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Comment by duskwuff | Hacker News Reader

I don't see any real suggestion that they'd do so. Apple has referred to their hardware in developer documentation as "Apple Silicon" -- possibly to avoid trademark issues with ARM? -- but I expect them to use the same naming scheme they use for their iOS application processors (like "Apple A16X") once they have a product ready for market. MacWorld's use of phrases like "Apple's Silicon processor" is likely to just represent confusion on the part of the journalist.

As an aside, I have a very hard time believing that Apple would reenter the networking industry. Consumer wireless access points are a commodity product at this point -- it'd be difficult for Apple to present a compelling premium option, especially when many consumers are satisfied with the one that came built into their cable modem.

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> possibly to avoid trademark issues with ARM

I suspect it's more of a branding/positioning thing. ARM has an association with low power devices like smartphones, and Apple wants to position this as something new, exciting, and better than x86.

Apple Silicon encompasses more than the ARM CPU. It also includes an Apple GPU, Apple Neural Engine, Secure Enclave and more. If you only point to the ARM part you overlook most of the other parts of the chip. The CPU cores are like less than 25% of the layout?

Layout of the A12: https://cdn.iphoneincanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/A12...

I mean, by that logic, does calling a modern intel cpu x86 discount the integrated graphics, which are also very significant?

There is still one area of networking that isn't well solved, and that's captive wifi. A device that I can plug into the wall in a hotel or airport and magically have all my apple devices on the internet would be handy.

If they made an airport express that did that, I'd probably get it (once we can travel again).

I bought a cheap travel router from GL.INET which creates the same SSID as my home, and automatically establishes a VPN with my home. It can get its connectivity from an upstream WiFi, from an Ethernet port or from whatever (4g stick, mobile phone with usb tethering ability) you plug in its USB port.

It was all of 19 bucks IIRC.

Which home device/software is running the VPN server?

The endpoint is a Ubiquiti Edgerouter. I also have a pi behind it which acts as openvpn endpoint, with a port forward on the edgerouter

Apple’s HomeKit for routers integration isn’t being adopted very well so doing it themselves makes sense to me.

It works well with the Eero routers.

Plus, I seem to recall them disbanding that particular team…

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