Metal
Metal is a low-level, high-performance graphics and compute framework developed by Apple for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS. It provides near-direct access to the GPU, enabling developers to create advanced 2D and 3D graphics, machine learning computations, and parallel data processing with minimal overhead. It serves as the foundation for higher-level frameworks like MetalKit, SceneKit, and ARKit.
Developers should learn Metal when building high-performance graphics applications, games, or compute-intensive tasks on Apple platforms where maximum GPU efficiency is critical. It's essential for creating custom rendering pipelines, real-time visual effects, or leveraging GPU acceleration for machine learning and scientific computing on iOS and macOS devices.