I am not a mac user, but it seems to me that setting up a mac to compile Rcpp packages or code snippets with openMP seems to be too difficult for most mac users. I came across other ideas, including compiling llvm yourself, using homebrew or macports to install R and/or llvm and/or gcc, and then figuring out how to use the right compiler and/or flags with (R)cpp. The ability to use OpenMP without a custom setup. Unfortunately, with R 4.0.0 the CRAN distributed version of R loses In any case, what Apple has achieved without a lot of company experience in the chip space is super impressive, even if it doesn't beat until in every single benchmark.There's probably a gazillion threads on OSX+Rcpp+openMP, but the bottom line right now appears to be this (per coatless): I think one would be right to be upset if one generation of Intel to the next wasn't better for your task, but moving laterally to a chip built on a different architecture and that's clearly optimized for multi-thread workloads and running a single thread one that might be somewhat better in some aspects, and the same or slightly worse in others is not really grounds for disappointment in my book. My point that newer is not a guarantee a better across the board still stands though, especially given that you're moving laterally in architectures.

Certainly, their chip is much more efficient then the Intel one they were using previously and MacBook Pros are known for thermal throttling so there is space for improvement there even if the Intel chip may theoretically have beaten them if it were water cooled or whatever.

It makes sense that it might be better for some aspects depending on what Apple chose to optimize and was beneficial to their target market of creatives (so what would be utilized by the Adobe suite, video editing, etc.).

Rstudio for mac m1