Episode 10: Apple ditches Intel & advertisers ditch Facebook
Unfortunately there’s no audio available this week. I’m currently travelling and not able to record it.
In this episode, episode 10, we discuss how Apple is ditching it’s long time hardware partner, Intel, and switching their own processors, and we talk about the ongoing boycott of Facebook by major global brands.
Apple ditches Intel
At it’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) Apple confirmed what everyone already knew, that it’s switching it’s processors away from Intel and towards it’s own processors that are based on ARM technology. Apple did the same thing many years with its iPhones and iPads which have been running the A series of chips since about 2010. This will bring their Mac lineup in line with their biggest seller, the iPhone.
There’s a some very good reasons why Apple would do this. Firstly, they get complete control over arguably the most important component: the processor. This means they’re no longer beholden to another company’s upgrade cycle or product development choices. Secondly, and one of the iPhones biggest strengths, they can build the software and hardware together, optimising them both to work perfectly together.
Apple will ship the first Mac with an Apple processor later this year. They’re normally updated in the Autumn, before the Christmas period. It will be a couple of years though before they update their whole lineup.
A key aspect of this will be how Apple manages the transition. The issue is that apps and software need some work to be compatible with the new processors. Given how important it is for people to be able to download and use pretty much any piece of software or app, getting developers to do the work to convert their app may prove difficult, particularly for the huge number of apps that are no longer being supported by the developer but are still of huge value to the users.
The other bit of that is Apple supporting it’s old hardware and therefore old software. If someone buys a MacBook now how long will Apple keep supporting the operating system for the old processors. Now, Apple does have a very good track record with this. Their latest iOS is compatible with iPhones back to the iPhone 6 which was released in 2014.
Brands ditch Facebook
A whole load of brands have decided to boycott Facebook and stop advertising on the social network, at least temporarily. It seems to stem from Facebook’s track record on ‘fake news’ and allowing what some think is inappropriate content such as the musings of Donald Trump.
I suspect for most brands involved with this it will be mostly temporary until the pressure eases and they can jump back off the bandwagon. After all, brands are mostly there to make money, not to send some sort of political message.