It was Apple’s WWDC event last night and while the celebration of all things Apple software tends to only revolve around… well, software, there were a few items of interest. One of them was the realisation of a long-standing rumour: Apple is dropping Intel processors from its Macbook lineup in favour of in-house ARM-based chips. That’s…. certainly something.

Slow break-up

The split won’t happen right away if you’re bothered by Apple’s new tastes in silicon (you needn’t be, but that’s quite beside the point). MacBook models won’t be switching over en masse. Instead, the transition will take place over a two-year period. If you absolutely must have some Intel inside, you can still get it. For a while.

Apple’s decided it knows best which chips to pair with its own hardware and these ARM processors are of their own design. As with Apple’s A-series Bionic chips for the iPhone and iPad (which are also ARM-based), this new processor hardware should see the company’s notebooks featuring a surprising amount of power for something we don’t know every little detail of.

The new ARM-powered notebooks will feature a better mix of power and efficiency, according to the company, which should lead to longer battery life as well as the ability to do more with your computer. It’ll almost certainly lead to Apple Arcade being supported by more devices. After seeing what Apple’s down to power up the iPhone range over the years, we’re keen to see what changes are wrought in the Macbook space. The first ARM-powered Macs will launch by the end of this year. Don’t worry, there will also be Intel-powered notebooks along for the ride. For a while, at least.