MacBook

TSMC's 5 nm production is mostly focused on Apple's A14 Bionic SoCs and apparently cannot meet the projected order volume for the M1 chips. Since Samsung is the only other foundry to have operational 5 nm nodes, the South Korean foundries could once again become an Apple supplier. Nevertheless, the low yields on Samsung's 5 nm nodes might lead to sub-par performance on some M1 chips.

Apple's new M1 SoC combines different components such as an 8-core CPU, an 8-core GPU, a 16-core NPU, and memory and storage controllers onto a single chip fabbed on the 5 nm process. Leaked Geekbench scores of the M1 SoC in the newly announced 13-inch MacBook Pro and Mac Mini indicate that Apple's tall claims about the M1 may be true to a large extent.

A new listing on Geekbench 5 for the M1 MacBook Air posts impressive numbers. The machine handily beat the Core i9-9880H 16-inch MacBook Pro in both single- and multi-core tests by a wide margin. More impressively, the M1 MacBook Air uses a 10 Watt CPU that is passively cooled and still beat the most powerful laptop in Apple's repertoire.

Designers over at Svetapple created a set of detailed concept renders of the 2021 iMac, based on what rumors indicate about the upcoming all-in-one. The stunning models highlight the possibility that Apple will introduce slimmer bezels, bringing iMacs more in line with recent iPads.

Apple’s transition to its own silicon offers exciting possibilities for the future of energy efficient, high performance computing. However, the transition won’t be without its hiccups and a lack of eGPU support moving forward looks like a relatively substantial one. The company is also following a similar path with the M1 chip as it did with the A12X and A12Z chips when it comes to the new MacBook Air.

Apple's next 13-inch MacBook Pro is here, and with tonnes of under-the-hood improvements. From up to 20 hours of battery life, 5x faster graphics and a 2.8x faster CPU, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro promises to be a huge upgrade from the current Ice Lake-based model. The Apple M1-based 13-inch MacBook Pro will start at US$1,299.

Apple is expected to unveil its first ARM-powered MacBooks in a few hours, along with a release date for macOS 11 Big Sur. The first ARM MacBooks will play nice with iPhone and iPad apps too, but there will be some notable absentees.

The first alleged benchmark of the Apple A14X SoC has leaked and it underscores why Apple dumped Intel for its own silicon. If accurate, the Geekbench result puts the A14X ahead of the Intel Core i9-9880H found in the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Apple is expected to unveil its first ARM-based MacBooks next week, with a MacBook Pro 16, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13 on the cards. The company expects to ship up to 2.5 million units of ARM MacBooks in the next four months, underlining its confidence in its in-house processors.

Apple's first ARM-based MacBook Air may start at US$799, according to a leaker. Possibly priced up to US$999, the ARM-powered MacBook Air is thought to be launching alongside an ARM MacBook Pro 13, which is expected to start at around US$1,099.

Apple is all set to lift the veil off its first-ever ARM-based MacBooks on November 10. A report suggests that there are three models in the works, a 13-inch MacBook Pro, 16-inch MacBook Pro, and a 13-inch MacBook Air. A new iPad Pro could be launched alongside them as well.

At yesterday’s conference call, Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted that it had a few more products to release before the end of the year. A developer taking a deep dive into the new macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 beta has found what could be three new Macs set for release before the year is out.

Apple and Foxconn may have been partners for years but the relationship has soured in the last few years, according to a report published by The Information. Reputedly, Foxconn has employed a range of tactics to maximise profits, including overcharging for production costs and even potentially revealing Apple designs to third-parties before they have been announced.

The attention may be on Apple's expected ARM MacBooks, but the company also seemingly has a new version of the 16-inch MacBook Pro in the pipeline. The new MacBook Pro 16 will seemingly arrive before the end of the year, too.

Apple has pegged November 17 as the date to announce its first ARM-powered MacBook, according to Jon Prosser. The ARM Mac event will, by extension, be the earliest opportunity to see Apple's first ARM-based laptop chipset. Prosser claims to have revealed the launch date of the long-awaited AirPods Studio, too.

Apple has registered eight unreleased Mac model numbers with the EEC. Five are entirely new, so it would seem that Apple is readying itself to release some new Mac hardware. Rumour has it that the company's first ARM MacBooks will be unveiled in November.

According to a new Bloomberg report, Apple's ARM-powered MacBooks could arrive earlier than expected. The report indicates that Apple will host a second event in November to unveil their new MacBook lineup. This means that the transition from x86 could start before 2021.

An industry insider says that Apple has two new chips earmarked for its ARM-based MacBooks. The eight-core chip will likely power the upcoming 13-inch MacBook Air, and the twelve-core chip will be featured alongside the 13-inch MacBook Pro. A sixteen-core version is also due for release in 2021.

Schenker is pitching the XMG DJ 15 at those who might move around a lot with their laptop, yet need all the I/O they can get - live entertainers included. It packs a host of ports, dual 3.5mm headphone jacks for audio and mics or S/PDIF optical outputs included. It also offers an up to tenth-gen Core i7 processor and 32GB of RAM.

Apple's A14X chips will enter mass production in Q4 2020, according to a new report. Apparently, these chips are destined for the next iPad Pro and the first ARM-based MacBooks.

Aukey has launched a new member of its Omnia series of chargers. It is rated for the Power Delivery (USB-PD) standard; however, unlike some of its high-powered type-C siblings, this Nano goes at 20 watts (W). The OEM hints that this ultra-compact accessory would be ideal for Apple's upcoming iPhone 12 line.

The first Apple Mac to ship with an ARM-based chip will be a 12-inch MacBook. According to a new report, it will be powered by an Apple A14X Bionic chip and will deliver between 15-20 hours of battery life. It will be followed in 2021 by an iMac that could feature Apple's first discrete GPU.

Sunglasses that also act as personal audio devices are a rapidly expanding category of tech. The start-up SND RAY has put its take on this concept up for crowd-funding on Indiegogo. It claims that this product has improved audio quality compared to its rivals in this space.

The Taiwanese foundries are already building a new R&D center for 2 nm technologies and beyond in Hsinchu, which should be ready some time in 2021. The exact timeline for the 2 nm volume production is not yet known, but TSMC reports that it has been collaborating with some of its customers on the development of this advanced node. Market analysts claim that Apple will be first to launch 2 nm SoCs thanks to a five-year production deal with TSMC.

Another class-action lawsuit has been filed against Apple for the "flexgate" flaw that plagued some 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros. The lawsuit alleges that Apple knew about the flaw when they sold the MacBook Pros and that Apple violated fraud prevention and consumer protection laws.

We already know that ARM-based Apple MacBooks are on the way and that this is likely to come on redesigned MacBooks. A couple of leaks now suggest that these will arrive with Face ID and a second-generation Touch Bar -- the latter could also indicate we won’t be seeing a MacBook with a touchscreen.

Chargeasap, the maker of the Indiegogo hit the Flash power bank, is back on crowdfunding with another potentially groundbreaking power accessory. This Omega wall-wart has 2 versions: one that rated to charge at up to 100 watts (W), and one at 200W. It had a goal of US$10,000 on Kickstarter, but left this threshold behind a long time ago.

A leaker has outlined a possible roadmap for Apple's transition away from Intel processors. According to the post, an ARM-powered MacBook Pro 16 will arrive in 2021, while the company will not bring ARM versions of the iMac Pro or Mac Pro to market until 2022.

The release of the first ARM-powered MacBooks will apparently follow the trend of recent Apple hardware announcements. Instead of a physical event ala recent iPhone launches, the ARM-powered 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro 13 will land without notice at the end of October.

Of all the computer manufacturers, Apple is probably the most restrictive when it comes to user upgradability. MacBooks lost their upgradable storage years ago. Now, even the all-in-one desktop Apple iMac will be no longer upgradable.

Apple is planning to equip its first ARM-powered MacBook with an A14X Bionic, according to a new rumour. The in-house chipset will be paired with up to 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD, along with a 720p webcam and a 4th generation butterfly keyboard. Between 15 and 20 hours of battery life beckons for the new 12-inch MacBook, too.

Rumour has it that Apple's first ARM-backed MacBooks will be hundreds of dollars cheaper than the company's current Intel-powered devices. The main source of savings will be Apple's in-house chipsets, which the company will seemingly pass onto consumers.

Xiaomi has a new “hot launch” in its product pages with the Mi Charger 33 W accessory. The charger can be used with smartphones like the Xiaomi Mi 10, Redmi K30 Pro, and Redmi 10X Pro, and it can be used with iPads and MacBooks. The Xiaomi Mi Charger 33 W is currently priced at 69 yuan (US$10).

Apple is planning the mother of all hardware releases between August and October. The AirPods Studio, the iPhone 12 series and a HomePod refresh are all due, as are Apple's first ARM-powered laptops. The ARM MacBook and MacBook Pro 13 will be joined by a new iPad Pro too.

TSMC has outlined its fabrication plans for its 5nm fabrication process and what that means for investors in its latest conference call. It is buoyant about what its 5nm node will mean for next generation mobile chips and says chips using the tech, including Apple’s A14, will contribute around 8 percent to its revenue for the next quarter.

Belkin's latest screen protector for Apple ultrabooks also confers a property that HP devices with SureView have by default. It occludes the content on these screens for viewing angles not those of the user, thus reducing the risk of intrusion or some immediate forms of data-theft. It is available for 13-, 15- and 16-inch MacBooks Air and Pro.

GoPro has addressed an increasingly prevalent issue for many users who have shifted their work, learning or hobbies online in a new update under development at this action-cam OEM. It confers a new function on its HERO8 Black model that allows owners who also use Macs to use the device as an FHD, wide-angle upgrade on their default webcams.

Rumour has it that Apple is planning to replace its entire MacBook product stack with ARM models within a year. Apparently, a MacBook Pro 13 with ARM silicon is arriving before the end of this year, which will be swiftly followed by an ARM MacBook Air. 14-inch and 16-inch ARM MacBook Pro models will then arrive by Q3 2021 at the latest.

One concern that Apple Mac fans have had is whether Apple’s new ARM-based Macs will continue to support Intel’s Thunderbolt high-speed I/O tech. In statement provided to The Verge, Apple has confirmed that it will continue to support Thunderbolt despite its forthcoming transition from Intel to ‘Apple silicon’.

Logitech is back this time with a new keyboard and mouse specifically customized for use with Apple’s Macs and iPads. The new MX Keys keyboard for Mac and MX Master 3 mouse incorporate pre-set functionality and features that even Apple’s own accessories don’t offer, making them well worth a look.

Apple is planning to equip all 2021 MacBooks with ARM-based CPUs designed in-house and it looks like this switch could also happen for GPUs. Currently, most AMD laptops come equipped with AMD dGPUs, but, starting with the 2021 MacBook models, we could see Apple solely using in-house GPUs derived from the A Bionic SoCs.

A new feature update coming to Chrome 86 looks set to make serious reductions in its resource usage. The experimental feature could extend battery life considerably on laptops by shutting down certain background tasks in open tabs.

Apple’s MacBook keyboards have been the recipient of plenty of unwanted attention in recent years thanks to the infamous butterfly keyboard debacle. However, the company seems intent on continuing to try to innovate on that front with a patent lodged for glass keycaps that might feature on future MacBooks.

A possible 2020 Apple iMac refresh device has been discovered on Geekbench with some surprising components: An unknown Intel Core i9-10910 processor and an unannounced AMD Radeon Pro 5300 desktop GPU. There has been speculation before of an upcoming refreshed 27-inch iMac being configured with a fast Comet Lake Core i9 CPU.

Belkin has launched its latest Thunderbolt 3-enabled dock that is calling the Dock Core. The new hub supports up to two 4K monitors at 60 Hz or a single 8K monitor at 30 Hz.