First, there is no such thing as an "ARM Core".
Of course there is. If you want to stickle over whether it means "Processor core implementing the ARM instruction set" or "processor core designed by ARM ltd." then go ahead, but it doesn't affect the argument. Not having to include an x86 instruction decoder and the flexible licensing are two of the major fundamental advantages of ARM/ASi/whatever over x86.
Second, Apple already announced at WWDC that the Mac will be using a new family of Apple Silicon - so anyone out there saying they are just sticking the iPad SOC in a laptop is wrong.
I don't see anybody saying that here. There have been rumours that at least the entry-level MB will use an A14-series chip (which would be perfectly adequate for a 12" MacBook replacement and is technically "new" since WWDC) and until next week, rumours are all we have.
Third, the forbes writer is wrong by saying Apple has not publicly showed legacy software running under Apple Silicon.
Yes, the writer is technically incorrect there - on the other hand, a few snippets of "advertorial" video showing carefully selected apps, running in a controlled environment on undisclosed hardware, with no firm details about availability dates or detailed features don't really count for much. I'm not suggesting for one moment that Apple
faked anything - but they would
absolutely have chosen examples that showed the system in its best light and avoided anything problematic. For one thing it's quite likely that performance under Rosetta2 will vary hugely between apps depending on exactly how they are written, and to what extent they hand over the "heavy lifting" to MacOS frameworks.
The proof of the pudding will be when real people get their hands on the systems and find out which bits of
their entire workflow - including drivers, plug-ins, obscure features - have problems. There
will be problems: just as there have been problems with every major Mac OS update since whenever, even when they didn't involve completely new processor architectures.
It's not just creative pros and their libraries of third-party effects, codecs, drivers, software instruments etc. In academia, for instance, it won't matter that native MS Office is available on day 1 if Endnote isn't available (not to imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth when users find that the latest Office is scary different from Office 2011)... and while I personally think that the loss of BootCamp and x86 hardware virtualization is a price worth paying, it is going to be a deal-breaker for some.
The forbes article isn't well written and doesn't contain anything particularly new or insightful - but nor is it making any extraordinary claims apart from perfectly healthy "show me" skepticism. Once independent reviewers and real users get their hands on ASi hardware we'll be able to start making judgements (...but first we're going to have to wait for actual availability and suffer gushing, superficial reviews from YouTube influencers...)
Until then, some rumours may be more plausible than others, but they're still just rumours... and Apple announcements will put the most positive spin possible on everything.
I'm actually optimistic about the whole thing, and really don't agree with the "you can't make a pro computer without Intel" brigade - but Apple is still taking a huge risk that won't work unless they lavish rather more visible love, attention and money on the Mac range than they have in recent years.
