The HomePod may be delayed, but we still have the launch of the iMac Pro to look forward to afore the terminus of the year. This evening, a couple of tidbits regarding the iMac Pro have emerged thanks to some digging by developers Johnathan Levin and Steve Troughton-Smith…
According to information available via the BridgeOS 2.0 software package from Apple, it appears that the iMac Pro will feature an ARM coprocessor in the form of an A10 Fusion chip. This would mark the first time that a Mac has utilized an A-series chip designed by Apple.
Troughton-Smith notes on Twitter that the A10 Fusion chip would let “Apple experiment with tighter control” of macOS, without frustrating developers and users.
Furthermore, he expounds that the A10 Fusion chip in the iMac Pro could be utilized for always-on “Hey, Siri,” a feature that’s currently missing from the macOS version of Siri. In fact, Troughton-Smith verbalizes in appears that the chip even runs when the iMac Pro is plenarily shut off.
A report over the summer expounded that the iMac Pro would feature an ARM coprocessor, and today’s information seems to further corroborate that with scarcely more information.
Discretely, Bloomberg reported at the commencement of the year that Apple was developing an incipient ARM-predicated chip destined for the MacBook Pro. The chip would be responsible for handling low-power tasks that currently rely on Intel’s processor.
Currently, Apple ships a custom ARM chip called the T1 in its latest MacBook Pro models that feature Touch ID and the Touch Bar.
It’s obscure how the A10 Fusion chip ostensibly destined for the iMac Pro fits into all of this, but it’s certainly eminent that Apple is testing the waters with bringing its A-series chips to the Mac. How the supposed A10 Fusion chip in the iMac Pro will differ from other coprocessor technology Apple has utilized remains to be optically discerned.
We still don’t have an official release date for the iMac Pro, but Apple has promised that it will be here afore the terminus of the year. Are you getting one? What do you make of this A10 Fusion chip news? Let us ken down in the comments.