If Apple breaks from Intel, will Macs get cheaper?
When Apple makes a move, it usually causes an earthquake.
The chip industry felt tremors upon the report that Apple would soon be turning away from Intel for the chips in its MacBooks. Or at least one MacBook. As early as 2020, we may see the first Mac to run on a chip designed and built by Apple -- either one of its "A" processors or something new altogether.
Obviously, Intel shareholders weren't happy about the news (the stock still hasn't recovered four days later), but the big question is what this means for Apple and Mac users down the road: Will it be a single "hybrid" machine, a new line of Macs, or is Apple really looking to split entirely from Intel's chips, at least in the long term? And what will the first non-Intel Mac in over a decade look like?
We tackle those questions and more on the latest episode of our MashTalk podcast. CNET's senior reporter Shara Tibken joins host Pete Pachal and Mashable Tech Reporter Karissa Bell to evaluate whether the chipocalypse is really coming for the Mac, and answer the key question: If Apple does debut an ARM-powered MacBook, will it actually be affordable?
The panel also tackles the latest Apple news and rumors, taking a hard look the recent education-themed Apple event in Chicago and whether or not it achieved what Apple set out to do. TL;DR: If the intent was to just show off a new iPad in a semi-interesting way, it did. If Apple really thinks a new, cheapish iPad is going to turn the tide against Chromebooks, it has another thing coming.
But wait, there's more! We talk about Apple's big steal from Google -- snagging AI chief John Giannandrea -- and the latest iPhone rumors: a curved screen? Gesture controls? Plus: why Apple may actually be making AR glasses after all.
You can subscribe to MashTalk on iTunes or Google Play, and we'd appreciate it if you could leave a review. Feel free to hit us with questions and comments by tweeting to @mashtalk or attaching the #MashTalk hashtag. We welcome all feedback.
Pete Pachal was Mashable’s Tech Editor and had been at the company from 2011 to 2019. He covered the technology industry, from self-driving cars to self-destructing smartphones.Pete has covered consumer technology in print and online for more than a decade. Originally from Edmonton, Canada, Pete first uploaded himself into technology journalism at Sound & Vision magazine in 1999. Pete also served as Technology Editor at Syfy, creating the channel's technology site, DVICE (now Blastr), out of some rusty HTML code and a decompiled coat hanger. He then moved on to PCMag, where he served as the site's News Director.Pete has been featured on Fox News, the Today Show, Bloomberg, CNN, CNBC and CBC.Pete holds degrees in journalism from the University of King's College in Halifax and engineering from the University of Alberta in Edmonton. His favorite Doctor Who monsters are the Cybermen.
