What you need to know

• During WWDC 2022, Apple shared news regarding the Metal 3 update for Macs, as well as what it means for anyone playing high-end games on a Mac.
• Apple claims that the Metal 3 update allows "every new Mac to run AAA games with ease."
• Apple also shared that Resident Evil Village from Capcom is coming to Mac.

As part of WWDC 2022 presentation, Apple has shared more about what players of high-end games can expect, and there's a couple of big things to look forward to.

Apple claims that the Metal 3 update brings new support for bigger games, even stating that it enables "every new Mac to run AAA games with ease." The Metal 3 update is coming as part of MacOS Ventura, the next big operating system for Mac users. As part of this committment to higher-quality gaming on Macs, Apple also shared that Resident Evil Village, developed and published by Capcom, is coming to the App Store.

Some of the benefits Metal 3 is bringing to gaming on Mac include faster loading for graphics, allowing developers to have an easier connection between the Mac's storage and graphics processor. There's also MetalFX Upscaling, which is an upscaling method being developed by Apple that allows games to run better by rendering at a lower internal resolution before being displayed.

That's not the only game players have to look forward to, with Hello Games' No Man's Sky also coming to Mac and iPad at some point later in 2022. With the arrival of MacOS Ventura, anyone who owns of the best Macs available right now will have new gaming opportunities open up.

A new macOS is upon us and Mojave is packed with new features sure to delight consumers and aficionados alike. The WWDC 2018 keynote showed the grounds being made in AR and using the Metal graphics framework for its development. This push has also prompted Apple to deprecate both the OpenGL and OpenGL frameworks.

• Why deprecate OpenGL and OpenCL
• The inherent benefits of Metal
• How this affects the end user
• What's your take?

Why deprecate OpenGL and OpenCL

Apple wants to ensure that in the future, all applications that use the OpenGL standard (and the iOS equivalent OpenGL ES) switch to Apple's own Metal API. Similarly, it also wants the swift to be made for all computation tasks that use OpenCL, also switching to the Metal framework. Typically, using an open standard like OpenGL and OpenCL allows for developers to more easily make cross-platform applications. Creating the same application over multiple OSs using different APIs is time consuming and costly. So it's easy to see why a developer would do so. Apple's stance on deprecating software is the following:

Periodically, Apple adds deprecation macros to APIs to indicate that those APIs should no longer be used in active development. When a deprecation occurs, it's not an immediate end of life for the specified API. Instead, it is the beginning of a grace period for transitioning from that API and to newer and more modern replacements. Deprecated APIs typically remain present and usable in the system for a reasonable time past the release in which they were deprecated. However, active development on them ceases, and the APIs receive only minor changes to accommodate security patches or to fix other critical bugs. Deprecated APIs may be removed entirely from a future version of the operating system. As a developer, avoid using deprecated APIs in your code as soon as possible. At a minimum, new code you write should never use deprecated APIs. And if your existing code uses deprecated APIs, update that code as soon as possible.

The inherent benefits of Metal

Apple also goes on to explain why it's better to switch to Metal over the open standards:

Apps built using OpenGL and OpenCL will continue to run in macOS 10.14, but these legacy technologies are deprecated in macOS 10.14. Games and graphics-intensive apps that use OpenGL should now adopt Metal. Similarly, apps that use OpenCL for computational tasks should now adopt Metal and Metal Performance Shaders. Metal is designed from the ground up to provide the best access to the modern GPUs on iOS, macOS, and tvOS devices. Metal avoids the overhead inherent in legacy technologies and exposes the latest graphics processing functionality. Unified support for graphics and compute in Metal lets your apps efficiently utilize the latest rendering techniques.

How this affects the end user

Ultimately, this will not affect consumers overall. Developers interested in maintaining a program will simple make the switch internally in their application transparently to the consumer. Developers that use major graphics engines such as Unity and Unreal have Metal support built in already so the transition is already done. There is also a push for the multi-platform Vulkan graphics API (under the MoltenVK API since Apple nixed direct Vulcan access on macOS) by some developers more keen on being able to still develop with multi-platform APIs.

What's your take?

Are you a developer? Are you using OpenGL and OpenCL in your applications? Will the switch to Metal and deprecation of OpenGL and OpenCL be seen as something you welcome or is it enough to push you to another platform? Some say that this also means the death knell of webGL as well. What's your take? Let us know in the comments!

Ever since the advent of dedicated 3D graphics cards there have been battles as to which application programming interface (API) is "best" to use for a certain platform. There have been quite a few API players (some now defunct) in those battles during various points in history. Vulkan) is one of the newer frameworks based on the older API called Mantle).

• What is low level access
• MoltenVK
• Why go cross-platform
• Drawbacks
• More API's are good
• Thoughts

Low level access

API's like Vulkan, Metal, and Mantle all have a similar "low level access" to the underlying hardware that the OS is running on top of. The benefit of this is that programmers, with enough programming acumen, can get better control over the hardware and as such create programs that can take advantage of more performance and capabilities from the hardware by bypassing any software layer that traditional API's has previously implemented for compatibility sake.

Not directly Vulkan

Khronos Group, the maintainers of the Vulkan API have brought the low level API to macOS and iOS. But there's a catch. Vulkan isn't being directly supported on Apple's platforms. A compatibility layer for Vulkan that translates the Vulkan API into Metal commands (the low level graphics hardware API for Apple OS's) is being released my Khronos called MoltenVK.

Why Apple didn't allow for direct Vulkan support by it's OS's is anybody's guess but it may be because Apple already has a low level API and would rather developers use that on it's platforms. And although Vulkan was created to allow for better access to the hardware, MoltenVK re-introduces a software layer on Apple based platforms.

Why bother with Vulkan on macOS/iOS if Apple already has a low level API?

The short answer is portability. Developers have to contend with resources when deciding on which platform they plan on creating a program for. Creating a program for Metal is not the same as creating a program for Vulkan which is not the same as creating a program for Direct X 12 etc…

Using an API that uses the same command calls on all platforms theoretically saves time and money for a development house. On top of that, if a development house is used to programming for a certain API, then creating applications for multiple platforms is that much easier. There is no need for one person to know all of the API's or hiring multiple developers for each API.

Cross platform sounds good in practice

There is a bit of a rumbling on social sites and forums for the ramping up of the Vulkan API by gamers. The thought is that once developers switch to the Vulkan API, games will start to proliferate across macOS, Linux, PC and so on. This is potentially true. However, as with other-cross platform API's like OpenGL, it seems that the bulk of developers stick to one platform regardless of API cross-platform compatibility. My guess is it's due to cost. Although you can build a program for Vulkan that will run on Windows and macOS, you will still need to build and test on both of those platforms if you wish to release your app for both platforms. That's double the time, double the cost, double the headache. Sure some big names like Valve, ID and Croteam have the resources to bring some amazing games to many platforms. Most developers do not have that option and have to choose the one platform that they believe will give them the best return.

More APIs are better than less

Don't get me wrong. I would jump out of my skin if my gaming platform was completely agnostic to the games I play. I'm really happy that the Khronos group has decided to skip waiting on Apple to support Vulkan directly and decided to create MoltenVK. I am hoping that the Vulkan API is so compelling that in spite of the drawbacks of cross-platform support, developers will create their games and apps for all platforms. Choice is good, Competition is good. let's hope that the initiative shown by the Khronos group spurs greater innovation on all platforms.

Your Thoughts

What are your thoughts on Vulkan running on macOS and iOS via a compatibility layer? Good? Bad? Let us know in the comments!

Metal, Apple's low-level graphics API that was first introduced in iOS 8, only keeps getting better, and that was made even more clear in a demo from Unity showing off a new feature coming to Metal in iOS 10: adaptive tessellation. Seen at the "What's New in Metal" session at WWDC 2016, the demo showed off the level of detail that adaptive tessellation will enable developers to bring to their games with Metal and the Unity game engine.

In a blog post talking about the proof of concept demo, Unity says:

Metal tessellation is headed to iOS 10 this fall, and Unity looks set to bring enable developers to take advantage of the feature in future versions of its game engine. Be sure to check out Unity's full blog post for much more technical detail on the demo. You can also watch the "What's New in Metal" session to see the demo in action.

OS X El Capitan ships this fall but is already in beta. With it comes Apple's Metal framework which will help the Mac display graphics faster by reducing processing bottlenecks. The question is, which Macs will support it?

Metal was first introduced on iOS 8 in 2014, and at WWDC 2015 Apple announced Metal for OS X. Metal makes the Mac's main processor and its graphics system work more efficiently together. This boosts high-performance apps like games, photo software, video editing. Graphics-heavy programs should benefit greatly once El Capitan is out.

Metal streamlines developers' access to the graphics processor in the Macintosh, reducing the amount of time the Mac's CPU spends doing work related to graphics, so it can do more. The net result is dramatically improved graphics performance: A Mac running Metal can draw objects on the screen up to ten times faster than without.

Unfortunately, not every Mac running El Cap will see a Metal boost. During a "What's new in Metal" session at WWDC, Apple announced that Metal support in OS X extends to Macs built since 2012.

If you're not sure how old your Mac is, go to the  menu and select About This Mac. The Overview tab should indicate the age and model of your Mac.

Mac models made since 2012 include:

• MacBook 12-inch (Early 2015)
• MacBook Air 11-inch (Mid 2012 and later)
• MacBook Air 13-inch (Mid 2012 and later)
• MacBook Pro 13-inch (Mid 2012)
• MacBook Pro 13-inch Retina (Late 2012 and later)
• MacBook Pro 15-inch (Mid 2012)
• MacBook Pro 15-inch Retina (Mid 2012 and later)
• Mac mini (late 2012 and later)
• iMac 21.5-inch (Late 2012 and later)
• iMac 27-inch (late 2012 and later)
• iMac Retina 5K, 27-inch (late 2013 and later)
• Mac Pro (Mid 2012)
• Mac Pro (Late 2013)

That includes graphics hardware made by Intel, Nvidia and AMD. Intel's integrated graphics hardware is used extensively throughout the Mac product line, while discrete Nvidia and AMD graphics processors are used on some systems like some 15-inch MacBook Pros, higher-end iMacs and the Mac Pro.

It's worth noting that Apple has not posted system requirements for El Capitan on its web site yet, though right now the developer beta runs on all Macs that were compatible with OS X Yosemite when it came out last year — that includes Macs that were manufactured in 2008.

There'll be plenty of reasons to install El Capitan on older Macs even if you don't get the benefit of Metal support: Features like Split View, an improved Spotlight, improved Safari, Mail and Notes, easier to use Mission Control and much more.

](/wwdc-2015)

Metal, Apple's optimized set of 3D tools for developers, first showed up on iOS last year in the form of a particularly beautiful Unreal Engine demo. it provided answers for serious problems that my development team faced when making cinematic games on the iPhone and iPad.

But Metal for OS X? The particle effects on stage were less impressive than last year's iOS demo, and moreover, while watching the demo onstage, I couldn't help but note that Unreal Engine games barely exist for the Mac. There's Tomb Raider, the Borderlands trilogy, X-Com, and a handful of indie titles, but many major games like Mass Effect haven't been ported.

I worried that "Metal" had become Apple's version of "Blast Processing," a catch phrase in the 90s for the Sega Genesis. In commercials, Sega would gloat that only the Genesis had "Blast processing." The only problem was, Blast Processing didn't really do anything that mattered.

But it turns out, I was wrong.

Metal for OS X is huge — and it's going to be a much bigger deal on the Mac than it is on your iPhone or iPad. If you use a Mac to produce professional content, chances are, Metal is about to drastically speed up the professional apps you use like Adobe Illustrator and Autodesk Maya.

Why Metal matters

Let's take a step back for a moment: Metal is a set of tools that Apple's third-party developers can use for 3D rendering. It bypasses the OpenGL framework — which on OS X is notoriously slow, dragging professional Mac apps down in comparison to their Windows counterparts.

To give you an example, Giant Spacekat has a Mac at our office with both Windows and OS X installed. When we use the Unreal editor on the Windows side, importing a spaceship and assembling its materials only takes 10 seconds. On the OS X side, this same operation takes almost 50 seconds. If you're a professional user, those kinds of render delays make a huge difference in what platform you want to use.

Instead, Metal lets developers use tools that run "at the metal," optimizing the framework on a per-device basis. Only Apple can do this, in part because — compared to the competition — the company has a much more limited set of hardware than Android or Microsoft.

During Monday's keynote, Apple showed operations in the Unreal editor that would have slowed my Retina MacBook Pro to a crawl. Using Unreal 4 on OS X is painfully slow — so slow I've considered buying a Mac Pro to compensate for the performance lag.

But if Metal is really as fast as it seems, I'm hoping I won't have to.

It's good for the game-makers

After Adobe's spotty track record with Flash, it's easy to be suspicious at the company's ability to produce applications optimized for Apple's hardware. But when the company stopped by Apple's State of the Union presentation to show off how Metal has improved both After Effects and Illustrator, I was really impressed: After Effects rendering in particular showed a drastic improvement.

Two of the most important companies making professional apps for 3D professionals have also committed to using Metal in their apps: Autodesk and The Foundry. That's huge. Any 3D professional knows that the faster your machine displays your changes, the more detailed your work can be. Autodesk Maya users, for example, might be able to look forward to leaving complex shaders active as they model and animate.

It's fantastic for Mac gamers

Metal for OS X is even better if you're an active gamer on the Mac. After all, the framework won't just be limited to the Unreal engine: All the major game engines are committed to working with Metal. This includes both Unity and companies with proprietary engines like Blizzard and 2K.

As such, not only will we see some great Unreal games on the Mac, but some of the most important game companies will be making applications for OS X.

Perhaps most exciting is the commitment to Metal from Aspyr, a company that specializes in Mac ports of Windows games like Civilization. As grateful as I am that Beyond Earth made it to Mac, it's hard to not grouse when these ports consistently run much worse than on Windows. With Metal, we may be able to look forward to equally fast games, no matter the platform.

Time to construct some Metal

The devil is obviously in the details, and we'll see how Metal holds up in the real world when El Capitan rolls out this year. But, from everything I've seen at WWDC so far, Metal is the biggest reason for creative professionals to be excited, and I can't wait to start developing for it.

In late June Apple rejiggered the iPod touch line, making a consistent feature set across the line, dropping the price and lowering the cost of additional storage capacity. It's probably enough to provoke some short-term sales increases of the iPod touch, but I'm more interested in what comes next. What I'd really like to see is a bigger iPod touch.

Now, we've heard a lot about a bigger iPhone. The rumor has been repeated often enough that many of us take for granted that it's on the way, though Apple hasn't actually said a word one way or the other.

The case for a bigger iPod touch

Assuming, for the moment, that the rumors are correct and that a 5.5-inch iPhone 6 is coming this fall, wouldn't it be great to see a 5.5-inch iPod touch, too?

I play a fair number of games on my iPhone 5S, and I find its 4 inch screen simply too small. As an active game interface, which most games require me to use, the 4-inch screen often gets in my way. Or rather, my fingers get in the way of whatever's going on on the screen. What's more, the screen's just too small to render a lot of game objects with enough detail for me to figure out what's going on.

Stepping up to the next largest device, the iPad mini, is just too big. I don't want a tablet — I just want a larger handheld.

I think there's a significant market for a larger iOS device whose main purpose isn't taking phone calls. If you need justification, look at Nintendo's sales of the 3DS XL - the larger-format version of its popular 3DS handheld game system. It's been out since the summer of 2012 and by the end of last year had sold over 15 million units.

By comparison, the smaller 3DS, which began shipping more than a year earlier in February 2011, has sold 43 million units to date. Obviously 3DS XL sales are a fraction of 3DS sales, but it's still a pretty significant fraction, and a good demonstration that given the choice, many gamers will opt for a larger device.

Gaming, of course, only scratches the surface of what a larger iPod touch could do - they're excellent media consumption devices, fine for messaging, surfing the web and other stuff. But games continue to rank as the number one category of apps in the App Store and they're unquestionably a huge draw for buyers of iOS devices.

iPod touches, in particular, appeal to families looking for systems for their kids without resorting to higher-priced iPhones and iPads.

Faster under the hood?

If Apple is working on a larger format iPod touch, I'd be willing to bet that it's going to have a much faster processor under the hood than the current model.

Today's iPod touch uses the A5 processor - the same processor that powers the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, Apple TV and iPad mini. It's in good company, but even at the time it debuted it was slower than its contemporary, the iPhone 5.

If Apple continues to keep the iPod touch a step behind the iPhone, my assumption is that Apple would stick an A7 processor inside of it, since that's last year's hardware. It makes sense to bring it to at least the A7, though, since Apple's focusing a lot of attention on Metal, new graphics technology that promises to speed up gaming graphics and computational work in iOS 8.

The Bottom Line

I've said in the past that I'd buy one if Apple makes a larger iPhone available. But a few weeks ago on The iMore Show podcast, Rene Ritchie asked me what I'd do if I could get a larger iPod touch instead.

I have to admit that the idea of a larger iPod touch actually appeals to me more than the idea of a larger iPhone. I've gotten quite used to having a small enough phone to slip in my pocket without noticing too much — jumping from 4 to 5 or 5.5 inches would be a pretty significant change. But a larger iPod touch isn't something I'd have in my pocket all the time.

How kids and others would handle it is a different story, though. That's a lot of device to carry around with you when you're 10 years old. But if they can manage their 3DS XL now, I'm sure they'd be able to handle a bigger iPod touch.

Are you looking forward to getting a bigger iPhone or iPod touch? Is games a big draw for you? Let me know what you think in the comments.

I've previously discussed Metal in iOS 8 and why it's so important: Because reducing overhead imposed by OpenGL ES means games (and other apps) can run faster and more efficiently on the right iOS hardware. Can the same happen for OS X?

Metal and the problem it solves

First, let's do a quick recap on what Metal is. Metal is a forthcoming iOS 8 technology that will enable dramatically faster graphics performance on devices that use Apple's A7 processor: Right now, that includes the iPhone 5S, iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display. (We can safely presume that future iOS devices that use new generations of Apple processors will retain this ability.)

Macs don't use A7 processors. They rely on Intel CPU technology, instead. Most of the new ones use Haswell processors that were first introduced on Mac models in 2013. And because of that, the short answer is no: Metal won't be coming to OS X.

But the story doesn't end there.

Macs and iOS devices share an important heritage. Both depend on software code called OpenGL to produce graphics on the screen. iOS's version is a little different: It's OpenGL ES, a special variant made for smartphones, tablets and other systems.

The kind of processors that OpenGL ES was made to run on have changed a lot since it was first introduced. Apple's A7 processor is a lot more capable than older systems, and the problem that Apple's trying to solve with Metal is how to most efficiently use that hardware.

Macs face different challenges

And it's worth reiterating that Metal works on a very specific subset of iOS hardware: Right now, that's only the A7 chip.

Compare the Macintosh. Macs use a lot of different hardware under the hood. Apple's newest Macs use Intel CPUs; most new models use Haswell processors, which were first introduced in 2013, but the Mac Pro uses a Xeon chip, while the "standard" $1199 MacBook Pro and Mac mini still rely on an Ivy Bridge processor that came out in 2012.

Many Macs use integrated graphics — everything from Intel HD 4000 to Intel Iris Pro — while some (like the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro and the higher-end iMacs and Mac Pro) rely on discrete graphics subsystems made by Nvidia and AMD.

And that's just current systems. Mavericks and Yosemite run on Mac hardware that's been around for years. It's a constantly changing target. All this adds up to a hardware mishmosh that makes the whole Metal thing, focusing on A7, to be impractical.

It's a double-edged sword: this diversity and maturity of hardware enables the Mac to handle overhead from OpenGL more effectively than a mobile device. But it also makes the Mac much less predictable and consistent for overall graphics performance.

If a game runs slow, is OpenGL to blame? Is it the GPU or the integrated graphics system, or some related technology, like main system RAM vs dedicated video RAM? Is it the porting technique that's used?

The point is that on a Mac, a lot of different factors can affect the performance of games and other graphics-heavy software.

Getting closer to the metal

Getting back to Metal for a moment, the "Metal" moniker itself is a reference to a programmer's term, close to the metal, working deep in the guts of the system to get the best performance possible. And while implementing Metal may not be feasible in OS X, getting closer to the metal is certainly achievable.

It's actually something that the makers of these graphics subsystems have worked on for years, in different ways. Nvidia has a technology called CUDA, for example. It's not aimed at game developers but rather scientific, engineering, enterprise and other app developers looking to tap into the parallel-processing power of Nvidia graphics processors. While CUDA works on the Mac, Apple emphasizes developer support for OpenCL, an open standard that provides similar functionality — Apple VP Phil Schiller mentioned OpenCL by name when he introduced the Mac Pro, with massive parallel-processing workstation graphics processors, at WWDC in 2013.

AMD has made a lot of noise with Mantle, a technology designed for its own graphics processors that use its GCN architecture — and this one is aimed at improving game performance. Mantle is aimed at reducing driver overhead on PCs much in the same way that Metal is aimed at reducing driver overhead on iPhones and iPads running iOS 8. Unfortunately, Mantle in its initial implementation is designed specifically for Windows, though AMD is leaving the door open to future development for OS X and Linux.

Closer to the metal graphics APIs have gotten a lot of attention in the PC graphics market in recent months. OpenGL is moving in that direction, AMD has Mantle, and Microsoft is emphasizing closer to the metal improvements in DirectX, its own 3D graphics API used in Windows.

The Mac needs help

Hopefully some of these improvements will eventually trickle down to OS X. Because frankly, the Mac could certainly use help in the graphics performance department.

It's no secret that a game will often run slower on OS X than the same game will on the same hardware running Windows (using Boot Camp).

As I said before, there are a lot of factors that can contribute to a Mac game's performance that aren't driver specific, such as the method used to convert a game's code to run on the Mac in the first place.

But there are significant foundational differences in the way drivers are managed on OS X that contribute to the problem. Apple controls OpenGL drivers for its operating systems. Vendors like AMD and Nvidia can work with Apple to make improvements that yield better performance, but Apple is the gatekeeper. Those changes get rolled out incrementally with new versions of OS X.

Apple is consistently several steps behind the working group that manages OpenGL, so the latest and greatest innovations to the technology Apple depends on are not in the latest versions of OS X. And sadly, that hasn't changed with Yosemite.

Ultimately, I hope that Metal is a sea change for Apple: That it yields such impressive performance improvements for iOS 8 gaming that it will force Apple to rethink the way it handles graphics drivers on OS X as well.

Ultimately, I'd like to see OS X get closer to the metal too. Because in its current state, OS X is a second-rate gaming system. Macs and Mac gamers deserve better.

Metal. If the name sounds hardcore, it's because it's a hardcore improvement to the way games will be able to perform on iOS 8. Metal represents a much more no-nonsense approach to getting the most out of the Apple A7's gaming performance, assuring users of the iPhone 5S, iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display that their devices will continue to be top-notch game systems come this fall.

Right now in iOS 7 software called OpenGL ES sits in between the game and the core hardware that runs it, translating function calls into graphics commands that are sent to the hardware. It's a lot of overhead. And iOS 8 is getting rid of a lot of it.

Apple has developed a faster way to do it. They call the new system Metal, and it's not a reference to heavy metal music. It's a nod to the programming expression "close to the metal." But in Apple's hands, it's even closer than that.

What Metal means

Apple senior vice president of Software Engineering Craig Federighi describes iOS 8 Metal as providing "near bare to the metal access to the power of A7."

Federighi is talking about Apple's own A7 processor found in the iPhone 5s, iPad Air, and iPad mini with Retina Display. The A7 include's Apple's second generation custom CPU, Cyclone. It's 64-bit and based on the ARMv8 instruction set architecture. That's paired with an OpenGL 3.0 ES capable PowerVR Series 6 (Rogue) GPU, reportedly the G6430, and 1GB of DDR 3 RAM.

Metal lets developers target the power of that GPU far more directly than ever before. And it's reasonable to assume the same will be true of Apple's next processor, the A8, ostensibly coming with the next major iPhone and iPads later this year.

What Metal does

Draw calls, used to render all the objects in a scene in a 3D game, are up to ten times faster on the same hardware when using Metal. That means much faster, more responsive games with incredibly detailed environments.

iOS 8 gets a bump in game load time performance thanks to support for precompiled shaders. Shaders affect how an environment is lit and colored; they're an incredibly important part of rendering a realistic and immersive gaming experience. Precompiling them enables them to load faster.

With game developers always pushing the complexity envelope, this helps improve the user experience; after all, you don't want to sit around waiting for the game to load on your device.

All this was brought home during the WWDC keynote when Epic Games showed off a new work in progress called Zen Garden. It's a free app coming after iOS 8 is released that lets you play with water, sand, koi in a pond and other objects; thousands of animated objects interacted with the user and each other on an iPad Air screen.

A Mac Pro in your pocket

Another benefit of Metal is to provide developer access to the compute power of of the graphics processing unit (GPU) embedded in the A7 processor. In the right hands, this could be one of the most important aspects of Metal.

Enabling such access to the GPU means applications can be more thoroughly optimized for parallel processing.

This isn't as important to games as it is to almost everything else you do with your iPhone. Because tapping the GPU's ability to compute improves the responsiveness and potential capabilities of video, photo, and audio software, and more too.

Having powerful programmable graphics processors is one of the many reasons some software can run really fast on that black beauty, the 2013 Mac Pro, which is equipped with dual workstation graphics systems.

How'd you like to have a Mac Pro in your pocket instead?

OK, maybe I'm prone to a little hyperbole. But I'm sure you see the point.

The bottom line

Metal's yet another tool in the arsenal of game developers who are making titles for iOS. Metal is aimed at game developers looking to push the performance envelope, unlike SceneKit, another iOS 8 game technology announced at WWDC 2014 aimed more at casual game makers.

Metal will run great on the existing hardware based around an A7 processor. If you have an iPhone 5S, iPad Air or iPad mini with Retina display, you can be guaranteed it'll improve your hardcore gaming experience once iOS 8 is out in the world. Unfortunately, this leaves out users of earlier and slower devices, including the iPhone 5, 5C and older iPads and iPad minis.

For now this is a "coming soon" feature that won't be out until the fall when iOS 8 is released; some games will take advantage of it right away, while others will make the Metal migration over time. Bottom line: If gaming performance is important to you and you're using an iOS device with an older processor, start planning out your migration strategy now. And anticipate Apple will have even faster iOS gear ready later this year.

Are you a game developer or developer of another app planning on tapping into Metal? Or are you just excited about seeing the benefits as a user? Tell me what you think in the comments.

More of iOS 8: Explained

• Handoff in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite: Explained
• Making and receiving phone calls on iOS 8 for iPad and OS X Yosemite: Explained
• Sending and receiving SMS/MMS on iOS 8 for iPad and OS X Yosemite: Explained
• AirDrop and Instant Hotspot in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite: Explained
• QuickType keyboard in iOS 8: Explained
• Interactive notifications in iOS 8: Explained
• SceneKit in iOS 8: Explained
• Metal in iOS 8: Explained
• Widgets in iOS 8: Explained
• Share extensions in iOS 8: Explained
• Action extensions in iOS 8: Explained
• Inter-app photo and video editing in iOS 8: Explained
• Custom keyboards in iOS 8: Explained
• Family Sharing on iOS 8: Explained
• iCloud Drive and Document Picker for iOS 8: Explained
• Document provider extensions in iOS 8: Explained
• TestFlight in iOS 8: Explained
• Apple Maps in iOS 8: Explained
• iMessage in iOS 8: Explained
• Photos in iOS 8: Explained
• Spotlight in iOS 8: Explained
• Health in iOS 8: Explained
• Touch ID in iOS 8: Explained
• HomeKit in iOS 8: Explained
• Adaptive UI in iOS 8: Explained
• Manual camera controls in iOS 8: Explained