半导体行业观察·2025-06-11 01:39Core Viewpoint - Apple's macOS will stop supporting Intel chips by 2025, marking the end of a 20-year partnership with Intel, as the company shifts its focus entirely to its own Apple Silicon chips [2][4]. Group 1: Transition from Intel to Apple Silicon - The upcoming macOS 26 Tahoe will be the last version to support Intel chips, as Apple aims to concentrate its innovation on Apple Silicon [2][3]. - Apple began using Intel processors in 2006, with the launch of the MacBook Pro featuring Intel's Core Duo processor, driven by the desire to create the best personal computers [2]. - The transition to Apple Silicon was announced in 2020, with Apple recognizing the superior performance-per-watt of ARM-based hardware compared to Intel's x86 architecture [3][4]. Group 2: Performance and Market Dynamics - The performance-per-watt metric has become crucial in the tech industry, especially with the rise of mobile devices and data centers, leading to a shift in processor design considerations [2]. - By 2021, ARM claimed that "performance per watt is the new Moore's Law," highlighting the competitive edge of ARM architecture over Intel in mobile markets [4]. - Intel's strategic missteps over the past two decades have resulted in a failure to effectively compete in the mobile and GPU markets, leading to significant leadership changes within the company [4]. Group 3: Support Timeline - Apple typically provides security updates for macOS for three years post-release, meaning Intel hardware under macOS 26 Tahoe will receive support until at least the end of 2028 [5].