WebProNews

Tag: MacBook Air

  • New 15.5-Inch MacBook Air Could Arrive Early Next Year

    New 15.5-Inch MacBook Air Could Arrive Early Next Year

    Apple’s most popular laptop could be getting a major upgrade, with a 15.5-inch version believed to be arriving early next year.

    The MacBook Air is Apple’s most popular laptop and one of its most popular computers. The device has a long history of striking the right balance of performance, weight, and battery life at a price point most consumers can readily afford.

    According to AppleInsider, quoting a paywalled tweet by analyst Ross Young, Apple is prepping a major upgrade that will see a 15.5-inch screen option. The new size would be a major upgrade from the current 13.6-inch model.

    If the rumor is true, Apple will likely have another major hit on its hands.

  • Linus Torvalds Is Using an M2 MacBook Air

    Linus Torvalds Is Using an M2 MacBook Air

    Linus Torvalds is using an M2 MacBook Air, using the machine to push out the latest Linux kernel 5.19.

    The creator of Linux has been a long-time critic of Intel, making headlines when he switched to AMD because of Intel’s problems. Torvalds expressed interest in Apple’s M1 machines when they were first introduced, although he obviously wanted to run Linux on them rather than macOS.

    In the early days of the M1, it was impossible to install Linux natively, although the Asahi Project has been working to make that a reality. The project has had its work cut out trying to reverse engineer Apple’s custom silicon and create the necessary drivers to help Linux run on the chips.

    The project’s work has progressed enough that Linus is now using an M2 MacBook Air, at least part-time.

    “On a personal note, the most interesting part here is that I did the release (and am writing this) on an arm64 laptop,” Torvalds writes. “It’s something I’ve been waiting for for a loong time, and it’s finally reality, thanks to the Asahi team. We’ve had arm64 hardware around running Linux for a long time, but none of it has really been usable as a development platform until now.”

    He goes on to clarify he hasn’t started using the new machine for major work but will start using it more to help improve Linux on Arm processors, on which the M-series is based.

    “It’s the third time I’m using Apple hardware for Linux development – I did it many years ago for powerpc development on a ppc970 machine,” Linus continues. “And then a decade+ ago when the Macbook Air was the only real thin-and-lite around. And now as an arm64 platform.

    “Not that I’ve used it for any real work, I literally have only been doing test builds and boots and now the actual release tagging. But I’m trying to make sure that the next time I travel, I can travel with this as a laptop and finally dogfooding the arm64 side too.”

    While Torvalds doesn’t specifically say which model he’s using, the Asahi Project confirmed it is an M2 MacBook Air.

  • Three New Macs Expected in March

    Three New Macs Expected in March

    Apple seems on the verge of releasing three new Macs in March, according to the latest reports.

    Apple has been transitioning its entire lineup to its M1 chips, based on the same architecture that has powered its iPhone and iPad for years. The M1 has consistently won praise for its high performance, combined with its industry-leading energy efficiency.

    Consomac (via MacRumors) was the first to notice an Apple regulatory filing that mentions three new Mac models. There were no details provided in the filing, although one model is known to be a portable one, meaning the remaining two are likely desktop models.

    As MacRumors points out, Apple is believed to be working on a larger M1 iMac to replace the remaining Intel model. The company is also believed to be prepping a MacBook Air and Mac mini refresh, replacing their M1 chips with the M1 Pro or M1 Max processors that made their debut in the MacBook Pro.

  • Apple ‘Unleashed’ Event Slated for October 18

    Apple ‘Unleashed’ Event Slated for October 18

    Apple has announced its upcoming “Unleashed” event, likely focusing on new Macs, slated for October 18.

    Apple has been rumored to be working on new MacBook Pro models, including a 14 and 16-inch version. According to MacRumors, the new models will likely sport a fasters M1X processor, as well as larger resolution screens and up to 32 GB of RAM.

    MagSafe, the company’s magnetic coupling charger, is expected to make a welcome return. Rumors would seem to suggest new models may also see the return of SD slots and HDMI ports, both of which were controversially removed in recent years. The much-maligned Touch Bar is also expected to disappear.

    If the rumors are true, it will mark a welcome return to Apple emphasizing form AND function, rather than sacrificing function purely for form’s sake.

    The event will begin October 18 at 10 PDT.

  • Some M1 MacBook Screens Cracking

    Some M1 MacBook Screens Cracking

    Some Macs users are reporting M1 MacBooks with easily cracked screens.

    Apple’s M1 MacBook Air and Pro are some of the company’s most popular devices. The M1 chip offers revolutionary performance, combined with industry-leading battery life.

    Unfortunately, it seems some MacBook screens are cracking far too easily, reports AppleInsider. A thread on Apple’s Support Communities has multiple accounts of people opening their MacBooks to a cracked screen when it had been perfectly fine the night before.

    No one is exactly sure what the problem is, although there’s speculation the space between the screen and bottom half may be too small, allowing even the smallest debris to cause a pressure crack.

    Hopefully the issue just an isolated one, and not indicative of a major design flaw.

  • iPad Pro Models With Larger Screens May Be Coming

    iPad Pro Models With Larger Screens May Be Coming

    Apple is working on an all-new iPad Pro design with an even larger screen, if reports are to be believed.

    The largest iPad Pro has been the 12.9-inch model since its introduction in 2015. The screen size puts it roughly on par with the MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

    According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman (via AppleInsider), Apple is ready to expand the iPad Pro even more, with engineers working on a design that’s even larger. Users hoping to see it in the 2022 refresh will be disappointed, however, as the new models are “a couple of years down the road at the earliest.”

    Many users have been clamoring for better multitasking on the iPad Pro, specifically requesting a multi-windowed interface, similar to macOS. The larger screen size would certainly make such a transition easier, and could pave the way for a whole new generation of iPadOS innovations.

  • Apple Refurbished M1 MacBook Air Models Now Available

    Apple Refurbished M1 MacBook Air Models Now Available

    The first batch of refurbished M1 MacBook Airs is showing up on Apple’s online store, providing a less-expensive option.

    The latest generation of MacBook Airs run Apple’s custom silicon, the M1 chip. The M1 is an Arm-based design that’s a more powerful version of the chip in the iPhone and iPad. As such, it offers many advantages over Intel processors, including cooler operation, better battery life, improved performance and the ability to run iOS apps.

    Apple’s computers have never been the cheapest on the market, but the company’s refurbished program offers a less-expensive way of getting the latest and greatest. As part of the deal, all of Apple’s refurbished machines come with the same one-year warranty and are indistinguishable from a brand-new device.

    The available machines start at $849, or $150 less than brand-new. Although there is no option to customize refurb machines — it’s a first-come, first-served affair, based on what machines have been returned — as of the time of writing there are also higher end MacBook Airs available. The high-end models come in at $1,059, or $$190 off.

    A refurbished MacBook Air makes a good option for employees looking for a remote work machine, or students that need a laptop for their studies.

  • Apple Bringing Popular Features Back In MacBook Updates

    Apple Bringing Popular Features Back In MacBook Updates

    Apple is preparing updates to the MacBook Air and Pro that will bring back some of their most popular features.

    Apple’s MacBooks are its most popular computers, but the company was accused of letting them languish toward the end of the Intel era. In addition, some customers vehemently disagreed with some of Apple’s decisions that seemed to place more emphasis on form over function. This included removing popular features, such as the SD card slot and the MagSafe power adapter.

    According to Bloomberg, the company is looking to bring these features back in upcoming models. The MacBook Pro is rumored to be getting the SD card slot back, with the Air slated to get MagSafe back. MagSafe magnetically attached the power cable to the Mac, rather than plugging it into a port. As a result, if it was snagged on something, it would simply disconnect without any risk of damage. Although Bloomberg’s report doesn’t mention the MacBook Pro, it’s likely it would receive this upgrade as well.

    Apple is also reportedly working to add cellular connectivity and Face ID to the MacBook line. Both features have been notably missing from Apple’s portable Macs, despite being available on the iPad Pro. Adding these two features would be a big hit with current and future Mac users.

    Now that Apple has tighter control over the Mac’s hardware, it’s a safe bet we will see a faster pace of innovation on the platform.

  • 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.

  • M1 MacBook Air Faster Than Fastest Intel MacBook Pros

    M1 MacBook Air Faster Than Fastest Intel MacBook Pros

    The first benchmarks are in and it appears the new M1 MacBook Air is faster than any Intel-based Mac laptop, including the fastest MacBook Pro.

    For years Apple’s custom silicon in the iPad Pro has turned in impressive benchmarks, but direct comparisons were tricky. Tablets often provide short bursts of intense performance, but lack the sustained performance of a traditional computer. Now that Apple’s custom silicon is in a traditional computer, however, direct comparisons can finally be made—and it’s not good news for Intel.

    According to a Geekbench submission, the new MacBook scores 1687 in single-core performance and a whopping 7433 in multi-core performance. The test machine has 8 GB of RAM, as opposed to the maxed out 16 GB.

    In comparison, a late 2019 MacBook Pro 16-inch, with Intel’s Core I9, only scores 1101 and 6581 in the Geekbench tests.

    During their “One More Thing” event announcing the new machines, Apple said the MacBook Air was faster than 98% of laptops sold in the last year. The company also said that the new machines often ran Intel software via its Rosetta 2 translation layer faster than native Intel Macs could. Looking at these Geekbench results, it’s easy to see how.

    It’s increasingly clear why Apple is moving to its own custom silicon, and the move promises bright days ahead for the Mac platform.

  • One More Thing: Apple Silicon MacBook Air, Mini and MacBook Pro

    One More Thing: Apple Silicon MacBook Air, Mini and MacBook Pro

    As expected, Apple unveiled its first Macs to take advantage of its custom silicon: the MacBook Air, the Mac mini and the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

    Apple had promised it would deliver the first of its new machines before the end of the year, with many experts expecting one of the MacBook lines to be the first. Sure enough, the MacBook Air was the first new Mac announced, with the Mac mini and MacBook Pro following.

    Many have wondered how fast the new Macs would be, especially in comparison to Intel-based Macs. Apple didn’t disappoint. The company unveiled its M1 chip, the first in a family of chips that will power Apple’s products.

    The M1 Chip

    Apple M1 - Credit Apple
    Apple M1 – Credit Apple

    The M1 is the first SoC for the Mac, giving it much faster efficiency and performance than previous generations of Macs, all of which had to use different chips for different tasks. The M1 features an eight-core CPU, four for high-performance and four for high-efficiency. Even the high-efficiency cores are workhorses, however. According to Apple, the four high-efficiency cores deliver roughly the same performance as the last generation dual-core, Intel-based MacBook Air…but at 1/10 the power.

    The GPU also includes eight cores. Apple claims it can deliver up to two times better performance than the graphics on Intel machines using only 1/4 the power. The M1 also includes a 16-core Neural Engine, delivering up to 15x faster ML performance.

    The M1 chips improves the overall security of the Mac, bringing the same security architecture that the iPhone and iPad have enjoyed. This includes automatic, high-performance encryption.

    MacBook Air

    MacBook Air - Credit Apple
    MacBook Air – Credit Apple

    With the M1, the new MacBook Air is up to 3.5x faster than the previous model, with up to 5x faster graphics. This makes it faster than 98% of PC laptops sold in the last year.

    Like the iPad and iPhone, the new MacBook Air has no fan, is completely silent and wakes instantly. Its improved efficiency gives the MacBook Air 15 hours of web browsing, 18 hours of video playback and 6 hours of videoconferencing.

    The MacBook Air starts at $999, or $899 with the education discount.

    Mac mini

    Mac mini - Credit Apple
    Mac mini – Credit Apple

    The new Mini offers 3x faster CPU performance, along with 6x faster GPU performance. In fact, the Mini is up to 5x faster than desktop PCs at 1/10 the size.

    The Mini starts at $699, $100 less than before.

    MacBook Pro

    MacBook Pro - Credit Apple
    MacBook Pro – Credit Apple

    The new 13-inch MacBook Pro features 2.8x faster CPU performance and 5x GPU performance. Together, this makes the MacBook Pro up to 3x faster than comparable Windows laptops. The MacBook Pro has the best battery life of any Mac ever made, with 17 hours of web browsing or 20 hours of video playback.

    The new MacBook Pro starts at $1299, or $1199 for education.

    All of the new machines can be ordered today and are available next week.

    At the outset, Tim Cook said: “We love the Mac. It’s in our DNA.” Based on today’s event, that is more evident than ever. It’s also a safe bet far more people will love the Mac too, if today’s announcement is any indication.

  • Apple Announces ‘One More Thing’ Event November 10

    Apple Announces ‘One More Thing’ Event November 10

    Apple has announced a “One More Thing” event, scheduled for November 10, where the company is expected to unveil its new Macs.

    “One more thing” was a favorite phrase Steve Jobs used to announce some of the company’s biggest products. Even after this death, the company has continued to use the catchphrase in some of its biggest announcements. The MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, FaceTime, Apple Watch, Apple Music and the iPhone X were all unveiled as “one more thing.”

    At WWDC, the company announced it was transitioning the Mac platform to its own custom silicon and away from Intel’s chips. Apple has a long history of using its own silicon, based on ARM’s designs, in its iPhone and iPad line of devices. In recent years, those devices have rivaled the performance of traditional computers, but without the heat and energy consumption.

    When Apple announced the transition, it said the first new Macs would be available before the end of the year. So it’s a good bet the company’s “One More Thing” event will finally unveil the new computers. Many experts expect a revived 12-inch MacBook or a new 13-inch MacBook Pro to be the first device released. Either way, the world will finally know next week.

  • 2020 MacBook Air More Repairable Than Predecessor

    2020 MacBook Air More Repairable Than Predecessor

    iFixit has done another of their in-depth teardowns of a new computer and the results are good news for owners of Apple’s most recent MacBook Air.

    Apple released a significant refresh of the MacBook Air last week, improving the processor and storage, as well as replacing the much-maligned Butterfly keyboard with the new Magic Keyboard. The new keyboard is a return to the scissor mechanism that has been the basis of keyboards for decades, and has proven to be far more reliable.

    iFixit’s teardown, however, reveals a number of other improvements under the hood. First and foremost, the new model is more repairable than previous generations. Significantly, re-routed trackpad cables make it possible to replace both the battery and trackpad. The speakers also gain screws, making it easier to replace them if needed.

    Another significant improvement is a larger heatsink over the processor. Apple has said nothing about a larger heatsink, but it’s likely the addition will improve the Air’s sustained performance by helping to keep it cooler.

    All-in-all, iFixit gave the new model 4 out of 10 on their repairability scale, up one point from the previous model. The upgrades are welcome improvements and demonstrate that Apple may finally be listening to customers wanting more control over their own repairs.

     

    Image Credit: iFixit

  • Apple Upgrades MacBook Air, Lowers Price

    Apple Upgrades MacBook Air, Lowers Price

    Along with Apple’s announcement of a new iPad Pro, the company also announced a new MacBook Air with faster specs and a lower price.

    Performance

    The new MacBook Air offers quad-core processors for the first time ever. The processors are the “latest 10th-generation Intel Core processors up to 1.2GHz quad-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.8GHz.” The new processors give the laptops “up to 80 percent faster graphics performance, letting customers breeze through daily activities and play more games.”

    As an added benefit, by using Intel’s 10th-generation processors, the new MacBook Airs should be immune to the CPU flaw that plagues all previous generations of Intels chips.

    Keyboard

    The new models also include the Magic Keyboard, first introduced on the 16-inch MacBook Pro. The “redesigned scissor mechanism delivers 1mm of key travel for a comfortable and stable key feel,” and should be a major improvement over the problem-plagued keyboard on previous models.

    Storage

    MacBook Air Performance - Image Credit: Apple
    MacBook Air Performance – Image Credit: Apple

    The new models also start with 256GB of storage. Just as important, the MacBook Air offers up to 2TB of SSD storage, double what was previously available.

    “From students and consumers buying their first computer to customers looking to upgrade, everyone loves the Mac, and they especially love MacBook Air. Today we’re giving it a huge update, with two times faster performance, the new Magic Keyboard, double the storage, a new lower price of $999 and an even lower price of $899 for education,” said Tom Boger, Apple’s senior director of Mac and iPad Product Marketing. “With its stunning, thin and light design, brilliant Retina display, all-day battery life and the power and ease-of-use of macOS, MacBook Air is the world’s best consumer notebook.”

    Taken as a whole, this is a well-rounded upgrade that makes the MacBook Air a powerful computer that has the ability to punch well above its weight. It should appeal to a broad user base, far beyond the students and casual users it is aimed at.

  • MacBook Air Gets Faster And Cheaper

    During its WWDC keynote today, Apple announced that its bringing a new MacBook Air to consumers today.

    The new MacBook Air boasts what Apple calls an all-day battery life. The 11-inch MacBook Pro will now have a 9-hour battery life. The 13-inch model will get a 12-hour battery life.

    The MacBook Air is able to get this better battery life thanks to the new Intel Haswell CPUs. Apple says that it has worked closely with Intel to make the new MacBook Air more powerful while making sure that the battery life is increased. For example, you can now watch up to 10 hours of movies on iTunes with a single battery charge.

    In other news, the MacBook Airs now come with the new 802.11 ac WiFi frequency. This is three-times faster than the current WiFi standard. To take advantage of the new frequency, Apple is also releasing a new AirPort device called AirPort Extreme. The AirPort Extreme can be equipped with 1 or 2TB hard drives.

    With all these improvements, the MacBook Air has surprisingly become cheaper. The 11-inch MacBook Air with a 128GB HDD will retail for $999. The 13-inch MacBook Air with a 128GB will go for $1099. Both new models will start to ship today.

  • Apple Drops MacBook Prices, Updates Processors

    Apple announced today that it is reducing prices on its MacBook Pro with Retina display line. It’s also updating the processors.

    The 13-inch version is now $1,499 for 122GB of flash, and $1,699 for a new 2.6 GHz processor and 256GB of flash. The 15-inchy version now comes with a 2.4 GHz quad-core processor, and the 15-inch notebook comes with a new 2.7 GHz quad-core processor and 16GB of memory. The price of the 13-inch MacBook Air with 256GB of flash has been reduced to $1,399.

    “The MacBook Pro with Retina display features the world’s highest resolution notebook display,” the company said in an announcement. “Whether you’re reading emails, writing text, editing home movies in HD or retouching professional photography, everything appears vibrant, detailed and sharp, delivering an unrivaled viewing experience. The MacBook Pro with Retina display features flash storage that is up to four times faster than traditional notebook hard drives, and delivers improved reliability, instant-on responsiveness and up to 30 days of standby time.”

    All of the new pricing and updates go into effect immediately, and the products are available through Apple’s online store. They’re also available through authorized resellers.

    Apple shares were down 0.54% in pre-market trading this morning.

  • Mountain Lion May Be Hurting Your MacBook’s Battery Life

    Mountain Lion broke all kinds of records when it was released and is now on millions of Macs. It was only a matter of time, however, before somebody found a problem. Mac OS X is generally pretty solid, but a few little issues seem to always slip through.

    One of those little issues reared its ugly head last week as MacBook owners began to find that their batteries were just not holding out like they used to. While it could be blamed on a hardware malfunction, the problem only appears to affect those who have upgraded to Mountain Lion. Unless thousands of people simultaneously ran into battery problems, it’s probably an issue with the operating system itself.

    Ars Technica decided to run a few tests to see just how bad the battery life was under Mountain Lion. The test revealed that the new retina display MacBook Pro would lasts a little over eight hours on Lion. With Mountain Lion installed, the battery would never last beyond five hours.

    According to a user on the official Apple forums, an Apple rep told him that the problem is indeed originating from the software. The company is currently creating a fix and will distribute it via patch on the App Store once it’s finished.

    It’s a relief that it’s only the OS causing the problem. A hardware malfunction on such a massive scale would have embarrassing for Apple. If you find yourself not being able to wait for the release of the patch, you can try a few of these solutions: repair your disk permissions and access control lists, reinstall Dropbox or reset GateKeeper so that it allows apps to install from any source.

    Nothing is worse than decreased battery life on laptops. We’ll let you know when the patch is available so that you can get back to eight hour marathons of Mac bliss without having to plug it into the wall.

  • WWDC 2012: Apple Uploads Keynote To YouTube

    On Monday various Apple executives took the stage for the keynote at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which ends today. During the keynote they introduced a huge number of new products. Items on the menu included updates to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines, an all new MacBook Pro with retina display, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, and iOS 6.

    Unfortunately, Apple did not see fit to stream the keynote live. While there were a number of live blogs (including ours) and a Ustream feed available, neither is quite the same as watching the keynote yourself. Shortly after the keynote ended, Apple posted their own video on their website, but if you weren’t watching via Safari on your Mac or iOS device, or QuickTime on your Windows PC, then you couldn’t see it then, either.

    Now, four days later, Apple has finally posted the video to their YouTube channel. So, if you missed it on Monday, you can check it out below. All two hours of it. Though if you don’t feel like watching the whole thing, Siri’s stand-up routine at the very beginning is worth the price of admission all by itself.

    Of course, there’s a certain amount of irony in Apple posting a video to YouTube – which is owned by Google – in which they announce that they’ll be ditching Google Maps from iOS.

  • 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.

  • 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).