THE TECH titan has pulled the plug on a household item – but it’s done so quietly. So quietly, you may not even know about the huge change.
Apple has even stopped selling the staple in its stores, instead offering up a new product.
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If you have an Intel Mac you now have a relic on your hands. That’s because following the recent WWDC 2023 keynote, the last remaining ones from Apple have finally been discontinued.
In was back in 2005, Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, made the entire audience gasp.
“It’s true,” the screen behind him said. “Yes, it’s true,” Jobs echoed. “We are transitioning from PowerPC to Intel processors”.
And on June 5, 2023, 18 years later, Tim Cook closed the door on that pioneering era.
Instead, the new Mac Pro will replace the last of the Intel powered machines. That means the entire line of Apple products now uses its own proprietary Apple chip.
The reason for the change is fairly straightforward, and similar to the reason it moved toward Power PC chips in the first place – to deliver faster speed and enhance performance.
However, there is another key reason for the move. Amid the upheaval caused to supply chains during the global pandemic, Apple wanted to have more control over its manufacturing.
The pandemic caused the the tech giant to get burned with production and delivery delays due to much of its manufacturing taking place overseas – in China, which was shut down for much of the pandemic.
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It also wants to control its key technologies, and be less reliant on chips from other sources, amid a worldwide shortage.
While the discontinuation happened quietly, it’s been an almost three year long transition from Intel chips to Apple Silicon.
Previously, the only Intel Mac Apple was selling was the 2019 Mac Pro, but with the new model already available to order, the Cupertino- based company will now no longer offer any Intel computers in stores.
WHAT IT MEANS IF YOU HAVE AN INTEL MAC
Although Intel Macs are gone from Apple’s website and stores, the company still supports some of them, so you don’t need to necessarily worry about an immediate replacement.
With the upcoming macOS Sonoma, which should be available later this fall, there are several Intel Macs that will be eligible for the new operating system update. They are:
- 019 iMac or newer
- 2017 iMac Pro
- 2018 MacBook Air or newer
- 2018 MacBook Pro or newer
- 2019 Mac Pro or newer
- 2018 Mac mini or newer
The only exception in this list is the Mac Studio, which was first released in 2022 and only features an Apple Silicon chip.
Before discontinuing the Intel Mac Pro, Apple used to sell an Intel version of the Mac mini. Then it replaced those with its new line of M2 and M2 Pro models that debuted this year.
ABOUT THE NEW APPLE SILICON MACS
Apple fans now have a lineup of Apple Silicon Macs to choose from. They are available in store and online.
- 24-inch iMac: With the M1 chip, this is the only Apple Silicon iMac available.
- MacBook Air: Apple sells three different MacBook Air models. One with the M1 chip and two size options with a new design and the M2 processor;
- MacBook Pro: Apple sells three different MacBook Pro models. One with the M2 chip, the old design, and the Touch Bar, and two high-end models with the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips;
- Mac mini: There is a choice between the M2 and M2 Pro Mac mini models;
- Mac Studio: It is available with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips;
- Mac Pro: With the transition completed, the new Mac Pro uses the M2 Ultra chip but with the modularity of the Intel model.
CONSIDER THIS BEFORE BUYING A COMPUTER
If you are looking to invest in a new computer here are five pro-tips to consider from Enos Tech. They include:
- Budget. There are a wide range of price points available, so set a budget and find the best machine within the price set
- Processor. This is the heart of the machine and an important consideration. The most important thing to look for in a processor is its clock speed, measured in GHz. The higher the clock speed, the faster your computer will be.
- Memory. The more RAM your computer has, the more things it can keep in memory at once, making it run faster.
- Graphics card. This part of the computer handles graphics processing, and it’s especially important for gaming and multimedia activities. When choosing a graphics card, you’ll want to consider the number of cores it has and its clock speed and bandwidth.
- Storage. HDD, or hard disk drive, is the traditional type of storage. It’s slower than SSD, but more affordable.
