MacBook

Apple is running a gift card giveaway Black Friday through Cyber Monday. Qualifying purchases will see the buyer rewarded with a card worth from US$25/£20/€25 up to US$150/£120/€150. The deal includes many major Apple products such as the iPhone 11 and iPhone SE, the iPad Pro, Beats headphones, and even the premium MacBook Pro 16.

Although Trump's reign is over, Apple has requested Foxconn to move at least some of its iPad and MacBook production facilities to Vietnam. This move comes as a part of Apple's efforts to diversify production, thus minimizing the potential impact of a new trade war between China and the US.

Apple is rumoured to be gearing to release a new 16-inch MacBook Pro 16, and the machine may have some special AMD hardware up its sleeve. Supposedly, the laptop will be the first to feature the Radeon RX 6700 and RX 6700 XT, albeit mobile versions of the rumoured desktop GPUs.

The Apple M1 SoC has just been launched and there are already rumors about another ARM-based chip coming out of the Cupertino company soon. The part has been tentatively called the M1X although the name is yet to be confirmed. The Apple M1X will apparently bring more CPU cores to the 2021 MacBook Pro 16 than the M1 chip could.

The ARM-based Apple M1 chip has made a star turn appearance on the AnTuTu benchmark as the key component in a MacBook Air. The M1 managed to rack up way over one million points, leaving the Apple silicon, including the A12Z Bionic in the iPad Pro 4 and the performance-friendly A14 in the iPad Air (2020), trailing far behind.

Apple's latest operating system, macOS Big Sur, uses a new API to constantly send users' data (including how, when, and where a Mac is used) to Apple. This data is transmitted to Apple without encryption, meaning anyone with access to the same network as the Mac can see the information.

Looks like ditching Intel for in-hose ARM-based chips was quite the power play from Apple. The new M1 processors appear to trade blows with AMD's / Intel's 15 W processors. According to the latest Cinebench R23 tests, the M1 can be slightly faster than the AMD Renoir-U APUs in single-core tests, and they can also beat the Intel Tiger Lake-U processors in multi-core tests by a decent margin.

A recent storage benchmark result that was published on the MacRumors Forums website by a new owner of the M1 MacBook Air reveals impressive results: almost 2,200 MB/s write and over 2,600 MB/s read speed. These results come alongside a set of excellent Geekbench 5 scores of 1,745 and 7,665 points (single-core and multi-core).

The Apple M1 has already been flexing its muscles in benchmarks, but it seems that the ARM-based chipset has enough grunt to emulate x86 programs. The MacBook Air still manages MacBook Pro 16-esque performance in Geekbench, even with 8 GB of RAM.

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.