News about upcoming computer chips may not always sound sexy, but the latest chip in development at Apple could make for an important upgrade in upcoming MacBooks. That's because the Cupertino company is working on a new chip for its Mac laptops that would take on some of the burden shouldered by current-gen Intel processors and improve battery life.
According to a Bloomberg News report, Apple started development on this chip last year, and it bears similarity to the T1 chip used to power the Touch Bar, which allows users to more easily input emoji, edit video and adjust settings. Known internally at Apple as T310, this chip would control low-power functionality and is built using technology from the ARM microprocessor company.
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The T310 will reportedly manage Power Nap, a feature introduced in 2012 that allows Macs to perform tasks while asleep, without draining battery life significantly. This is how a sleeping MacBook can discretely back up to Time Machine, sync calendars and emails and download and install updates, so it's more ready when you wake it for use.
Currently, Power Nap is supposed to work without eating up too much battery life, but the move from Intel to ARM would "conserve even more power" according to a source speaking to Bloomberg.
This improvement would be a welcome change for MacBook owners, as battery life has been a major issue for some since Apple refreshed the line late last year.
If you'd rather your MacBook not use Power Nap, it can be disabled. First, click the Apple icon, select System Preferences and select Energy Saver. Then, uncheck the box next to Enable Power Nap.
