[Ultramax]

Keep in mind this is not just hardware but software related.

Right now I have IT graphics tools to optimize 3D models for mobile devices (for example).

For us developers, it means optimizing to a different standard, while worrying about backward 'optimization compatibility'.

Plus we'll need new software tools for development on the new GPU.

[Aaargh20318]

I imagine the new GPU will support the same Metal API. As this is probably something that Apple has been working on for a while now I'd assume that Metal was designed with this new GPU architecture in mind. How much of those tools would need to be updated to a new GPU assuming the current API was specifically written for it ?

[kevindqc]

But even if the API is the same, it doesn't mean it will have the same performance? Something that was not a problem with previous GPUs could become a bottleneck and vice-versa? And since you need to support both GPUs or else you drop older iPhone support, it might get annoying.

I don't really know if that would be the case though, I don't know anything about GPUs.

[amazingman]

>But even if the API is the same, it doesn't mean it will have the same performance? Something that was not a problem with previous GPUs could become a bottleneck and vice-versa? And since you need to support both GPUs or else you drop older iPhone support, it might get annoying.

If "in certain cases, the performance profile can be annoyingly different" is the outcome of a tectonic shift in the underlying hardware, it would be a significant and praise-worthy achievement.

[mikhailt]

But it is Apple, one of rare "experienced" companies that can pull this off well (not perfect but enough). Apple has done two (or three?) complete CPU architecture changes and developers just had to recompile their app. Remember fat binaries from the PPC>Intel switch over?

I suspect as long as the graphics tools use Metal, it will be a quick transition.