Glossary
Apple silicon
Apple silicon is the family of chips Apple designs for its own computers, starting with certain Macs in late 2020. Each chip puts several computer components on one piece of silicon, which Apple calls a system on a chip.
Updated October 16, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called M-series chip, M1, M3.
Apple silicon is the family of chips Apple designs for its own computers. Apple's glossary defines it as a system on a chip designed by Apple that integrates multiple computer components onto a single chip 1. A system on a chip puts the main processor, graphics and other parts on one piece of silicon, rather than on separate chips connected by a circuit board. Chips in this family carry names such as M1, M2 and M3, which is why you may see the term "M-series chip" in articles.
Apple began the switch in late 2020
Apple says it began moving Macs from Intel processors to Apple silicon starting with certain models introduced in late 2020 2. Not every Mac from that period uses Apple silicon, so the year alone does not tell you which chip your Mac has.
How to check whether your Mac has Apple silicon
- Click the Apple menu, then choose About This Mac.
- Look for the chip line. If it lists a chip such as Apple M2, your Mac has Apple silicon, as Apple's glossary explains 1.
Write down the chip name and the memory before you check a feature requirement. Some newer dictation features depend on the chip generation as well as the memory, as the Apple Intelligence entry explains.
Apple silicon changes what dictation can do
The chip matters for dictation in two concrete ways. First, on a Mac with Apple silicon you can keep typing while you dictate. The cursor stops pulsing while you type and resumes when you stop, so you can carry on dictating 3. Second, the newest macOS limits its compatibility to Apple silicon. Apple's list for macOS 27 contains only the MacBook Neo and Macs with Apple silicon 4, so an Intel Mac cannot run the macOS 27 Dictation model.
For the wider picture of how dictation runs on these chips, the guide on how Apple Dictation works explains which Macs run it on the device, and the guide on Mac dictation by macOS version shows which release added each change.
Related terms
- Neural Engine: the part of Apple silicon built for machine learning work.
- Apple Intelligence: Apple's AI features, which run partly on the chip.
- Dictation: speaking so that software writes your words as you say them.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
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Related terms
- Mac Dictation: How to Dictate and Control a Mac by VoiceThe topic this term belongs to
- Accessibility permission (macOS)Accessibility permission is a macOS setting that lets a specific app read and control other apps through the system's accessibility features. macOS keeps it under Privacy & Security, and an app gets no access until you allow it there.
- Apple DictationApple Dictation is the free, built-in feature that types what you say into any text field on a Mac. Apple also calls it Mac Dictation, macOS Dictation or keyboard dictation.
- Apple IntelligenceApple Intelligence is the name Apple gives to its AI features across its devices. Its on-device models can improve Dictation on newer Macs, and Apple says apps can use the same models.
- Enhanced DictationEnhanced Dictation was a Mac option, available from OS X Mavericks, that lets you dictate without an internet connection after a download. Apple's help for macOS Mojave describes it, but Apple's later Dictation pages do not mention it.
- Globe key (Fn key)The Globe key, also called the Fn key or function key, is a modifier on Apple keyboards. In Keyboard settings you choose what a press does, such as switching input source, starting Dictation or doing nothing.
- Improve Siri & DictationImprove Siri & Dictation is the Mac setting that controls whether Apple may store and review audio from your Siri and Dictation requests. When you first turn on Dictation, the same choice is labeled Share Audio Recordings.
- Microphone key (dictation key)The Microphone key is a key on some Mac keyboards that starts Apple Dictation when you press and release it. Pressing and holding it activates Siri instead, if Siri is turned on.
- Neural EngineThe Apple Neural Engine (ANE) is a block of hardware inside Apple's chips that runs machine learning models efficiently. Speech models can run on it, and Apple uses it for on-device machine learning inference.
- SiriSiri is Apple's built-in voice assistant. You speak a request and it answers or carries out an action, while Dictation types what you say into a text field instead.
- Speech framework (Apple)The Speech framework is Apple's developer toolkit for turning audio into text inside an app. It includes the older SFSpeechRecognizer class and the newer SpeechAnalyzer, which Apple says transcribes entirely on the device once its models are downloaded.
- Voice Control (Apple)Voice Control is Apple's feature for controlling a Mac with spoken commands, including opening apps, clicking items and editing text. When it is on, it also handles dictation, so standard macOS Dictation is not available.
- VoiceOverVoiceOver is the screen reader built into macOS, which speaks what is on the screen so you can use the Mac without seeing it. It does the reverse of dictation: it reads text aloud rather than writing your speech.
Pages that use this term
- Mac Dictation: How to Dictate and Control a Mac by VoiceTopic
- How to Use Dictation on a MacGuide
- AI Dictation Cost: Cloud vs On-Device EconomicsGuide
- Mac Dictation by macOS Version: What ChangedGuide
- Can you type while dictating on a Mac?Question
- Does dictation work on an Intel Mac?Question
- Does on-device AI dictation drain your battery?Question
- Does the MacBook Neo get advanced dictation?Question
- How do you transcribe a meeting on a Mac?Question
- What happened to Enhanced Dictation on Mac?Question
- Apple IntelligenceGlossary
- Neural EngineGlossary