Apple silicon - page 4

Apple just reported a hugely successful quarter for the Mac — one of its best ever — and it looks like it’s only going to get better. A new report detailing the company’s Apple Silicon roadmap says the best is yet to come.

In addition to new MacBook Pro models powered by faster Apple Silicon chips, which are still on track for this year, Apple is expected to roll out a high-end Mac mini before the year is out. Then, in 2022, we could see a “revamped, smaller Mac Pro” featuring custom Apple chips — and more.

Apple chipmaker TSMC, which makes both Apple’s A-series and Apple Silicon chips, says that its production lines have been hit by a gas leak. This has affected some of its chip production — including the advanced chip fab used for upcoming iPhones and Macs.

“To ensure that there will be no issues with production quality, TSMC is currently carrying out stringent follow-up operations,” TSMC said. It told Reuters that it doesn’t expect this to he a “significant impact” on operations.

A larger iMac powered by Apple Silicon is “en route” and could feature an even faster “M2X” chip, according to reliable reporter Mark Gurman.

The next-generation all-in-one is expected to replace the 27-inch iMac with an even larger screen — perhaps around 30 inches — and could well be Apple’s fastest desktop to date.

The M2 chip, sequel to the inaugural Apple Silicon processor, will debut in the first half of 2022, says a leaker who previously nailed details about the company’s proprietary chips.

The tipster, known as Dylandkt, has an 81.3% accuracy rating according to Apple Track based on 16 previous rumors. Dylandkt said the M2 chip will be released alongside “the upcoming colorful MacBook Air.”

Intel will experience a big decline in market share in 2022 as Apple further shifts away from Intel processors to Apple Silicon, Digitimes reports. It suggests that Intel will lose close to half its Apple orders this year. This is en route to Apple ditching all its Intel orders in the near future.

Apple’s forthcoming MacBook Pros were erroneously expected by some to show up at this year’s WWDC. But according to a report from Digitimes, the next-gen Apple notebooks will not launch until the third quarter of 2021. This could be due to a lower-than-expected production yield for the mini LED screens for the computer.

The new 16-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pro models are expected to be the biggest MacBook Pro redesign in quite a while. They are likely to sport a redesigned chassis, offer a returning built-in SD card reader and HDMI port and a restored MagSafe charger. They will also boast the next generation of Apple Silicon processor, and will supposedly ditch the controversial Touch Bar as well. The question is when exactly fans will be able to get their hands on them!

A redesigned MacBook Pro could hit Apple Store shelves as early as this summer, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

It will come in 14- and 16-inch screen sizes, with a redesigned chassis, MagSafe charger, next-gen M-series chip and the return of the HDMI port and SD card reader. The last time Apple released a new MacBook Pro was November 2020.

The M1 chip just made its way to the new iMac and iPad Pro, but Apple’s already hard at work on its successor. According to a new report from Nikkei Asia, mass production of the M2 chip is already underway.

It is expected to debut as soon as early July, initially for use in a redesigned MacBook arriving in the second half of the year. Like the M1 chip, the M2 is being made using the 5-nanometer process developed by TSMC, the company that makes Apple’s A-series chips.

The world’s most popular all-in-one now runs on Apple Silicon. The all-new and beautifully colorful iMac, unveiled today at Apple’s Spring Loaded event, packs a blazing-fast M1 chip into an aluminum form factor that’s just 11.5mm thick.

The new 24-inch machine delivers significantly faster performance and more powerful graphics, but consumes less power than ever before. It’s also available with Touch ID — a first for a desktop Mac — and it goes on sale on April 30.

Trusted tipster Mark Gurman says the 2021 iMac all-in-one desktop might be the next to get the M1 processor. The announcement could be only a few days away.

And that’s only the beginning. There’s plenty more evidence that an upgraded iMac will launch at Apple’s April 20 event.

The indie Opera browser, one of the oldest browsers still operating today, has been updated with native support for Apple Silicon Macs. The update means that the Opera browser now runs 2x faster on M1 Macs.

Opera first debuted on Mac way back in 1996. That’s approaching a decade before Safari made its debut. One of Opera’s first big claims to fame was that it made it easier to browse several web pages at once. Today, its big appeal is its minimalist aesthetic, innovative sidebar design, and (now faster than ever) performance.

“Hello, I’m a traitor.”

“And I’m a PC.”

OK, so that’s overstating things a little bit, but Justin Long — the actor still instantly recognizable for playing a Mac in a long-running series of Apple commercials — is now advertising Intel. And taking shots at Apple.

Adobe released the first version of Photoshop with native support for Apple’s new M-series processor on Wednesday. And the company promises that this significantly increases the performance of the software compared to running it on Intel-based Macs.

Apple delayed plans to start mass-producing its next-gen MacBook Pro until this fall, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia. Originally, Cupertino was expected to start building the new laptops in May or June.

This MacBook Pro is widely expected to boast a new form factor and come in both 14- and 16-inch screen sizes. It is also anticipated to kill off the LED Touch Bar in favor of a row of physical keys, bring back the MagSafe charger, feature a built-in SD card reader and HDMI port, and sport a fancy mini-LED display.

In other words, it sounds like it’ll be worth the wait. But you will likely be waiting.

Apple is investing upward of 1 billion euros ($1.19 billion) in building a European Center for Chip Design in Munich, Germany. This will be used, in Apple’s (translated) words, for developing processes involving “5G and the wireless technologies of the future.”

Munich is already the location of Apple’s biggest development center in Europe. It is home to close to 1,500 engineers from 40 countries. The new initiative will see them joined by hundreds more employees.

The iMac Pro is seemingly nearing the end of its natural lifespan — and good riddance to it.

In fairness, the iMac Pro was not a bad computer. It was even, technically, a pretty great one. But it epitomized an era of Mac design that may have been the most uninspired and directionless in Apple history.

Apple started issuing $500 digital vouchers to developers following the return of their Developer Transition Kit Macs.

The company introduced the custom DTK Macs last year at its Worldwide Developers Conference. As their name suggests, the hardware was intended to help developers transition their apps from Macs’ previous Intel architecture to new Apple Silicon processors.

They were offered as a one-year lease, although Apple wound up requesting them back at around the nine-month mark.

Apple has reportedly slowed production of the 21.5-inch iMac ahead of a much-anticipated Apple Silicon upgrade. The company’s popular all-in-one is expected to make the shift to custom ARM chips this year.

In the meantime, certain 21.5-inch iMac 4K models powered by Intel processors could be a little more difficult to get hold of.

Apple could be planning to stop apps written for Intel chips from working on M1-powered Macs.

New code discovered in the latest macOS Big Sur 11.3 beta suggests Apple might remove Rosetta 2, the software that translates older software to run on the new generation of Macs, at least in some regions.

The first wave of malware written specifically for Apple Silicon Macs is starting to appear. And Apple’s already playing Whac-A-Mole to try and stop it.

The malware in question, called “Silver Sparrow,” is reportedly a malicious package that can exploit a vulnerability in the macOS Installer JavaScript API as a way to execute dodgy commands. While it remains unclear how big of a threat Silver Sparrow poses, Apple nonetheless took steps to stop its spread.

Security researcher Patrick Wardle has discovered what may be the first malware optimized for Apple Silicon Macs. The malware, details of which he published this week, involves a Safari adware extension called GoSearch22.

The adware delivers unwanted ads, collects browser data, and modifies browser settings. GoSearch22 is relatively low risk. However, it can result in users being redirected to certain websites or suffering an otherwise impaired browsing experience.

Apple sweetened the deal offered to developers for the early return of the Mac mini that they used to test macOS Big Sur running on Apple Silicon. Friday, the company responded to complaints that it wasn’t offering enough for the Developer Transition Kits by more than doubling the amount of money previously offering for the units.

Apple told developers on Wednesday that they are expected to soon return the Mac mini that they used to test macOS Big Sur running on Apple Silicon. This is less time than the one-year lease of the Developer Transition Kit was supposed to last.

The devs paid $500 to lease the specially modified desktops in 2020. They aren‘t getting that money back, but Apple will compensate them for returning the unit. Still, some developers are peeved.

The iMac is about to get the dramatic redesign so many people have been hoping for, according to a highly reliable source. Smaller bezels and an M-series processor are highlights.

Apple is also reportedly planning a significant redesign of the Mac Pro desktop.

Apple is reportedly working on a macOS fix that will rectify a Bluetooth connectivity glitch affecting first-gen Apple Silicon Macs.

Users began reporting the problem when the first Macs powered by Apple’s new M1 chip shipped late last year.