Apple's Metal is a graphics application programming interface (API) designed to provide developers with low-level access to the GPU (graphics processing unit) on Apple devices. This allows for more efficient rendering of graphics and improved performance in games and other graphics-intensive applications. Metal is optimized for both iOS and macOS, enabling developers to create high-quality visual experiences. Introduced in 2014, Metal supports advanced features like precompiled shaders and multithreading, which help maximize the performance of graphics applications. By leveraging the capabilities of the hardware, Metal enhances the overall user experience on Apple devices, making it a popular choice among developers in the gaming and creative industries.