Apple Silicon MacBooks are only the first MacOS computers to roll with the company's own-designed processors. Tips from supply chain sources this week suggest Apple is hard at work on its first desktop computer processor as well. This could change the way MacOS computers work (and play). Will this change your plans to buy a new computer in the near future?
Apple's iPhone 12 launch is undoubtedly its biggest announcement of the year, but 2020 isn't over yet and neither is what we expect from Cupertino. While the events may be virtual these days, the new hardware headed out to Apple Stores is very much real: here are four big things we could still see before the year is through.
The first MacBook powered by Apple silicon will arrive later this year, at least according to industry insiders, and it'll reportedly be sporting a 12-inch Retina display. The insiders go on to claim that Apple will release the first iMac system sporting its own silicon next year, as well, and that this alleged model may also feature Apple's own GPU hardware.
Today you'll be able to access the next big update to Apple's desktop operating system. This is macOS Big Sur, an update to the desktop space for users that wish to check said major changes out before they're sent to all Apple computers post-beta. For now, we're in Public Beta, which means it's probably OK to give the software a whirl, but it's still BETA - which can mean there MAY be issues.
Code included with the latest update to builds of macOS Big Sur suggest that FaceID and/or TrueDepth camera tech are coming to the Mac. MacBooks and iMac computers could very well get their own 3D depth-sensing cameras in the very near future if what this code indicates comes to fruition with what's called "PearlCamera."
If you use a webcam cover, you should remove it before closing your MacBook, according to a new advisory from Apple. The company warns that closing a MacBook, including the Air and Pro models, while using a webcam cover may result in damage to the laptop's display due to minimal clearance between it and the keyboard. Instead, Apple encourages users to use the LED indicator to determine whether the webcam is on.
This week was light on the hardware reveals at Apple's WWDC 2020, due in a big way to our global pandemic and the fact that the conference was entirely virtual. Granted, there was a rather enticing developer desktop testing kit revealed by Apple to make way for the future of Apple-made silicon in future Macs, but what about consumer products? Since Apple's hardware reveals this week were light, there's a clear winner for most interesting new hardware for Apple product users. That is the OWC Envoy Express, the first-ever Thunderbolt 3 Certified Bus-powered Portable Storage Enclosure.
Today Apple announced that they'd be moving toward their own silicon - effectively removing Intel from the equation. This was a "huge leap forward for the Mac," said Apple CEO Tim Cook. "Today is the day we're announcing the Mac is transitioning to our own Apple silicon." This move is major for every key player involved - not just Intel and Apple, but the users of future Mac computers as well.
The first few months of the year were rough for companies and organizations that regularly hold large events year in and year out. Most have canceled while others have put their events on hold, albeit indefinitely. Google did cancel its annual I/O developers conference but Apple is pushing ahead with an online version of its yearly WWDC. And it's a good thing, too, because it's now expected to make one of the biggest announcements in the company's history since the late Steve Jobs announced it would be abandoning the PowerPC platform for Intel.
The dawn of Apple's switch of macOS to run on Arm processors is finally almost here, at least if the leaks are correct, and I'm hoping it gives one misunderstood Mac product another chance to prove its merit. Rumored for years, it's a blow to Intel and potentially some work for developers between WWDC 2020 and the arrival of the first hardware come 2021.
Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro is the Magic Keyboard upgrade that many would-be buyers have been waiting for, but with those controversial keys out of the way, the wish-list moves on to another gap in the range. Unlike with the 16-inch MacBook Pro launched late last year, 2020's entry-level MacBook Pro didn't step up a screen size. That means many people will be wanting to plug in an external display.
Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro follows its bigger sibling with an improved keyboard and an uptick in performance, but there's a bigger decision to be made than just screen size. The 2020 refresh of the smaller MacBook Pro creates two distinct tiers within the 13-inch screen size, and the differences between them are arguably more obvious than ever. Here's what you need to know...