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Tag: Mac Pro

  • Apple Working on 32-core Mac Pro, Aims At Smashing PC Performance

    Apple Working on 32-core Mac Pro, Aims At Smashing PC Performance

    Apple may have just released its first M1 Macs, based on its custom silicon, but the company is setting its sights on nothing less than the performance crown.

    Apple made headlines when it announced it was transitioning away from Intel to its own custom silicon, based on the same kind of ARM chips it has used in iPhones and iPads for years. The company was hoping custom silicon would improve its products’ battery life, as well as overall speed and performance. The transition comes at a time when Intel has experienced increasing issues meeting demand and innovating, especially in the high-performance, low-profile designs Apple is known for.

    The M1 Macs were unveiled at Apple’s One More Thing event in November, and the initial results didn’t disappoint. The MacBook Air, considered an entry-level laptop, easily bested the fastest MacBook Pros based on Intel’s chips.

    According to Bloomberg, Apple is just getting started in the performance game, with plans to unveil a 32-core version of its custom silicon. To put that in perspective, the MacBook Air is running an eight-core processor that has four high-performance and four energy-efficient cores. That means, theoretically, the new processors could be several times faster than a machine that already beats the fastest Intel chips Apple is using in its high-end laptops.

    Jean-Louis Gassée, the founder of Be, Inc., made the case in July that Apple’s custom silicon would have profound impacts on the industry and Intel, far beyond the 10% of Intel’s business that Apple represents:

    Specifically, what are Dell, HP, Asus, and others going to do if Apple offers materially better laptops and desktops and Microsoft continues to improve Windows on ARM Surface devices? In order to compete, PC manufacturers will have to follow suit, they’ll ‘go AR’ because, all defensive rhetoric aside, Apple and Microsoft will have made the x86 architecture feel like what it actually is: old.

    Given that Apple is expected to begin rolling out its 32-core processors in desktop Macs starting in 2021, with the Mac Pro possibly debuting in 2022, Gassée’s prediction may be coming true sooner rather than later.

  • Apple May Introduce macOS ‘Pro Mode’ To Boost Performance On Laptops

    Apple May Introduce macOS ‘Pro Mode’ To Boost Performance On Laptops

    According to 9to5Mac, a recent beta of macOS hints at a ‘Pro Mode’ that could be a boon for professionals using portable Macs.

    Apple has faced a lot of criticism in recent years for a perceived abandonment of professionals in favor of the very lucrative consumer market. In the last year or two, however, the company has reaffirmed its commitment to professionals, with a more powerful iMac Pro, industry leading Mac Pros and a revamped 16-inch MacBook Pro.

    9to5Mac reports the latest macOS Catalina 10.15.3 beta references a “Pro Mode,” that can be toggled on or off as needed. Some of the strings in the beta say “Apps may run faster, but battery life may decrease and fan noise may increase” in Pro Mode. Another string says “Fan speed limit overridden.”

    This feature is not particularly surprising, nor is there any reason why it wouldn’t work. Computer performance, especially in laptops, is often throttled or restricted to a certain threshold to achieve the best balance of performance, heat and battery life. Temporarily removing those restrictions could noticeably boost performance at the expense of the other factors.

    If Apple does include this feature in an upcoming release of macOS, it will likely be a welcome one for many professionals.

  • Apple Updates Final Cut Pro Ahead Of New Mac Pro Launch

    Apple excited many of its more hardcore fans earlier this year with the announcement of a new Mac Pro workstation. The new machine, which starts at $3,000, is being positioned as the work machine video professionals will use to edit 4K video. In anticipation of that, Apple has gone ahead and released a meaty update for its Final Cut Pro software.

    In today’s stealthy Final Cut Pro update, Apple has added over 30 new features and improvements to the software. While the main focus is on its newfound support for 4K video, the new Final Cut Pro also adds a number of new multitasking features that take advantage of the new Mac Pro’s specs.

    Here’s the full list of additions:

  • Optimized playback and rendering using dual GPUs in the new Mac Pro
  • Video monitoring up to 4K via Thunderbolt 2 and HDMI on select Mac computers
  • 4K content including titles, transitions, and generators
  • Libraries allow you to gather multiple events and projects within a single bundle
  • Easily open and close individual libraries to load just the material you need
  • Option to import media to locations inside or outside a library
  • Automatically back up libraries to a user-specified drive or network location
  • Project Snapshots let you quickly capture the project state for fast versioning
  • Audio fade handles on individual audio channels in the timeline
  • Add precise retime speeds by entering them numerically in the timeline
  • Non-rippling retime option
  • One-step Replace and Retime
  • Custom project frame sizes
  • Through edits displayed on all clip types
  • Join Through Edit command removes bladed cuts to clips in the timeline
  • Detach audio from Multicam Clips in the timeline to manipulate audio and video separately
  • Make video or audio-only edits into the timeline with Multicam Clips as sources
  • Blade and move audio in J- and L-cuts
  • Roll audio with J- and L-cut splits open
  • Option to hide the Browser to gain more screen space for viewing
  • Native support for .MTS and .MT2S files from AVCHD cameras
  • Used media indicators on source clips
  • Improved performance with large projects
  • Improved performance when modifying or adding keywords to many clips at once
  • Easily move, copy, and paste multiple keyframes
  • Option for linear animation with Ken Burns effect
  • Improved image stabilization with InertiaCam and Tripod mode
  • Import photos from iOS devices
  • Proxy and playback quality controls accessible in Viewer menu
  • Support for portrait/landscape metadata in still images
  • Effects parameters, fonts, and text size included in XML metadata
  • Improved support for growing media and edit while ingest
  • FxPlug 3 with custom plug-in interfaces and dual-GPU support
  • API for custom Share operations using third-party software
  • Share directly to YouTube at 4K resolution
  • Share directly to Chinese video sites Youku and Tudou
  • Spanish language localization

    • The update to Final Cut Pro is available now to those who already own the software. If you don’t yet own it, you can grab it today for $299.99.

    Image via Apple
    [h/t: Gizmodo]

  • Apple Event: Updated, Cylindrical Mac Pro Unveiled

    Apple Event: Updated, Cylindrical Mac Pro Unveiled

    Today’s Apple event was expected to focus on the company’s newest generation of iPad tablets. Apple, however, used much of the event to debut new hardware and software for its desktop and notebook computing lineup. In addition to OS X Mavericks and a new line of Macbooks, Apple today announced what longtime Apple fans have been waiting a long time to hear – a newly designed Mac Pro desktop computer.

    The new design of the Mac Pro is an odd-looking cylindrical black shape. Apple stated that the new design is one-eighth of the volume of previous Mac Pro towers.

    Inside, Apple is packing in serious computing power for professionals who use Macs. The presentation focused heavily on how the new Mac Pro can output video to up to three 4K displays, including one 4K TV. The company also mentioned that its new computers will be well-equipped for 4K video editing.

    The new Mac Pros will have Intel Xeon E5 processors, available in quad-, 6-, 8-, or 12-core iterations. Apple is also offering up to 64GB of 1866MHz DDR3 RAM. The new Mac Pro comes with two AMD FirePro GPUs standard, with up to 12GB of GDDR5 VRAM for them. The computer will not have a hard drive, and instead comes with an SSD drive with up to 1TB of storage.

    The lowest-end version of the new Mac Pro starts at $2999. That version comes with a 3.7GHz quad-core Xenon processor, 12GB of RAM, Dual FirePro D300 GPUs (with 2GB of RAM on each), and a 256GB SSD. Obviously, upgrades such as a 12-core processor or more SSD drive space for video editing will quickly drive up the cost of the computer. The new Mac Pro will be out sometime before the end of the year, with Apple’s presentation slide showing a December release date.

  • It’s Official: Apple’s iPad Event Will Take Place On October 22

    It was rumored earlier this month that Apple would be holding this year’s iPad event on October 22. Like most Apple rumors these days, it was right on the money.

    TechCrunch reports that Apple began sending out press invites today for an event scheduled for October 22. The invite doesn’t make mention of iPad or any other hardware from Apple as it simply states, “We still have a lot to cover.”

    Apple's iPad Event Will Take Place On October 22

    Despite the ambiguous invitation, we all have a pretty good idea of what Apple is going to show at its October 22 event. In short, everything it didn’t show at its iPhone event in September. That means we’ll see the new iPad, maybe a new iPad Mini, a new line of MacBook Pros, more information on the Mac Pro and the new Mac OS X Mavericks.

    Starting with the new iPad, recent rumors have suggested that Apple won’t be doing anything too drastic with the design this year. The company will simply reduce the size of the side bezels to bring the big iPad’s design in line with the iPad Mini’s. It’s also rumored that the new iPad will sport the new 64-bit processor that was first seen in the iPhone 5S.

    As for the iPad Mini, it’s been reported that Apple is pushing for a retina display in the device to match the HD displays found in Google’s Nexus 7 and Amazon’s Kindle Fire HDX. Along with the increased resolution, the 7-inch tablet is expected to use a 64-bit processor as well. Another rumor, however, suggests that this iPad Mini will be delayed and Apple will release a minor upgrade this year as it works on improving yields for the retina display iPad.

    Beyond the new iPads, we don’t know a lot about Apple’s other plans. We can make some educated guesses though. For instance, it’s pretty much guaranteed that we’ll see some new Haswell-equipped MacBook Pros, and we’re likely to find out a release date for the Mac Pro. We’re also likely to hear when Mac OS X Mavericks will be made available to consumers.

    Beyond the above, it’s anybody’s ballgame. Apple could have a surprise for us, but it’s doubtful. Any big product announcement, like the oft-rumored Apple television, would receive its own separate event. On October 22, you should just expect to see updates to all the existing Apple hardware that’s not an iPhone.

    [Image: TechCrunch]

  • iOS 7 Reveal Gets The NMA Treatment

    iOS 7 Reveal Gets The NMA Treatment

    On Monday, Apple unveiled its next generation mobile operating system – iOS 7. Apple billed it as the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the original iPhone. That change was welcomed with open arms at WWDC, but some weren’t as thrilled to see their tried and true iOS undergoing such a drastic change.

    Our favorite Taiwanese animators have captured all of the above and more in their latest news report. As an added bonus, NMA also gave us the lowdown on the new Mac Pro.

    For more on this year’s WWDC, check out our coverage.

  • Apple Unveils New Mac Pro At WWDC

    As one of its numerous unveilings today, Apple showed off a new Mac Pro at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference. It has a new look, and is significantly smaller.

    You can see the side-by-side comparison here (image via TechCrunch):

    Mac pro

    The new model is so much smaller, in fact, that it fits into just an eighth of the volume of the previous model.

    The new Mac pro includes Thunderbolt support. It includes an Intel Xeon CPU, 1866GHz RAM, and 2.5 times faster SSD storage. It also supports AMD FirePro GPUs.

    “With the latest Xeon processors, dual FirePro GPUs, ECC memory, PCIe-based flash and Thunderbolt 2, all built around a revolutionary thermal core, the next generation Mac Pro is the most radical Mac yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “All this performance and expandability is packed into a dramatic new design that’s one-eighth the volume, and best of all, it will be assembled here in the USA.”

    Consumers can look for the device later this year. No specific date was given, nor was the price.

  • WWDC 2012: Mac Pro Gets A Piece Of The Update Action

    Last week we brought you news that Apple might announce an update to the Mac Pro during this year’s WWDC 2012 keynote. Then, shortly before the keynote began earlier this afternoon, we brought you news that the specs for several updated Mac computers – including the Mac Pro – had surfaced.

    Initially, though, it appeared that all these rumors might have been false. Apple’s keynote came and went without a whisper of the new Mac Pro. Mac Pro fans need not despair, however, that Apple’s workhorse got left out in the cold. When the Apple Store went back up following the keynote, there was a shiny new Mac Pro right there along with the rest of Apple’s new products.

    New Mac Pro Models

    The specs for the new Mac Pro match the information that was released this morning. There are three models. The quad-core model costs $2,499 and sports a single 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Xeon processor with 6GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive. The 12-core model costs $3,799 and has two 2.4GHz 6-core processors with 12GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive. The Server model costs $2,999 and comes with a single 3.2GHz quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM, and two 1TB hard drives.

    The Mac Pro was long overdue for an update. Apple has left the model virtually untouched for two years, prompting a significant outcry from its fans. Though it’s hardly Apple’s best-selling Mac model, it’s extremely popular among a wide array of professionals, including software developers who create iOS and OS X apps.

  • Apple CEO Tim Cook Confirms New Mac Pro Next Year

    Apple CEO Tim Cook Confirms New Mac Pro Next Year

    Yesterday we told you that an unnamed Apple executive had reportedly confirmed a new iMac and Mac Pro for next year. After that story ran yesterday, confirmation of half of that rumor came from perhaps the last place you’d expect: none other than Apple CEO Tim Cook himself.

    As you may know, Steve Jobs was in the habit of responding – seemingly at random – to customer emails to his public email address. Tim Cook has continued that tradition, occasionally answering emails from customers about Apple products, customer service issues, and more. This time, the email in question was from a disgruntled Mac Pro fan. The Mac Pro, the workhorse of the Mac lineup, has been languishing for two years without a major update. As you might expect, the situation is extremely frustrating to Mac Pro fans – many of whom are developers of iOS or OS X software. Given how long they’ve waited many of these fans, including the ones on Facebook, were less than thrilled with the update the Mac Pro finally got on Monday. While the MacBook line feasted on new CPUs and GPUs and more efficient RAM and a retina display, the Mac Pro, was stuck eating the crumbs that fell on the floor: a minor bump in processing power, and a price cut for the 12-core model, and that’s about it.

    This frustration, presumably, was reflected in the email sent to Cook asking where the new Mac Pro was. Well, according to Forbes, Cook responded. Here’s the email in its entirety:

    Franz,

    Thanks for your email. Our Pro customers like you are really important to us. Although we didn’t have a chance to talk about a new Mac Pro at today’s event, don’t worry as we’re working on something really great for later next year. We also updated the current model today.

    We’ve been continuing to update Final Cut Pro X with revolutionary pro features like industry leading multi-cam support and we just updated Aperture with incredible new image adjustment features.

    We also announced a MacBook Pro with a Retina Display that is a great solution for many pros.

    Tim

    So if you’re disappointed by the lack of a decent update to the Mac Pro, it looks like you’ve only got another year or so to wait. No biggie, right?

    Meanwhile, it seems that David Pogue, who originally reported that there would be new iMac and Mac Pro models next year, might have been a bit off. An Apple spokesperson told Forbes that the report about a new iMac in 2013 is wrong. That could mean that we won’t be seeing a new iMac until 2014. On the other hand, the current iMac is a year old, and while Apple may be willing to let the Mac Pro languish for three years without a major refresh, the iMac is a far better-selling computer, so odds are good we can expect a new iMac before year’s end.

  • New iMac, Mac Pro In The Works, Coming In 2013

    In the run up to yesterday’s WWDC 2012 Apple keynote, there were all sorts of rumors about just what Apple would and would not announce. In fact, if you paid much attention to the rumor mill before hand (and some people on Twitter clearly didn’t), little of what Apple announced was a surprise. Nevertheless, some of the rumored announcements never came.

    Most notably, three things were left out: the Apple TV, the iMac, and the Mac Pro. While major updates to the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines – including the new retina display model – had been predicted, the rumor mill had also hinted at similarly major updates to the iMac and the Mac Pro. While the Mac Pro did get a very minor feature bump (which Apple neglected to mention during the keynote), nary a peep was heard about the iMac.

    This, naturally, raises an interesting question: has Apple abandoned the desktop computer? Are Apple’s desktop models headed down the same path as optical drives in Apple notebooks (i.e., toward nonexistence)? The answer, it seems, is no. While Mac Pro fans may lament the lack of a major update to their beloved machine, it seems that the model’s modest bump isn’t the end of the story, nor is the iMac’s absence from yesterday’s keynote. After Apple’s keynote yesterday, David Pogue of the New York Times provided his own analysis of the day’s news. At the end of that analysis, tucked into the second to last paragraph of the (quite lengthy) piece, was a claim that all hope is not yet lost for fans of Apple’s desktop models:

    Many Apple observers also wonder if Apple thinks that desktop computers are dead, since not a word was said about the iMac and Mac Pro. An executive did assure me, however, that new models and new designs are under way, probably for release in 2013.

    So, it seems that the iMac and Mac Pro were passed over yesterday in favor of an announcement to come next year. There are, of course, lots of reasons that might be the case. Any number of technical issues could be standing between the new models and their release date. That being so, there’s every reason to think that Pogue’s information is correct, and that while yesterday was all about the MacBook (and OS X Mountain Lion and iOS, of course), Apple hasn’t forgotten its desktop models.

  • Apple Announcement Doesn’t Include iPhone 5

    Apple announcement, much to the dismay of fans all across the globe, doesn’t include the iPhone 5. If you were desperately searching for news regarding OS X and the latest line of MacBooks, then you probably walked away from WWDC 2012 with your head full of jolly ideas and good feelings. However, if you had hopes Apple would touch upon the iPhone 5, your day has probably darkened considerably. Despite all of the announcements that made their way to the stage this morning, the latest incarnation of the company’s phone wasn’t one of them.

    Naturally, it didn’t take very long for folks to take their anguish to social networking sites, Twitter in particular. Although there’s still a lot of information to crunch, the absence of the iPhone 5 is troubling for some. While a handful of individuals seemed to think that the phone’s absence from WWDC 2012 was expected, others had their feelings deeply wounded.

    Outrage on the micro-blogging site is palpable. When you’re ready to take a look at what disappointed Apple fans are saying about the issue, take a look at some of the posts embedded below. Not even a fancy new MacBook Pro could make these people happy.

    Then again, maybe it would.

    In addition to the aforementioned announcements, Apple reps also discussed Mountain Lion adding a dictation feature, an update to Apple Aperture, iOS 6 features, and the integration of Siri with cars. In other words, you should have no trouble finding something to get you excited.

    For more reactions, head over to #NoiPhone5. I think people are going to be complaining for a while, so stop by often to hear the last whining and complaining. For more information about the plethora of items that were discussed at WWDC 2012, pay a visit to this location.

  • MacBook Pro Gets an Ivy Bridge Update

    The reveals and surprises are finally coming out of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, and the details will be discussed and parsed for days. The next generation of MacBook looks good – and its price looks amazing – but Apple isn’t giving up on a lower-priced MacBooks for the average consumer.

    Apple has updated its 13-inch MacBook Pro models with better video cards and Ivy Bridge Intel processors. The lower-priced version will cost $1199 and comes with a 2.5 GHz dual-core i5 processor. It has 4 GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive.

    The higher-priced 13-inch MacBook Pro will cost $1499 and comes with a 2.9 GHz dual-core i7 CPU. It comes with 8 GB of RAM, a 750 GB hard drive, and an Intel HD 4000 graphics card.

    Both 13-inch models have a battery that will last for up to 7 hours, according to Apple, and they both have a 1440 x 900 display.

    As for the 15-inch models, both also have a 1440 x 900 display, 7 hours of battery life, are 0.95 inches thick, and weigh 5.6 pounds. The lower-priced 15-inch, which will cost $1799, has a 2.3 GHz quad-core i7processor, 4 GB of RAM, a 500 GB hard drive, and a 512 MB GeForce GT 650M graphics card. The higher priced version will cost $2199 and has a 2.6 GHz quad-core i7, 8 GB of RAM, a 750 GB hard drive, and a 1 GB GeForce GT 650M graphics card.

    All of these models will be available starting today, presumably right after Apple’s conference presentation is over. Of course, if you have the $2199 for a 15-inch MacBook, you are going to want to take a look at the “new” MacBook Pro, which comes with a nice retina display and tons of great hardware for that same $2199.

  • Apple Announcement at WWDC 2012: Twitter Reacts

    Apple announcements at the WWDC 2012 are currently underway, which you can follow by sticking extremely close to our live coverage of this morning’s keynote. Not surprisingly, the company’s legion of tech-savvy followers have practically been foaming at the mouth in anticipation for things to come.

    Following an opening presentation from none other than Siri, who went on to wow those in attendance with her razor-sharp sense of humor (“How many developers does it take to change a light bulb? None. That’s a hardware problem.”), Tim Cook announced that the Apple store currently has over 400 million user accounts, and has approximately 650,000 apps in the store. Of that number, 225,000 of them have been finely-tuned for the iPad.

    After a video singing the praises of the Apple Store and its many accomplishments, the company began to dish on a series of new products that will soon be available for mass consumption, including a new generation of MacBooks, which feature no optical drive or wired networking. This announcement is sure to be the tip of the iceberg, as Apple is expected to discuss the highly-anticipated iPhone 5 at some point during today’s keynote.

    What have Twitter users thought about the WWDC thus far? You can sample some of their thoughts, feelings, and knee-jerk reactions to the announcements below. Check back later for even more posts, as I’m sure people will keep feeding their opinions to the micro-blogging site as the day progresses.

  • WWDC 2012: Live Coverage Of Apple’s Keynote

    WWDC 2012: Live Coverage Of Apple’s Keynote

    UPDATE: And that’s all, folks. Thanks for following our live coverage of Apple’s keynote. Check our WWDC 2012 page for continuing coverage.

    UPDATE: “I hope you have a fantastic week, thank you very much for coming.”

    UPDATE: Talking about how great Apple and their products are and the importance of devs in that process.

    UPDATE: Tim Cook back on stage.

    UPDATE: iOS 6 ships “this fall,” will support iPhone 3GS and later, iPad 2 and new iPad, 4th gen iPod Touch and up. Beta available for devs today.

    UPDATE: Maps app will feature and promote travel apps from the App Store.

    UPDATE: Same features for China that were announced for OS X are coming to iOS 6, too.

    UPDATE: Redesigned the App Store. Fine tuned privacy controls. Improved experience for users with hearing aids. Per-account signatures. Added Lost mode to Find My iPhone: send a phone number to your lost iPhone and allow whoever finds it to call you.

    UPDATE: “And these are only 10 of the over 200 new features in iOS 6.”

    UPDATE: Siri narrates your turns. Get ETA, overview of your trip, etc.

    UPDATE: Includes adaptive, cinematic animations of turns.

    UPDATE: Showing off turn-by-turn navigation.

    UPDATE: Flyover. Hyper-realistic 3D models. Vector based maps respond quickly. Lets you zoom in and out.

    UPDATE: Ask Siri to take you there, and she’ll give you directions. Ask for stops like gas stations, and she’ll find them along your route.

    UPDATE: Monitors traffic, updates your ETA on the fly. Reroutes you around bad traffic. Integrated into Siri, shows on the lock screen of the phone.

    UPDATE: Turn-by-turn navigation built in.

    UPDATE: Integrated with Yelp, traffic service in the works. Includes incident reports using anonymous crowdsourced data from iOS users.

    UPDATE: Brand new mapping solution built from the ground up. Doing all the cartography in-house. A worldwide effort.

    UPDATE: Time for Maps.

    UPDATE: Guided Access allows you to control whether kids can change an app’s settings. Single app mode allows you to lock an app so that they can’t leave the app by hitting the home button.

    UPDATE: Next, Guided Access.

    UPDATE: Cards updated live. If your flight’s gate changes, the app updates your boarding pass automatically.

    UPDATE: Automatically updates balances on store cards.

    UPDATE: Location based features in Passbook. When you get to the movie theater, it pulls up your ticket.

    UPDATE: Passbook. Get all your passes – boarding passes, tickets, store cards, movie tickets, etc. – all in one app.

    UPDATE: Now easier to upload photos/videos straight from the mail app.

    UPDATE: VIPs coming to Mail. Mark a contact as a VIP and get a notification when they send you an email, also a flagged mailbox.

    UPDATE: Photo Stream. Shared photo streams coming in iOS 6.

    UPDATE: Full screen Safari in landscape on iOS.

    UPDATE: Smart app banners lets devs direct users to the App Store for their native apps, or launches the app automatically.

    UPDATE: Safari getting iCloud tabs and photo uploads.

    UPDATE: Apple ID and phone number being unified, so you can receive FaceTime calls and messages to your phone number from your Mac or iPad.

    UPDATE: FaceTime now works over 3G.

    UPDATE: Do Not Disturb allows you to turn off notifications temporarily. Includes fine control. Also set to allow repeated calls in case of emergencies.

    UPDATE: Reply to phone calls with messages, or set reminders to call them later.

    UPDATE: Phone app getting enhancements.

    UPDATE: Facebook friends’ contact info will appear in their entries in the Contacts app. Facebook events (including birthdays) now appear in Calendar.

    UPDATE: Post to Facebook and Twitter from Notification Center. Use Siri to post to either Facebook or Twitter. Also made Facebook integration a public API, meaning devs can integrate it into their apps easily.

    UPDATE: Facebook integration. Sign into Facebook from the Settings app. Post to Facebook from Photos, Safari, Maps, the App Store, the iTunes Store, Game Center, and more.

    UPDATE: Siri coming to the new iPad.

    UPDATE: Local search going around the world.

    UPDATE: Several new languages, including Spanish, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, and Cantonese.

    UPDATE: Working with a number of car manufacturers to bring Eyes Free Siri integration within the next twelve months. Use buttons on your steering wheel to activate Siri.

    UPDATE: “Eyes Free.”

    UPDATE: Now Siri can launch apps. E.g., “Play Temple Run.”

    UPDATE: Can ask about directors, actors, etc.

    UPDATE: Siri has become a movie buff. Ask what movies are playing nearby. Rotten Tomatoes integration. Watch trailers from within Siri. Showing a trailer for The Avengers.

    UPDATE: Much more information about restaurants. Partnered with Yelp and OpenTable for reviews and more information.

    UPDATE: Ask about team scores, individual player stats, standings, and more. Even ask whether LeBron is taller than Kobe.

    UPDATE: Sports scores now integrated. Shows final score of yesterday’s Giants-Rangers game.

    UPDATE: Siri demo.

    UPDATE: More than 200 new features, starting with significant enhancements to Siri.

    UPDATE: Over 75% of users are very satisfied with iOS.

    UPDATE: Going over some of the features added in iOS 5. 1.5 trillion notifications since launch. 140 million iMessage users, over 150 billion messages sent, over a billion sent every day.

    UPDATE: 365 million iOS devices sold as of March. Over 80% of them are running iOS 5 (compared to a huge number of Android devices using Gingerbread instead of Ice Cream Sandwich).

    UPDATE: Now time for iOS 6.

    UPDATE: Mountain Lion ships next month. Devs get near-final preview today.

    UPDATE: Upgrades from both Snow Leopard and Lion. Buy once, upgrade all your Macs.

    UPDATE: Upgrade to Mountain Lion is $19.99. Yes, really.

    UPDATE: 1700 APIs for developers.

    UPDATE: New features for China. New Chinese dictionary. Updates for pinyin input. Baidu search for Safari.

    UPDATE: Many more features. Including VIPs in Mail, search in LaunchPad, Gatekeeper, Offline Reading List.

    UPDATE: Showing off CSR Racing head-to-head using AirPlay mirroring.

    UPDATE: Use Game Center and AirPlay to send your game to your big screen.

    UPDATE: Supports turn-based and head-to-head gaming, both Mac-to-Mac and Mac-to-iOS.

    UPDATE: “Finally, Game Center.” There’s been “a renaissance of gaming on the Mac” thanks to the App Store.

    UPDATE: AirPlay mirroring. “Absolutely the easiest way to get whatever’s on your Mac onto a nearby projector or television.” Connects to Apple TV and sends 1080p video.

    UPDATE: “Power Nap.” Keeps your Mac up to date while it sleeps. Fetches mail, calendars, photos, reminders, etc, even when asleep. Downloads App Store and system updates while charging.

    UPDATE: Tweet directly from Notification Center. Notification Center also supports web services.

    UPDATE: Notification Center helpful for when you use full-screen apps. Supports multitouch gestures: swipe down with two fingers on the trackpad to bring it down.

    UPDATE: Tab View: use gestures to physically navigate across tabs.

    UPDATE: iCloud tabs. Shows you all the tabs you’ve got open across all your iOS/OS X devices. Pick up on your Mac where you left off on your iPhone.

    UPDATE: Unified search/URL bar.

    UPDATE: The new Safari. Fastest Javascript engine of any browser on the planet.

    UPDATE: Sharing (via Twitter, Messages, Flickr, etc.) integrated deeply into the OS. Log into Twitter using System Preferences.

    UPDATE: Mountain Lion gets Dictation. Anywhere you can type, you can talk. Including third-party apps like MS Word.

    UPDATE: Notifications can be turned off temporarily. Shuts itself down if you connect a projector.

    UPDATE: Notification Center brings “consistent and elegant” notifications to Mac, replacing all the various and distracting ways apps got your attention.

    UPDATE: Changes to a document made on your iPhone are automatically synced to your Mac.

    UPDATE: You can drag files into iCloud to upload.

    UPDATE: Attachments up to 100MB in size, including HD videos via iMessage.

    UPDATE: Messages brings iMessage to the Mac. Allows you to respond to messages from your iPhone via your Mac. Keeps all your conversations synced across devices.

    UPDATE: Location-based reminders on the Mac for the first time.

    UPDATE: Three new iCloud apps for Mountain Lion: Message, Reminders, and Notes. Documents in the Cloud another new feature. Allows you to store your apps in iCloud. Comes with a developer SDK so devs can build Documents In The Cloud support into their apps.

    UPDATE: iCloud has 125 million users.

    UPDATE: 200 new features in Mountain Lion, just 8 focused on today.

    UPDATE: 26 million copies of Lion shipped. 40% of OS X users are on Lion 9 months after release. It took Windows 7 27 months to get to the same point.

    UPDATE: 66 million Mac users now, three times the number of a few years ago.

    UPDATE: Notebooks done, on to OS X.

    UPDATE: Starts at $2,199. Ships today.

    UPDATE: Video over, Schiller back on stage.

    UPDATE: Completely redesigned internal cooling system. Designed to be imperceptible to the user. Asymmetrically placed fan blades spread the sound over a variety of frequencies.

    UPDATE: “One of the most significant challenges was completely redesigning our approach to designing the display.” The display is built directly into the unibody.

    UPDATE: Three million more pixels than an HDTV.

    UPDATE: Video showing off the new MacBook Pro’s features. Jony Ive: “Without a doubt the very best computer we’ve ever built.”

    UPDATE: FaceTime HD camera, dual microphones, best stereo speakers ever on a desktop or notebook.

    UPDATE: SD card slot, updated MagSafe power port, two thunderbolt ports, two USB 2/3 ports, and an HDMI port.

    UPDATE: A 2.7GHz quad-core i& processor, up to 16GB of RAM, a GeForce GT 650 graphics processor, up to 768 GB of flash storage. 7 hours of battery life, 30 days standby.

    UPDATE: Completely redesigned internals, including a huge battery.

    UPDATE: New display will be great for gaming.

    UPDATE: Updates to Photoshop and Autodesk also in the works.

    UPDATE: All major Apple apps take advantage of the new retina display. Including iMovie, iPhoto, Mail, Safari, etc. Major updates to Aperture and Final Cut Pro. Individual apps will have to update, otherwise they get pixel-doubled (think iPhone apps on the iPad).

    UPDATE: 15.4-inches diagonally, 2880×1800 resolution. 220 ppi, 5,184,000 pixels total. Most hi-res notebook ever. Reduced glare by 75%

    UPDATE: Retina display!

    UPDATE: Less than three quarters of an inch thick: 0.71 inches. Thin as the MacBook Air, weighs 4.46 pounds. Thinner and lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

    UPDATE: Very thin, very light, enormous display. Schiller says “It’s thinner than my finger!”

    UPDATE: The Next Generation MacBook Pro. “Killer new display,” thinner, lighter, no optical drive or wired networking.

    UPDATE: Brand new MacBook.

    UPDATE: MacBook Pro to come in 13-inch and 15-inch models. 13-inch to be $1199 and $1499, 15-inch at $1799 and $2199. Ships today. No retina display so far.

    UPDATE: MacBook Pro: up to 2.7GHz quad-core i7 processor, up to 8GB of memory, 60% faster graphics.

    UPDATE: New prices: all models get a $100 price cut, all ship today (Apple Store still down).

    UPDATE: 11 and 13-inch models, 1366×768 display, 720p FaceTime HD camera.

    UPDATE: Adding a USB 3.0 port.

    UPDATE: i& Ivy Bridge processors, up to 8GB RAM, 60% faster memory. 512MB of flash storage.

    UPDATE: MacBook Air up first. Looks like four separate models.

    WWDC 2012

    UPDATE: “The MacBook Lineup.”

    UPDATE: Phil Schiller takes the stage to show off notebook changes.

    UPDATE: “Today we’re announcing exciting new changes in notebooks, and major releases of OS X and iOS.”

    UPDATE: Video over. Tim Cook returns to the stage.

    UPDATE: Video talking about some of the amazing apps in the App Store, including one that helps blind people navigate. Developer says he never thought of picking another platform.

    UPDATE: App Store coming soon to 32 new countries, bringing the total to 155.

    UPDATE: Developers have gotten a whopping $5 billion in payments from the App Store.

    UPDATE: The App Store has over 400 million user accounts. Largest number of accounts with credit cards on the internet. 650K apps in the App Store, 225K of them are iPad-specific. “This compares to just a few hundred for our competition.” 30 billion app downloads so far.

    WWDC 2012

    UPDATE: Tim Cook takes the stage. “We have some really cool stuff to show you this morning.”

    UPDATE: The presentation is opening with a video of Siri, who says she “was asked to warm up the crowd.” She’s telling jokes, including “How many developers does it take to change a light bulb? None. That’s a hardware problem.”

    UPDATE: Apple has announced that the presentation will begin shortly. There are reportedly some MacBooks already on the stage, though it’s not clear whether they’re new ones or not.

    With just a few minutes left to go until Apple’s WWDC 2012 Keynote, attendees are already being seated in the hall at San Francisco’s Moscone West. You can check out our rumor roundup from this morning for an idea of what to expect from today’s keynote. Meanwhile, this page will be updated live as the keynote progresses. Click refresh regularly to see new updates, which will appear at the top of the page.

  • WWDC 2012: Details Of New Macs Leak Ahead Of Keynote

    We’ve been bringing you news for awhile now that Apple would probably be launching updates to several of their Mac lines during their WWDC 2012 keynote. Rumors have included retina displays for the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac, as well as updates to the Mac Pro, and Ivy Bridge processors all around.

    Now, with the keynote right around the corner, details have emerged of some of the specs we should expect to see in the new Macs. According to a report early this morning from 9to5Mac, there will be three configurations of the Mac Pro: two normal configurations and a server configuration. The first of the two normal configurations will sport a 3.2GHz quad-core processor, 6GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and an ATI Radeon 5770 graphics processor. The second will have a 2.4GHZ twelve core processor, 12GB of RAM, and the same hard drive and GPU. The server configuration will come with the 3.2GHz processor, 8GB of RAM, and two separate 1TB hard drives.

    There will also be four configurations of the MacBook Pro, 13.3-inch and two 15.4-inch. Interestingly, these appear to be only minor updates, raising the question of whether the MacBook Pro line might not be getting a retina display after all, and whether the rumored new MacBook will actually be getting the updates we’ve been expecting for the MacBook Pros.

    At any rate the first of the new 13.3-inch MacBook Pros will include a 2.5GHz dual-core processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive. The second will have a 2.9GHz dual-core processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 750GB hard drive. The first 15.4-inch model will have a 2.3GHz quad core processor with 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive, while the second will have a 2.6GHz quad core processor with 8GB and a 750GB hard drive. The second 15.5-inch model will also offer optional upgrades to a 2.7GHz quad-core processor and a 1TB hard drive.

    None of this is confirmed, though 9to5Mac’s information has often been good in the past. At any rate, all will be revealed this afternoon during Apple’s keynote. You can follow our WWDC 2012 page for more information, including live coverage of the keynote as it happens.

  • iOS 6, New Mac Updates On Tap At WWDC 2012 Today

    It wouldn’t be much of a stretch at all to say that Apple’s WWDC 2012 keynote is the most highly-anticipated keynote in a long time. Historically, Apple has used WWDC to unveil new generations of the iPhone. Last year’s delayed launch of the iPhone 4S, however, means that we won’t be seeing the next iPhone (probably “the new iPhone,” instead of the iPhone 5 or iPhone 6) until October, or possibly September.

    Nevertheless, expectations for this year’s keynote are running high, and with good reason. There have been a lot of rumors zipping about in the last few weeks, and if even half of them are true, it’s going to be a big day.

    With that in mind, here is what we know so far about what we should expect from Apple’s WWDC 2012 keynote. But first, a disclaimer: WWDC is a software conference. Strictly speaking, the focus isn’t on hardware. That means that all we’re guaranteed from today’s keynote is iOS 6 and OS X Mountain Lion. Anything else is just gravy. Though as you’ll see, there’s reason to expect a sizable helping of gravy.

    iOS 6

    The first of the two guarantees for today’s keynote is iOS 6. Even though the new iPhone isn’t coming out for another 3-4 months, Apple will be unveiling the latest version of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch’s operating system today. While it’s been treated as a given for some time that iOS 6 would be on today’s menu, we got the best confirmation we could want short of an official statement from Apple on Friday. An Instagram user managed to catch a picture of workers raising a giant iOS 6 banner inside Moscone West, the San Francisco venue for WWDC 2012.

    So, iOS 6 has been confirmed, but what should we expect from iOS 6? Well, the biggest news is a new Maps app. Back in May it was reported that Apple was preparing to ditch Google Maps as the source for the iOS Maps app and replace it with mapping data developed in-house by the three mapping companies Apple began purchasing in 2009 (just a year after Google launched Android). Since that initial report there have been several additional leaks confirming a new Maps app. According to the reports, the new app will be largely the same in terms of interface, but will sport a hyper-realistic 3D mode. Check out a mockup of the new app below:

    iOS 6 Maps Mockup

    But that’s not all we should expect from iOS 6. Speaking at AllThingsD’s D10 Conference at the end of May, Apple CEO Tim Cook all but promised that iOS would be getting Facebook integration soon. Later reports have appeared to confirm that, saying that iOS 6’s system-wide Facebook integration will be much like the Twitter integration introduced last year with iOS 5.

    While reports suggest that iOS 6 won’t actually look much different from iOS 5 on the surface, Apple appears to have completely rewritten all of the stock iOS apps – Weather, Clock, Contacts, Calendar, etc. – in addition to Maps. While details are a little thin, the new versions of the apps are expected to have some pretty remarkable new features, and a slightly different user interface.

    During the same D10 session mentioned above, Tim Cook also strongly hinted that there would be major improvements to Siri coming soon. Though he was, naturally, coy about the details, it’s a fair bet that with iOS 6 Siri will be losing her “beta” label, and getting several new features and performance improvements. Though it may be too much to hope for Apple to release Siri’s APIs to developers, it’s certainly possible.

    Finally, iOS 6 will be getting some of the same improvements to existing features that are about to be rolled out with OS X Mountain Lion, including a Do Not Disturb feature for Notifications, Mail VIPs, and iCloud Tabs. The Do Not Disturb mode is pretty self-explanatory: it temporarily disables notifications from popping up while you’re, say, watching a movie or trying to sleep (nobody appreciates waking up to a Words With Friends notification at 3 in the morning, after all). Mail VIPs makes it easier to find and read mail from your selected list of VIPs, and iCloud Tabs allows you to see from one version of Safari (mobile or desktop) the tabs you’ve got open in all versions of Safari.

    OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

    There actually hasn’t been a lot of detail surface about Mountain Lion since Apple made the original (and quite unexpected) announcement earlier this year. That said, here’s what we know. Mountain Lion will be releasing sometime later this summer (possibly this month). It will include OS-wide Twitter integration like iOS 5, though surprisingly there has been no hint of Facebook integration making the jump to OS X. It will be getting a variety of sharing options including Flickr and Vimeo. It will also feature Message, an app that syncs with iMessage on your iPhone and iPad. While there’s currently a beta available for OS X Lion, that beta will stop working after Mountain Lion launches, making Messages a Mountain Lion-only product.

    Mountain Lion will be continuing the tradition Apple began with OS X 10.7 Lion last year of bringing iOS features “back to the Mac.” Consequently, Mountain Lion will be getting Notification Center, Reminders, and Notes, in addition to the aforementioned Twitter integration. There have also been recent rumors that the Dictation feature that made its way to the iPad in March will also be coming to Mountain Lion.

    Another new Mountain Lion feature will be Gatekeeper. Gatekeeper is a security feature that allows you to lock down your Mac so that only software from the Mac App Store can be installed. You can also set Gatekeeper to allow apps created by participants in Apple’s Developer ID program, or you can turn Gatekeeper off completely, allowing software from any source to be installed. While it’s likely to be popular with businesses and parents, there are those who worry that it’s a step toward making OS X the same sort of walled garden that iOS is.

    Finally, there appear to be several new features coming to iCloud. Early last month Apple accidentally made their test of iOS-style banner notifications for the iCloud web interface public. A few days later a beta version of the iCloud web interface revealed that Notes and Reminders apps were being added as well. It’s not certain that these new features will be unveiled at WWDC 2012, but a third report predicted that several major new features would be shown off at the conference, including vast improvements to iCloud’s photo handling and sharing.

    New Macs

    If you pay much attention to Apple’s product cycles, you may have noticed that while the company has been aggressively updating iOS and its associated devices, and has been incorporating certain features into OS X, there hasn’t been much attention paid to actual Mac hardware. Though the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac lines have gotten feature bumps in recent years, there have been no major upgrades. Indeed, some models – namely the Mac Pro – have been without an upgrade of any kind for years.

    According to what we’ve been hearing over the last few weeks, that’s about to change. While there have been rumors since the launch of the iPhone 4 in 2010 that Macs would start getting retina displays, it looks like this time it might actually happen. Back in May we started hearing the first serious rumblings of the MacBook Pro getting a retina display. The next day reports surfaced that the same might be true of the MacBook Air and iMac. While nothing has been confirmed, of course, Apple did let a retina display-ready app into the Mac App Store last week.

    Last week rumors surfaced that a fourth Mac line would be getting an update. While some believed it would be the Mac Mini, I speculated that the Mac Pro would be the model to get updated, which is in far worse need of an update than the Mac Mini. A report the next day appeared to confirm that it would indeed be the Mac Pro, though there’s little information on what, specifically, will be updated.

    Finally, there was a report last week that all these updates we’ve been hearing about for the MacBook Pro might not be headed to the MacBook Pro at all, but to an entirely new line of MacBook. This new MacBook would drop the “Pro” branding, and would get the lion’s share of the upgrades, leaving the MacBook Pro with only a basic feature bump. If it sells well, this new MacBook would eventually replace the current MacBook Pro (which replaced the original MacBook line a few years ago).

    New Apple TV OS (and the iTV?)

    Last but not least, there have been reports that Apple may show off a new operating system for the Apple TV at this year’s conference. There aren’t many details, but it’s possible that this update is meant to pave the way for the much-rumored iTV, Apple’s entry into the HDTV market. Though there has been some speculation that the iTV itself would be unveiled at this year’s conference, that is not likely.

    While little is known about the new Apple TV OS, one exciting detail has been circulated. It seems that Apple may release a software development kit (SDK) for the Apple TV alongside the OS update. That will mean that third-party developers can create apps for the Apple TV. That’s right, the Apple TV (and possibly the iTV?) may finally be getting the App Store.

    Conclusions

    It’s worth noting again that WWDC is a software developers’ conference, and that the only things that have been confirmed about this year’s keynote are iOS 6 and Mountain Lion. The rest is just speculation, though much of it appears solid. At any rate, we’re less than two hours from the keynote now, when all will be revealed. Until then, you can follow our WWDC 2012 page for more information, and check back for our live coverage of the keynote itself at 1 PM Eastern time.

  • WWDC 2012: Apple Store Goes Down Ahead Of Keynote

    Apple has taken the online Apple Store down just hours before today’s WWDC 2012 keynote. If you attempt to visit the Apple Store right now you’re greeted with the familiar “We’ll be back” message (the yellow sticky note it used to be written on has been gone since the launch of the new iPad back in March):

    Apple Store Down

    While there have long been rumors that Apple would be announcing updates to several of their Mac computers, this all but confirms it. What it doesn’t do, unfortunately, is confirm any of the details. That means we’ll still have to wait for the keynote to see whether the new Macs will be getting retina displays, or whether they’ll roll out an entirely new line of MacBook.

    You can check out our WWDC 2012 page for more information, and for live coverage of the keynote once it begins. It’s scheduled for 10 AM Pacific time (1 PM Eastern).

  • Mac Upgrades Confirmed By Leaked Inventory List

    A leaked inventory list may provide proof that Apple is preparing to launch sweeping updates to nearly the entire Mac lineup. There have been rumors for weeks that this was coming. Initial reports pointed to a retina display upgrade for the MacBook Pro, followed by a similar report for the MacBook Air and iMac. A report from this morning said that the Mac Pro was also on the upgrade list.

    Now, AppleInsider and 9to5Mac have separately published a leaked list showing part numbers for a large number of new Macs. If this information is accurate, it proves that the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, and Mac Pro are all getting upgrades and will be released around the same time (presumably sometime after Monday’s WWDC 2012 Apple keynote). You can check out the parts lists for yourself below. First is the one published by 9to5Mac. They claim to have been sitting on this one for awhile, because it includes information that could put their source’s job at risk. They only published it because AppleInsider did so first:

    New Mac Parts List

    The first image from AppleInsider appears to be a photocopy of the actual inventory list. The second is AI’s own table showing the likely hardware associated with each model number.

    New Mac Parts List

    New Mac Parts List

    If this information is reliable, as seems likely, then it looks like Apple really is gearing up for a major overhaul of the Mac product line. Now all that’s really left to wonder about is what features these new Macs will have.

  • WWDC 2012: Mac Pro To Get A Much-Needed Update

    Yesterday we brought you news that Apple was planning major updates to four of its five Mac computer lines. Previous rumors have predicted updates for three lines, the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac, all of which are expected to get retina displays. Yesterday’s news that a fourth line would be getting an update came as a welcome surprise. It also, however, raised an important question: which of the two remaining lines – the Mac Mini and Mac Pro – would be getting the update.

    While 9to5Mac, who originally reported the rumors, guessed it would be the Mac Mini, I suggested it would be the Mac Pro instead. The Mac Pro is in far worse need of an update, the Mac Mini having gotten a boost in specs last year. Also, though the Mac Pro isn’t the best selling of Macs, it is effectively the workhorse of the Mac family, and is extremely popular among iOS and OS X developers, who need the Mac Pro’s beefed up capabilities to create their software.

    That speculation appears to have been confirmed today. Citing “reliable sources,” 9to5Mac is now reporting that it will in fact be the Mac Pro that gets an update. Little is known about the feature set of the new Mac Pro, but their source claims that the price points will stay roughly the same as the current Mac Pro, and that it will come in three basic configurations.

    This will come as welcome news to fans of the Mac Pro, who had begun to despair of ever seeing it get an update. A Facebook petition calling on Apple to update the Mac Pro was started earlier this month has reached nearly 18,000 likes. If this information is correct, it looks like these fans will be getting their wish.