The Mac in question is the brand newM2 MacBook Air.
The M2 part refers to the system-on-chip (SoC) that powers the machine.
Think of it as the CPU, GPU, and more, all under one roof.
Apple
Its Apple-designed, giving the company complete control over every aspect, and that’s important.
The world’s most popular notebook now has zero Intel chips inside.
The last part standing was a minor onea USB and Thunderbolt controller, and now it’s gone.
But Why?
Apples quest to take control of every component that goes into its machines makes sense for various reasons.
Apple prefers to own the complete stack, from hardware to software to services.
Its a level of integration few others can compete with.
Microsoft is one company that has a chance, but its missing an important factora phone.
Its iPhones run similar SoCs to Macs, meaning they also run similar software.
Apple silicon Macs run iPhone apps without issue, in some cases, because the internals are so similar.
But it goes beyond that.
AirPods instantly switch from iPhone to Mac to Apple Watch to iPad thanks to the Apple-designed chips inside.
It isnt on its own, either.
That will all change when the oft-rumoredmixed realityheadset arrives, maybeas soon as 2023.
But again, that will be powered by Apple silicon.
Could they exist if Apple used Intel USB and Thunderbolt controllers?
But this is about more than one part being swapped out of a MacBook Air.
Its about Apples philosophy, and this MacBook Air part swap is the latest example of it.
