Ever since Apple started designing their own silicon for iOS devices, people have wondered if they’d do the same with their notebooks and desktops. According to some researchers, there’s evidence that the next iMac Pro, the company’s flagship desktop until a new Mac Pro appears, will use an A10 power plant.
The A10 will complement the existing Intel CPUs and handle tasks such as boot up and some security functions.
Researcher Jonathan Levin has found evidence of this in the BridgeOS firmware. It might work similarly to the T1 processor in the latest MacBook Pro which handles functions assiociated with the Touch Bar. The A10, as well as looking after boot up, could look after things such as “Hey Siri”, taking some of the load away from the core processors.
It’s interesting that after years of consolidating chipsets we’re seeing the opposite happening with bespoke processors taking over specific tasks. It’s possible, as the A10 uses such little power, that it could remain active when the computer is shut down, supporting some actions without booting the main system.
Perhaps we”re approaching the day when we can say “Computer, wake up” rather than having to press a button.
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