Reference
Apple Silicon vs Intel
The era differences that actually affect intake — recovery entry, battery telemetry, locks, and erase safety.
Confirm the architecture first: uname -m (arm64 = Apple Silicon, x86_64 = Intel), About This Mac, or the visual cues in Step 1.
| Aspect | Intel pre-T2 (2017 & older) | Intel T2 (2018–2020) | Apple Silicon (M1+, 2020+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recovery entry | Power on holding ⌘R | Power on holding ⌘R; may prompt for admin password | Hold power until "Loading startup options" |
| Recovery Terminal | Open access | Disk access may require auth | Requires admin password for boot volume |
| Identifier names the family | Yes — MacBookPro11,3 | Yes — MacBookPro15,2 | No — Mac15,6 |
| CPU field | Intel processor number (i5-8210Y) | Intel processor number | Chip name only (Apple M3 Pro) — no SKU |
| Battery telemetry in Recovery | MaxCapacity in raw mAh; reliable | MaxCapacity as percentage; sometimes missing | MaxCapacity pinned ~100 — use AppleRawMaxCapacity (mAh); sometimes missing |
| Firmware password | Yes | Yes | None — FileVault gates recoveryOS instead |
| Activation Lock | Not supported | Possible (T2 + Apple ID) | Possible (Secure Enclave + Apple ID) |
| External boot | Straightforward | Blocked if firmware password set or external boot disallowed | Requires "Reduced Security" + admin auth |
| Safe to erase whole physical disk | Yes | No — erase the volume group | No — erase the volume group |
| Apple Diagnostics | Power on holding D | Power on holding D | Hold power → ⌘D from Options screen |