Apple Mac PCs to get ARM-based custom chips in 2021, says analyst Ming-Chi Kuo

Apple is set to revamp its Mac notebooks and desktop PCs in 2021. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company will use its own custom designed ARM chipsets on the 2021 Mac devices.

Kuo says the ARM chips will help Apple reduce the dependence on Intel chips which it uses on the current Macs, reports Macrumors. The analyst says Apple wants to bring down the processor cost by up to 40 to 60%. A custom chip will also help Apple maintain uniqueness compared to competing Windows-based devices.

According to Kuo, Apple's first set of ARM-based Mac notebooks will launch in the fourth quarter of this year or the first quarter of 2021.

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Kuo also reported about the USB4 feature expected to arrive in the future Apple devices. He said Taiwan-based ASMedia Technology will provide the USB controllers to Apple. The USB4 is said to unify USB and Thunderbolt. It's based on Thunderbolt protocol and builds upon the current USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 architectures.

According to USB, the upgrade brings "two-lane operation using existing USB Type-C cables and up to 40 Gbps operation over 40 Gbps certified cables and multiple data and display protocols to efficiently share the maximum aggregate bandwidth over the bus." USB4 will also be backward compatible with USB 3.2, USB 2.0, and Thunderbolt 3.

According to Kuo, Macs with USB4 will arrive on Macs in 2022.