Apple is working towards developing a new chip for Mac laptops aimed at improvement in battery life during sleep mode. A report by Bloomberg states the chip will reportedly handle some basic tasks, like checking for email and installing updates, while the computer is asleep.
Apple currently relies on MacBook’s main processor to do all of those tasks. Now they are developing a new dedicated low-power processor to handle these tasks, Apple could reduce battery consumption even further.
The chip is touted to be similar to the Apple-made processor that is already being used inside MacBook Pros to manage the Touch Bar. That suggests this is not yet a bold initiative to overthrow the Intel processors with Apple’s range of ARM processors. Instead, it seems Apple is planning to juxtapose and augment the Mac with ARM processors so it can get the benefits of both types of chip.
Bloomberg says that the chip “may” debut in an upgraded MacBook Pro that’s being planned for later this year. The 13-inch Touch Bar model of the MacBook Pro has been frequently criticized for its poor battery life which could be extended with the help of the chip.
Bloomberg notes that Apple may not even choose to highlight the existence of this new chip whenever it does get put inside a product, since MacBooks have had a low-power mode like this for several years now. That, too, seems to indicate that this may be more interesting as a step forward in Apple’s hardware story than as a feature inside the next Mac.
