“The M2 family has sought to maintain its leadership position by once again pushing the boundaries of technology. We don’t leave things on the table,” he says Millet. “Rather than take a 20% raise and figure out how to spread it over three years, we figure out how to make a profit gradually. We get it all in one year. It just hit hard. That’s not what happens in other industries or historically.”
Millet said that with the successor to the M1 chip line, Apple doesn’t want to set a precedent for a few percent profit on each new generation of chips. Instead, the company wanted to push the boundaries of technology as far as possible.
Borchers said bringing the design of the Mac chip in-house allows Apple to integrate silicon, software and hardware without relying on outside vendors. Being able to work with designers, hardware teams, and software teams “makes all the difference” in Apple’s ability to add “truly targeted” and “important stuff” to the Mac.
Regarding Apple’s previous partnership with Intel, Millet and Borchers praised the company’s willingness to serve Apple’s needs, with Millet saying his Apple-Intel relationship ultimately benefited Apple’s competitors. It pointed out. “Intel is a great partner that has shipped Intel machines over the years. They have been very responsive. “I think we’re benefiting from that interaction. Products can also benefit from this interaction,” Millet said.
Speaking of gaming on the Mac, Borchers says Apple feels he’s getting better at gaming with each version of his M series chip. He said there is a “huge opportunity” for game makers as Apple adds new APIs and extends Metal with Metal 3.
Apple will continue to look at chip configurations and components through the lens of gaming, and Millet said Apple has a “long-term view” about turning the Mac into a gaming platform, but Apple’s move to silicon is not the same. He said he was working on it in the early stages when it started.
“The story begins years ago when we envisioned this transition. Gamers are a serious bunch. I do not think.”
According to Millet, Apple is working to build an installed base of powerful GPUs. Apple wants “very powerful GPUs” across its Mac lineup, from the MacBook Air to the Mac Studio with the M1 Ultra. He also believes developers haven’t adapted to the M-series chips yet.