Apple dumps Intel and shows Final Cut Pro on new Mac with Apple CPU !

I could see it taking a year to get your hands on one. If you're running a business you often just need to get whats available.


I broke my magic keyboard today. I use the K key so much when I edit, the key wouldnt spring back up anymore so i popped the key off to see if I could un-jam it. turns out i had broken the incredibly fragile scissor mechanism. its unbelievable how cheaply they're made. I am going to see if the apple store can repair it otherwise I found a store that sells replacements for $6.
 
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NorBro said:
I thought you personally primarily bought it as a back-up in case anything would go wrong and you had a major deadline?

Nevertheless how is it?
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yeah I did. but the M1 is faster than the intel MBP i was using, so my MBP actually becomes the back-up. but I've barely set up and installed software on the M1. I haven't used it for anything yet as I'm finishing up a couple things right now and will switch over after. I'm also considering using Apple Remote Desktop to keep editing on the couch with my MBP but connected to the mac mini in another room. not sure if that's really feasible but I'll find out
 
Arm has launched a major architecture revision, Arm v9, which provides additional features for security, confidential computing and AI as well as boosting overall performance. Arm said it expects v9 to deliver more than 30% performance uplift in the next two mobile and infrastructure generations. AI features, thus far most typically available with GPUs, will be available across the company’s GPUs, CPUs, and NPUs.

The previous architecture from Arm, v8, launched a decade ago, and Arm expects v9 to dominate computing silicon from IoT to supercomputing applications for the next 10 years.
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https://www.eetimes.com/arm-v9-first-new-architecture-in-a-decade-doubles-down-on-ai-and-security/#
 
I think you will find that Apple is not using an ARM Inc. core as such. It has licensed the instruction set. The silicon design is very much Apples.
 
ahalpert said:
yeah I did. but the M1 is faster than the intel MBP i was using, so my MBP actually becomes the back-up. but I've barely set up and installed software on the M1. I haven't used it for anything yet as I'm finishing up a couple things right now and will switch over after. I'm also considering using Apple Remote Desktop to keep editing on the couch with my MBP but connected to the mac mini in another room. not sure if that's really feasible but I'll find out
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any updates, after a month of use?
 
NorBro said:
I guess sooner rather than later for at least one more basic M1 offering, which I think looks really nice.

I'd get this over the Mini if I were getting a desktop.

https://www.apple.com/imac-24/
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Kind of torn on that one yet. I think the new iMac is amazing but at equal performance to the M1 Mini I find the Mini to have a bit more flexibility and a easier price point. Especially for this who already have nice 4k monitors.

One thing that bumps the Mac Mini is Apple also quietly added a 10gbe option to the M1 Mini at the same time. This means the Mini has the same two TB3 ports each wit their own 40gbps controller, a set of USB3 ports with their own 5gbps controller and 10gbe with its own 10gbps controller. Plus it provides all the extra ports and the 8 core GPU on the base model vs the iMac that requires moving up to the $1499 model to get the extra USB-C ports.

With that said the USB-C ports use a 10gbps controller vs 5gbps for the USB3 on the Mini. If one tends to use a lot of USB3 and USB-C storage devices the iMac will provide more bandwidth directly for those devices. If one uses a 10gbe NAS however the Mini will provide more options without having to eat up TB3 bandwidth.

Not that we need a ton of TB3 anymore now that we can't use eGPU. 80gbps of TB3 is a lot.

Speaking of 80gbps of TB3 bandwidth. The top 27" iMac only had two TB3 ports but they shared a single TB3 controller. So the Intel iMacs only ever had 40gbps of TB3 bandwidth. These new budget iMacs have double the TB3 bandwidth for storage and capture devices. I hear a lot of complaints online about the lack of ports but really we have so many more options now thanks to USB-C and TB3 hubs. If one gets the $1499 model they have 90gbps of bandwidth for external devices. Thats a lot of bandwidth and pretty much on par with the iMac Pro. Only thing missing is the extra 10gbps the iMac Pro had from the built in 10gbe. I'm actually really impressed how much bandwidth I even get from my base M1 MBA.
 
How about that new iPad Pro with XDR 1600 nit peak (1000 nit average) HDR display? I occasionally use Sidecar with my iPad which actually works really well on the road as a Viewer display when editing with FCPX. Could this new 13" iPad Pro provide an affordable HDR grading display? Sure its small but my cheap M1 MBA and a $1099 iPad Pro are a on the road HDR grading system for under $2,000.

The new iPad Pro is a better TV for watching HDR content than almost any TV on the market right now. Since I watch a lot of streaming TV on my iPad I will likely pick one up. I have wanted a larger iPad Pro for some time now and that XDR display may have finally convinced me to upgrade. Even if one doesn't use it with Sidecar as a grading display its still likely the most accurate and affordable way to check out HDR content right now.
 
M1 on iPad Pro is bigger than it appears, I think. Yes, with Big Sur and Apple silicone iOS apps were already compatible on Mac... but this really opens the door for an easy 2-way street. If a developer makes a touch interface, no reason any native mac app can't be quickly and easily ported to iOS.

In fact, the M1 CPU in the iPad should be able to run Rosetta 2, meaning we may see Intel apps on the iPad Pro. Could a Steam game coded for Intel CPUs that had a Mac version now run on iPad Pro? What other intel apps? Maybe not today, but the technical capability looks to be there.

And, Apple is now listing RAM for the iPads: the 1TB and 2TB storage options come with 16GB of RAM, vs 8gb for the lower storage tiers.

Meanwhile, I'm just over here still waiting for a waterproof iPad, because all I really want to do is read eBooks in the bathtub :D
 
filmguy123 said:
M1 on iPad Pro is bigger than it appears, I think. Yes, with Big Sur and Apple silicone iOS apps were already compatible on Mac... but this really opens the door for an easy 2-way street. If a developer makes a touch interface, no reason any native mac app can't be quickly and easily ported to iOS.

In fact, the M1 CPU in the iPad should be able to run Rosetta 2, meaning we may see Intel apps on the iPad Pro. Could a Steam game coded for Intel CPUs that had a Mac version now run on iPad Pro? What other intel apps? Maybe not today, but the technical capability looks to be there.

And, Apple is now listing RAM for the iPads: the 1TB and 2TB storage options come with 16GB of RAM, vs 8gb for the lower storage tiers.

Meanwhile, I'm just over here still waiting for a waterproof iPad, because all I really want to do is read eBooks in the bathtub :D
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Just because the CPU is the same doesn't mean all the instructions and code libraries are there in the OS. It was never the hardware holding the iPad back. It was and still is the OS. iOS is a subset of the code in MacOS. Apple would have to add a ton of overhead to iPadOS to support the same software as MacOS.

The reverse is much easier because iOS/iPadOS is a smaller subset of the OS and doesn't have nearly all the libraries needed to run apps. Its a very streamlined and optimized OS designed to run on smaller devices with much less storage. Plus the apps live in a sandbox so they are really stand alone self contained apps with little dependancies other than a few of the cores provided by iOS like geolocation, gyroscope, notification systems and so forth. Much easier to emulate iOS much like they have done since the beginning when using the simulators in Xcode for app development.

It isn't as easy as just publishing FCPX to the iPad either. It would need to go through a major UI overhaul to make it more touch friendly. As neat as that would be it would also siphon away resources badly needed to keep developing FCPX itself. Given the snails pace of development of FCPX I really don't want to see that happen. Maybe someday it will happen but the nature of a tablet OS is tools are supposed to be more streamlined and easier to use. They need to not just treat touch as an alternative to a mouse click but make gestures the core of how the app is thought of and used. Perhaps apple is better off pushing iMovie harder.

By the way you can import iMovie projects into FCPX. So you could cut in the field on the iPad Pro and import back in the studio into FCPX.

I'm not saying we will never see FCPX on the iPad but just looking at the hardware really means squat. The iPad Pro could get a M4 CPU and it would still face the same challenges of the OS.
 
Of course.

I am saying there are now no road blocks on the hardware front thanks to the M1 chip which has the capabilities to run all these OS X extensions and libraries, Rosetta etc. It’s not there now, but it is now possible if desired - the lines are blurring even more, and I suspect there will be increased movement in this direction in the coming few years.

With the Smart Keyboard and trackpad/mouse attachments for iPad, not even an apps UI would *need* to be fully overhauled for apps. FCPX, for example, could simply have a mode switch to a simpler touch only UI, where the full UI which would need the Smart Keyboard/trackpad accessory.

An iPad Pro 12.9” can have 2TB solid state storage and 16gb of RAM with a passively cooled M1 chip and a keyboard and trackpad attached that is designed by Apple and thunderbolt I/O. Spec wise that’s better than the M1 MacBook Air.

The only thing that stands in the way now is Apple unlocking the software side in iPad OS - and with fully specced iPad prices getting up into the $2K territory now, there is no reason to suspect they won’t. It’s just a matter of when, IMO.
 
filmguy123 said:
Of course.

I am saying there are now no road blocks on the hardware front thanks to the M1 chip which has the capabilities to run all these OS X extensions and libraries, Rosetta etc. It’s not there now, but it is now possible if desired - the lines are blurring even more, and I suspect there will be increased movement in this direction in the coming few years.

With the Smart Keyboard and trackpad/mouse attachments for iPad, not even an apps UI would *need* to be fully overhauled for apps. FCPX, for example, could simply have a mode switch to a simpler touch only UI, where the full UI which would need the Smart Keyboard/trackpad accessory.

An iPad Pro 12.9” can have 2TB solid state storage and 16gb of RAM with a passively cooled M1 chip and a keyboard and trackpad attached that is designed by Apple and thunderbolt I/O. Spec wise that’s better than the M1 MacBook Air.

The only thing that stands in the way now is Apple unlocking the software side in iPad OS - and with fully specced iPad prices getting up into the $2K territory now, there is no reason to suspect they won’t. It’s just a matter of when, IMO.
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Spec wise its exactly the same as the MBA once you add 2TB and 16GB to the MBA. There is essentially no difference at all minus one has a touch screen and the other does not. The MBA also has the advantage of not needing at least 1TB of storage from Apple in order to get 16GB ram.

I have a 8GB base MBA and I can tell you the sucker is fast and to be honest the 8 GB of ram doesn't even hurt that much.

the iPad Pro one would need to get 16GB of ram however is $1799 with 1TB of storage. Add the magic keyboard and you are now looking at $2150. A MBA with the 8 core GPU and 1 TB and 16 GB is $1650. I'm not even entirely sure one really needs 1TB of internal storage if their aim is to use FCPX and edit professional video. Nice at times but most would end up using an external drive to handle multiple projects and quickly move to another system. So technically dropping to 512 GB gives you an equally performing MBA to the iPad Pro minus a little less internal storage for $1450. Both the MBA and iPad Pro have no fans and can reduce some performance under heavy load. The MBA may also have longer battery life. A iPad under heavy load gets nowhere near the ten hours. So equal performance and equally portable for $700 less.

If one is ok dropping to the base 7 core GPU like I am using then you save another $250 and to be honest it doesn't take as much of a hit as one may think. Not enough really in the real world. So one can get started editing with FCPX on a MBA and 16GB of ram for $950 less than the iPad Pro to do the same thing with 16GB of ram.

I have used an iPad since the very first iPad came out. They are super impressive and I use mine every day. I however would not buy one to use FCPX. If FCPX someday works on the iPad thats neat but I would rarely use it or find any advantage to using it on the iPad Pro vs my MBA which is so much more affordable. Once you add a keyboard, mouse, external SSD you lose the ability to use it as a tablet you can walk around with. It really bogs down what it otherwise supposed to be a portable device. Editing video on the iPad is supposed to be more of a simple task one can do without anything else attached. One can shoot video and instantly edit and upload a finished video to YouTube.

I'm not saying some on a budget wouldn't love to have FCPX if the iPad Pro is their only computer. I'm saying if one can only have one computer maybe the iPad Pro is not the best choice. They are going to spend so much more on it. I'm also not sure that budget would allow $300 for FCPX anyway. Not to mention what about Motion and Compressor? What about Logic Studio? I can see Logic on the iPad long before FCPX due to how well a touch device works with music software. GarageBand for example is a much better iOS app then almost any other apple created iOS app.
 
Agreed on economics and practicality today. Not purchasing advice, technical assessment. The lines are blurring and this opens doors for them to blur even more, even faster. I suspect we'll see more in the coming 2-3 years as more gets unlocked via software. Who would have thought even 5 years ago the iPad Pro would outperform most 2020 Intel macbooks, and contain the same CPU and I/O capabilities as a mac, and even have the technical capability to run Rosetta 2 emulating x86 software with high performance? Wow.
 
Now that the iPad Pro has TB3 it will also be interesting to see if TB3 device like video I/O device support could be added to apps. For example maybe BMD could make a iPadOS viewer app to use with one of their TB3 Ultra video input devices for $115 and provide calibration tools, lut support and scopes for HDR grading on the iPad Pro XDR display. Technically the iPad Pro should also be able to capture video which I guess could have some interesting use in the field. For me th bigger use would be to make the iPad Pro a proper HDMI or SDI monitor.
 
Great thoughts Thomas. It does seem all of this is now technically possible if/when Apple allows it and developers utilize it. I think the iPad Pro could become an immensely more useful of a tool as a result of the I/O capabilities.

Echoing your thought, BMD already allows recording to external SSD over USB 3 from the Pocket cameras. I don't see any reason why an Atomos interface couldn't be developed on IOS that utilizes the USB output of cameras to make the iPad Pro both a monitor and recording unit. Whether or not it will happen is another thing, but AFAIK, there is no technical reason on the hardware level why this may not be possible. And with a 5G connection, one could dream up a scenario in which you are recording RAW to the iPad while having monitoring tools on the unit and streaming to Frame.IO for backup and remote review/cutting of proxies with a remote team while in the field shooting.
 
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