Andrei F (andrei.delete@this.anandtech.com) on November 20, 2020 12:47 am wrote:
> Maynard Handley (name99.delete@this.name99.org) on November 19, 2020 8:22 pm wrote:
> > OK guys, M1 time is over. What's next?
> >
> > Something I just realized, and I think the timing works out beautifully:
> > TSMC started N5P testing/Risk production in 2Q2020.
> > Meaning that (and now that I think about it, it is so obvious!) the M1X will be on N5P!
> > THAT is what's determining its schedule.
> >
> > There is a precedent. Remember that the A10 came out in Sept
> > 2016, on 16nm. But the A10X came out in June 2017 on 10nm.
> >
> > This makes so much sense. It gives time Apple to improve some of the rushed bits of the M1, and gives
> > a free 5% speed boost (which isn't much, sure, but may mean that M1X clocks at, say 3.5GHz)
> > And gives Apple a second round of (totally justified!) "OMG,
> > Apple is king, everyone else is doomed" publicity,
> > say maybe in April or May, which should sustain them till the A15/iPhone next reveals in September.
> >
> > Well, six months or so to see if I'm right. tick tick tick
>
> 8 big core piece is next, timing isn't clear but I suppose next 6-8 months.

Indeed doubling big cores and GPU cores, is almost a no brainer.
The biggest limitation they currently have is the amount of DRAM.
For that there is also a possible solution that would be good enough for all laptops and non pro iMacs. That is doubling the memory bus from 128 to 256 bit and using 4 stacks of LPDDR5.
That adds the options of 32GB and 64GB memory.