Introducing the Apple M1 chip

An entire system on a single chip.

Macs used to need several chips for the processor, I/O, security and storage in order to run properly, but with the M1 chip, all of these are combined into a system on a single chip (SoC). M1 makes Macs more powerful than ever and ensures a considerably longer battery life. iPad Pros launched at the start of 2021 ship with this new chip, which has become a real game-changer in the world of IT. Read on to find out more.

The new M1 processor was announced by Apple back in November 2020 as the company made the switch from traditional to PC to mobile chips. M1 is a ground-breaking ARM-based chip that has been designed for Mac delivering next-level performance and an optimised battery life. Since the beginning of 2021, iPad Pros have been equipped with an M1 chip, which is available for both macOS and iPadOS and is also installed in the new iMac 24" all-in-one desktop PC.

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Discover more about the origins of the M1 chip, find out about its features and benefits and read all about why we think these developments are worth staying on top of.

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With the launch of the M1 chip, Apple has shown the extent to which it can flex its muscles. From my point of view, it is just the beginning of huge changes in the processor market. I’m incredible impressed by both its performance and energy consumption and I have high expectations of of the new Mac.

Kees Janssen, Team Leader Government at Bechtle on the M1 chip.

Technical specifications and benefits

Among the Apple M1’s top features are:

The first SoC for Mac designed by Apple itself
ARM-based commands (mobile chip)
16 billion transistors
5-nanometre process
Energy-efficient and compact
All components bundled into one.

These result in several benefits compared to previous chip generations:

The chip is more powerful, delivering double the CPU performance of the latest laptop chips with just 10 W
The battery lasts longer than ever meaning you can work uninterrupted for 17 hours
The M1 is equipped with Apple’s Unified Memory Architecture (UMA) considerably optimising battery performance and efficiency
With greater graphics performance low power consumption, the M1 offers the best of both worlds.

These are just a few of the benefits you can enjoy with the M1 chip. To discover what other advantages it has to offer and our conclusions, read our e-book.

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