs [AnandTech]
For the first time, the world’s most powerful supercomputer is powered by ARM chips… more than 150-thousand of them. It offers 2.8X the performance of its closest competitor (but also uses 2.8X the power). - The end of OS X [Stratechery]
Apple didn’t make a big deal of it during the WWDC keynote yesterday, but macOS Big Sur marks the end of the OS X name after 18 years. Big Sur is OS 11. The break makes sense given that it’ll be the first to support ARM architecture and native iOS apps. - Bring keyboard and mouse gaming to iPad [Apple Developers]
In another blurring of the lines between iOS and macOS, Apple is bringing keyboard and mouse support to iPad games… or at least giving game developers support for those tools. - iOS 14 Introduces Back Tap Gesture Before Android 11 Makes It Official [Droid Life]
Apple iOS 14 will include a double-tap-the-back-of-the-phone accessibility option that works as a shortcut for apps or actions. Google is working on something similar for Android, but it’s not officially part of Android 11 Beta yet. - Amazon is looking to add live TV to Prime Video [Protocol]
Amazon may be planning to add live TV streams to Amazon Prime Video, with support for sports, news, political events, and concerts… and possibly some 24/7 live streaming channels as well. - Use Google Voice and Google Fi, now with the same account [Google]
After five years, you can finally use Google Voice and Google Fi with the same Google account, allowing you to use different phone numbers for each.
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