Right. It made no sense for Apple to have complete control over most of their devices, with custom innovations moving between them, and still remain dependent on Intel for one class of devices.
Intel downsides for Apple:
1. No reliable control of schedule, specs, CPU, GPU, DPU core counts, high/low power core ratios, energy envelopes.
2. No ability to embed special Apple designed blocks (Secure Enclave, Video processing, whatever, ...)
3. Intel still hasn't moved to on-chip RAM, shared across all core-types. (As far as I know?)
4. The need to negotiate Intel chip supplies, complicated by Intel's plans for other partner's needs.
5. An inability to differentiate Mac's basic computing capabilities from every other PC that continues to use Intel.
6. Intel requiring Apple to support a second instruction architecture, and a more complex stack of software development tools.
Apple solved 1000 problems when they ditched Intel.
Ah yes. The CPU and RAM are mounted tightly together in a system on a chip (SOC) package, so that all RAM is shared by CPU, GPU, DPU/Neural and processor cache.
I can't seem to find any Intel chips that are packaged with unified RAM like that.
Intel downsides for Apple:
1. No reliable control of schedule, specs, CPU, GPU, DPU core counts, high/low power core ratios, energy envelopes.
2. No ability to embed special Apple designed blocks (Secure Enclave, Video processing, whatever, ...)
3. Intel still hasn't moved to on-chip RAM, shared across all core-types. (As far as I know?)
4. The need to negotiate Intel chip supplies, complicated by Intel's plans for other partner's needs.
5. An inability to differentiate Mac's basic computing capabilities from every other PC that continues to use Intel.
6. Intel requiring Apple to support a second instruction architecture, and a more complex stack of software development tools.
Apple solved 1000 problems when they ditched Intel.