Apple admits Mac gaming ‘will take some time,’ teases iPhone-like annual updates

With the arrival of the M2, M2 Pro, and M2 Max, Apple has shown that its new chips are the most exciting thing to happen to the Mac in years. In an interview with Tim Millet, vice president of platform architecture and hardware technologies, and Bob Borchers, vice president of worldwide product marketing, TechCrunch has learned a little about Apple’s plans for its M-series chips.

On the transition

Millet said the M1 chip was “about resetting the baseline” and “redefining what it meant to have a laptop in many different ways.” He said Intel was “a great partner through the years” with a team that “really actually were inspired by the direction that Apple pushed them.” However, he somewhat laments that while the Mac “benefited from that interaction,” Apple’s “competitors’ products benefited from that interaction as well.”

On gaming

When it comes to gaming, Borchers said “the AAA community is starting to wake up and understand the opportunity.” Despite the very capable M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, gaming on Mac remains a sore spot. Borchers describes gamers as “a serious bunch,” and appears to understand their frustration.

“I don’t think we’re going to fool anybody by saying that overnight we’re going to make Mac a great gaming platform,” Borchers said. “We’re going to take a long view on this.”

Borchers described working with Capcom on Resident Evil Village to avoid making it an “awkward port.” He said his team spends a lot of time thinking about how to “make sure that we’re staying on that API curve,” though he understands that the Mac isn’t there yet. 

“We know this will take some time,” he added. “But we’re not at all confused about the opportunity; we see it. And we’re going to make sure we show up.”

On the roadmap

While Millet said the goal of Apple silicon is to make machines that are good enough to “buy whenever” regardless of what’s coming and when, he understands that Mac users may feel snubbed by the pace of the iPhone. He doesn’t want to force Mac releases, but also wants to get new Macs “in the hands of our customer as soon as possible.”

“We want to reset to the technology curve and then we want to live on it,” he said.

Millet said he doesn’t want the Mac to stray too far away from the pace of iPhone releases. “We don’t want to leave [Mac buyers] wondering…do they not care about us? A new phone shipped last year. Why didn’t the Mac get the love?”