Frédéric L The M1 CPU is an ARM based chip. The architecture was introduced in 1985. Then it is not something very new, even if the system is well optimized.
Sure, but that's like saying a Ford Model T is the same thing as a current Formula 1 car, the latter being not very new but well optimized (and the former very old).
The original ARM was a single 8-bit processor, running at what 4 MHZ? It was comparable to an Intel 8085. An M1 (or M1X really) has up to 57 billion (with a B) transistors equivalent, including multiple cores of 64-bits CPU, GPU, neural engines, a bunch of caches, and probably a dozen or two smaller computers that handle various kinds of tasks, altogether called the "fabric", and are easily dismissed, but without which none of what we take for granted would happen: Secure Enclave, encryption/decryption of disk data, access to peripherals, etc… Those "computers" get loaded with their own software (altogether called the firmware) in the early stages of the boot process.
Perhaps Apple invented none of that, but they sure have developed all of that, integrated all of that on one die and turned it into real useful systems, that are kicking the pants of systems using Intel designed processors, in terms of compute power and even more importantly power efficiency and we, the users, greatly benefit from that.
Invention? No. Innovation, you bet!
