While some people believe Apple ditched Intel with the launch of the first generation M1 MacBooks, the company did continue to use Intel’s USB and Thunderbolt controllers in its laptops. However, it now seems that with the launch of the M2 MacBook Air, Apple has finally managed to (completely) get rid of all the Intel parts in its laptops.

iFixit shared the detailed teardown of the M2 MacBook Air recently, showcasing the internals of the laptop in all its glory. While the teardown revealed several unique things about the M2 MacBook Air, such as modular peripherals and a new USI chip, it also revealed that Apple is using custom-made controllers for the USB and Thunderbolt ports in its latest MacBook.

No Intel Inside

The report mentions that the highly dense motherboard of the M2 MacBook Air features a “seemingly Apple-made Thunderbolt 3 driver” and not the Intel chips we’re familiar with. It notes that the new Apple-made USB controllers come with model number “U09PY3” while the Intel controllers, which can be found on all the MacBooks released prior to the M2 Air, come with model number “JHL8040R”. 

After iFixit published its report about the new Thunderbolt controller, some people on Twitter argued that the laptop could still use Intel’s “DisplayPort to HDMI” conversion chip. To this, some users were quick to report that no such chip can be found inside the new Air. This essentially means that the 2022 MacBook Air is ‘totally’ Intel-free as there is no component used inside the new laptop that has been produced by Intel. 

While the company has moved on from Intel for all of its MacBook chips, Apple is also looking to do the same with iPhone. The company is rumored to develop its own in-house modem to replace the currently used Intel and Qualcomm modems. However, there might be some time before it happens as Apple has reportedly failed to develop its 5G modem for next year’s iPhone. What are your thoughts on iFixit’s findings? Let us know in the comments section below!

Source: iFixit