After the M1, These Intriguing Apple Silicon Mysteries Still Remain

The M2 processor will mark the next stage in the transition. But what will it bring?

- By Jason Snell

The launch of the Mac Studio (see page 54) was a big moment for Apple. Following years of preparation, that launch marked an important milestone in the Mac's journey. Apple exec John Ternus' declaration (fave.co/3DzYX2a) that the M1 chip family is complete marks the end of the first Apple silicon product cycle.

But the wheel keeps turning. The first cycle answered numerous questions we had less than two years ago-but many more remain. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, this is only the end of the beginning.

MYSTERIES REVEALED

Before the Apple silicon transition was announced in June 2020, there were many questions about how it might work (fave. co/3DCDC8m). Many of us had concerns that Apple's processors, designed for the iPhone and then beefed up for the iPad, would not be able to handle the needs of Mac users, or at least pro-level Mac users (fave. co/3J59mEm).

In early 2020, my podcasting partner, Myke Hurley, predicted that Apple would transition its consumer Macs to Apple-built processors by now, but he couldn't quite bring himself to predict the same for pro Macs (fave.co/3LFLSAY). And yet here we sit, with Apple having rolled out the M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M1 Ultra chips to the applause and delight of Mac fans everywhere. Only the Mac Pro lurks off in the distance, yet to be assimilated.