JP Morgan expects the first Apple Silicon Macs to significantly drive innovation, cut material costs, and possibly lead to a lower-priced lineup of Mac devices.
This transition will also establish a common architecture across all Apple products, making it far easier for developers to write and optimize their apps for the entire ecosystem. Apple plans to ship the first Mac with Apple silicon by the end of the year and complete the transition in about two years. Apple will continue to support and release new versions of macOS for Intel-based Macs for years to come, and has exciting new Intel-based Macs in development. The transition to Apple silicon represents the biggest leap ever for the Mac.
Mike Peterson for AppleInsider:
Analyst Samik Chatterjee believes that the most important announcement at Apple’s November 10 event will be at least one new Mac model equipped with the proprietary Apple Silicon chip.
For consumers, Chatterjee believes that a lower bill of materials cost with a new Apple Silicon chip could lead to Mac devices with a lower price point targeting a wider market. More specifically, the analyst contends that Apple could release an SKU with a price point between that of the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air.
The analyst estimates a standalone market opportunity of 10 to 15 million unit volume for the new Mac device, with a starting average selling price (ASP) of $1,000. That implies about a $15 billion opportunity for Apple, “which will assure multi-year growth in a lackluster PC market.”
MacDailyNews Take: The upgrade to Apple Silicon could usher in lower-cost Macs – or even greater margins for Apple (which would be good for Apple investors).