458: This Is Not Your First Plane Crash

Release Cadence

Apple's chip release cadence is a strategic process driven by manufacturing complexities. John Siracusa explains that the gradual rollout from smaller to larger chips is necessary due to the challenges of manufacturing new designs economically and without errors 1. This approach mirrors Intel's strategy, where newer chips appear in consumer products before being scaled up for professional use. Marco Arment adds that while Apple could theoretically update products annually, unforeseen issues might disrupt this cycle 2.

It's just they shift down the line. So by the time you're getting the Mac Pro, it is not going to have the same cores that are in the phone, it's not going to have the same cores that are in the MacBook Air.

--- John Siracusa

This staggered release ensures that each product benefits from the latest advancements while maintaining a reliable update schedule.

   

Manufacturing Strategy

Apple's manufacturing strategy for its silicon chips involves a carefully planned pipeline. John Siracusa outlines how new CPU and GPU cores first appear in phones before being scaled up for larger devices like the Mac Pro 3. This pipeline allows for a predictable, albeit lengthy, timeline from initial design to final product release. Casey Liss highlights that Apple's approach is informed by Intel's historical practices, which were shaped by the inherent challenges of chip manufacturing 4.

The next thing that's going to appear in this pipeline is the MacBook Air with the A14 core. So it's the M1 size chip, probably going to be called M2, but it's got the A15 stuff in it.

--- John Siracusa

This strategy ensures that Apple can consistently deliver high-performance chips across its product range.