Tag: MacBook Pro

Some M2 MacBook Pros Have Slower SSDs Than M1 MacBooks

The Apple world is in a bit of an uproar after it was discovered the new M2 MacBook Pro has slower SSDs than its predecessor.

Apple unveiled the M2 at WWDC 2022 in June. The new processor is the next generation of Apple’s custom silicon. While users are understandably excited about the performance gains the new processor brings, it seems some models may be held back by subpar SSD performance.

According to The Mac Observer, reviewers started noticing that the base 256GB M2 MacBook Pro had read speeds roughly 50% slower than the M1, while write speeds were roughly 30% slower. This not only impacts the computer’s speed when reading and writing data but also when using drive space for swap when the OS uses drive space as virtual RAM. This can happen when the physical RAM is being heavily used and is a practice all modern systems employ. The faster the drive, the better the system can approximate real RAM, making a slower SSD a potentially significant bottleneck.

According to YouTube channel Max Tech, the issue stems from the base model only using a single 256GB chip for the SSD instead of the two 128GB chips the M1 used. Using two chips allows them to operate in parallel, giving significant performance boosts.

Interestingly, reviews of the 512GB model show comparable performance to the M1 MacBook Pro. This would seem to indicate the more expensive model uses two 256GB chips.

Given Apple’s notoriously tight-lipped nature, the company has not commented on why it chose to include a single chip in the base M2 MacBook Pro instead of the superior dual-chip configuration. In all likelihood, however, the decision was probably made in response to the ongoing semiconductor shortage.

June 28, 2022
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.

February 14, 2022
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.

October 12, 2021
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.

July 30, 2021
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.

June 28, 2021
Siri Spills the Beans: Apple’s Next Event is April 20

Siri has spilled the beans on Apple’s next event, indicating it will be held on Tuesday, April 20.

Apple watchers have been expecting the company to hold an event to release updated iPads and, possibly, the much-anticipated AirTags. Several potential dates have come and gone with no word from Cupertino. Adding to the guessing game is reports that Apple was moving some iPad and MacBook Pro production to the second half of the year, due to chip shortages.

It appears Siri was the first to know when the date would happen, hours before any official announcement from Apple, with the virtual assistant declaring April 20 as Apple’s next event.

Ask Siri: “When is Apple’s next event?”

Siri will respond: “The special event is on Tuesday, April 20, at Apple Park in Cupertino, CA. You can get all the details on Apple.com.

Siri Apple Event

For several hours, however, no new event was listed on the events page linked in the Siri response. Just moments before publishing this article, the Apple’s site was updated to confirm the event.

April 13, 2021
MacBook Pro and iPad Pro Facing Delays Due to Chip Shortage

Apple may be delaying production of the highly-anticipated MacBook Pro and iPad Pro amid a global semiconductor shortage.

The coronavirus pandemic sparked a series of events that have led to a severe shortages of chips. At the outset, production was hurt as companies were forced to shut down their factories due to lockdown measures. As the pandemic drug on, however, stay-at-home orders and remote work helped drive a significant increase in demand for computers, gaming consoles and tablets.

Companies in many industries have been experiencing the impact of the chip shortage. Some automakers have had to halt production due to the shortage, and some vehicles are shipping without the usual slate of chips, impacting their long-term fuel mileage.

The shortage may now be impacting Apple’s upcoming products, according to Nikkei Asia, causing production delays for the upcoming MacBook Pro and iPad Air. Apple is expected to be on the verge of releasing a MacBook Pro 16”, as well as the biggest iPad Pro update ever. Unfortunately, it appears the MacBook production has been delayed at the point where the components are mounted on circuit boards. Meanwhile, the iPad production has hit delays as a result of shortages of displays and display components.

As a result, Apple is pushing back some of the component orders from the first half of the year to the second half. If the report is true, we may see both devices previewed at WWDC in June, but not released until sometime between August and October.

The news is even worse for the industry as a whole, given Apple’s legendary supply chain efficiency. If Apple is experiencing significant delays, smaller companies, and ones without as efficient a supply chain, will likely be impacted far worse.

April 8, 2021
Apple Providing Free MacBook Pro Battery Replacement

Apple has started offering free battery replacements for 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros with batteries that won’t charge past 1%.

According to Apple, “a very small number” of 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros won’t charge above 1%. When looking in Systems Preferences > Battery > Battery Health, the status will show “Service Recommended.” If the status reads “Normal,” the machine is not affected.

Users with impacted models should contact Apple to arrange for a free replacement.

In the meantime, Apple has issued an update to macOS Big Sur and Catalina to prevent the problem from occurring with unaffected 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros.

February 10, 2021
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.

January 22, 2021
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.

November 12, 2020
‌macOS Big Sur Release Times
Apple announced the release of macOS Big Sur for Thursday, November 12 during its ‘One More Thing‘ event. It’s a huge upgrade that millions of Mac users will want to download ASAP. You will know when it is available in your time zone by clicking the Apple logo in the upper left of your Mac, then clicking ‘About This Mac’ and then clicking ‘Software Update.’ If it still says your Mac is up to date… then macOS Big Sur has not yet been released in your time zone.

So just when will it be available? Mac Rumors provided their best time estimates based on past releases, which is typically 10 AM Pacific Time. We’ve added additional cities:
- Honolulu, Hawaii — 8:00 a.m. HST
- Anchorage, Alaska — 9:00 a.m. AKST
- Cupertino, California — 10:00 a.m. PST
- Los Angeles, California — 10:00 a.m. PST
- San Diego, California — 10:00 a.m. PST
- Seattle, Washington — 10:00 a.m. PST
- Tijuana, Mexico — 10:00 a.m. PST
- Vancouver, Canada — 10:00 a.m. PST
- Phoenix, Arizona — 11:00 a.m. MST
- Denver, Colorado — 11:00 a.m. MST
- Chicago, Illinois — 12:00 noon. CST
- Boston, Massachusetts — 1:00 p.m. EST
- Lexington, Kentucky — 1:00 p.m. EST
- Miami, Florida — 1:00 p.m. EST
- New York, New York — 1:00 p.m. EST
- Washington, D.C. — 1:00 p.m. EST
- Toronto, Canada — 1:00 p.m. EST
- Halifax, Canada — 2:00 p.m. AST
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — 3:00 p.m. BRT
- London, United Kingdom — 6:00 p.m. GMT
- Berlin, Germany — 7:00 p.m. CET
- Paris, France — 7:00 p.m. CET
- Cape Town, South Africa — 8:00 p.m. SAST
- Helsinki, Finland — 8:00 p.m. EET
- Moscow, Russia — 9:00 p.m. MSK
- Istanbul, Turkey — 9:00 p.m. TRT
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates — 10:00 p.m. GST
- Delhi, India — 11:30 p.m. IST
- Jakarta, Indonesia — 1:00 a.m. WIB next day
- Shanghai, China — 2:00 a.m. CST next day
- Singapore — 2:00 a.m. SGT next day
- Perth, Australia — 2:00 a.m. AWST next day
- Hong Kong — 2:00 a.m. HKT next day
- Seoul, South Korea — 3:00 a.m. KST next day
- Tokyo, Japan — 3:00 a.m. JST next day
- Brisbane, Australia – 4:00 a.m. AEST next day
- Adelaide, Australia — 4:30 a.m. ACDT next day
- Sydney, Australia — 5:00 a.m. AEDT next day
- Auckland, New Zealand — 7:00 a.m. NZDT next day
November 12, 2020
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

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

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

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

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.

November 11, 2020
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.

November 2, 2020
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

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.

March 20, 2020
Apple Expected to Release ARM-Based Mac in 2021

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has sent out a note to investors predicting Apple will release a Mac powered by an ARM chip in the first half of 2021.

Apple has long been rumored to be moving toward ARM-based Macs, rather than relying on Intel’s processors. While Intel may be the industry standard, as the computer market has moved toward laptops and mobile devices, Intel has struggled to keep pace with the needs of companies, such as Apple, that want to build powerful computers in sleek designs.

Recent MacBook Pros have struggled to maintain performance due to heat issues, resulting in the processors throttling to keep from overheating. The only solution is to build bigger, bulkier laptops that have enough fans to provide the necessary heat dissipation, something that goes against Apple’s entire design philosophy.

In contrast, Apple has had tremendous success with its ARM-based processors in the iPhone and iPad. When the 2018 iPad Pro was released, it was faster than 92% of all laptops, including Apple’s own. The most impressive thing is that this level of performance was achieved without a single fan, while delivering all-day battery life.

As a result, experts have believed Apple has been working to port macOS to ARM processors and readying the developer tools necessary to help third-party software developers make the transition. ARM-based Macs would allow Apple more control over its own devices and product release roadmap, while giving the company the ability to customize performance for its computers.

According to MacRumors, Kuo’s note included the following details:

“We expect that Apple’s new products in 12-18 months will adopt processors made by 5nm process, including the new 2H20 5G iPhone, new 2H20 iPad equipped with mini LED, and new 1H21 Mac equipped with the own-design processor. We think that iPhone 5G support, ‌iPad‌’s adoption of innovative mid-size panel technology, and Mac’s first adoption of the own-design processor are all Apple’s critical product and technology strategies. Given that the processor is the core component of new products, we believe that Apple had increased 5nm-related investments after the epidemic outbreak. Further, Apple occupying more resources of related suppliers will hinder competitors’ developments.”

If Kuo’s prediction is correct, this will usher in a new era for Apple and open a world of possibilities for the Mac.

February 25, 2020
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.

January 14, 2020
Apple Reportedly Retiring Older MacBook Pro

Last October Apple unveiled its latest MacBook Pro line. The newer laptops feature “Retina” displays and are thinner, lighter, more powerful, and all-around better than previous models.

It’s no surprise, then, that DigiTimes is reporting Apple will be ceasing production on its 13-inch non-Retina display MacBook Pro sometime during the second half of 2014. The report’s unnamed “Taiwan-based supply chain makers” are quoted as saying the production line will be replaced with the newer model MacBook Pros.

Such a move would be far from surprising, given Apple’s history of quickly dropping production of previous models when newer versions arrive. The company has already stopped production of the non-Retina 15-inch MacBook Pro in favor of the latest laptop.

In addition to the Apple news, the DigiTimes report also claims that Intel will be supporting a new line of “ultrabooks” for the fourth quarter of 2014. The devices are expected to use Intel Broadwell processors and use Ultra HD displays.

Ultra HD displays are one of the features that manufacturers are relying on to help keep notebook sales from sinking further. The popularity of tablet and smartphone devices has driven consumers to devices that are racing downward in price and almost constantly iterating on features and software. In contrast notebook offerings look largely the same as they did one decade ago, contributing to the continued decline of the traditional PC industry. Only ultra-portable devices have been seen as a growing product category in the segment, though even Apple has been shipping fewer MacBooks in recent quarters.

March 5, 2014
Best Buy Black Friday Doorbuster Deals

Consumer electronics big-box retailer Best Buy has posted some of its Black Friday 2013 doorbusters online.

Amidst Walmart’s complicated 2013 triad of pre-Black Friday sales events, which some might say have diminished the entire concept of Black Friday retail deal-rushing madness, as well has Sears’ online member’s-only presale, Best Buy has launched its own complex pre-Friday sales-viewing advertisement.

What does it all mean? Essentially, Best Buy customers can shop for doorbusters in-store, as soon as brick and mortar locations open at 6:00 p.m., on Thursday, November 28. Later, on Thursday evening, consumers can get a glimpse of ‘Midnight Mystery Doorbusters,’ beginning at 10 p.m. Any deals gleaned there will become physically available in-store at midnight on Friday, November 29.

Another slew of Best Buy in-store doorbusters will become available at 10 a.m. on Friday as well. No word if there is an online preview scheduled for that wave, though Best Buy, much like Sears, does employ a preferred shopper’s program, known as Elite and Elite Plus. Elite Best Buy shoppers can access ultra-secret deals.

Notable deals Best Buy has already posted online include:

-a MacBook Pro 13.3″ Display 4GB Memory 500GB Hard Drive for $999.99
-a Samsung 55″ Class 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV for $699.99
-a Lenovo 7″ 16GB Memory Tablet and Case for $129.99
-an Insignia 32″ Class 720p 60Hz LED HDTV for $169.99
-an HTC One Phone for Verizon Wireless, AT&T or Sprint for $49.99

All sales include free shipping.

Below is a clip documenting the general pandemonium that occurs when aggressive pricing begets aggressive shopping, at various big-box retailers during Black Friday events:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBk32OUxCnU

Some Twitter commentary regarding the Best Buy 2013 Black Friday sales event:

People are already camped outside of Best Buy waiting for Black Friday deals. You couldn't pay me to miss Thanksgiving dinner.

— Mike W. (@T1WICK) November 25, 2013

The Best Buy employees in the major appliances department must be awesome breakdancers.

— Clayton Hove (@adtothebone) November 25, 2013

Ben and I are talking about Black Friday, becoming Black Thursday. What's your take on stores opening at 5PM Thurs? http://t.co/8dPI5eCjbr

— Abby Peel (@abbylpeel) November 25, 2013

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

November 25, 2013
Apple Unveils New Macbook Pro Models At Event, Lowers Prices

At its long-awaited event (by long, we mean about a month), Apple revealed a couple new Macbook Pro models, including a new 13-inch model and a new 15-inch model.

The 13 inch is lighter than the previous one at 3.46 lbs. and thinner at 0.71 in. Apple describes it as “incredibly fast,” with an Intel Haswell 4th generation dual core chip. It includes Intel Iris graphics, which is 90% faster than than the previous generation.

The machine can get up to 9 hours of battery life.

It comes with PCIe-based flash storage, which is 60% faster, and faster 802.11 ac Wi-Fi. It gets three times the performance as the previous generation, Apple says.

It also includes Thunderbolt 2, which is up to twice as fast, and runs the new Mavericks OS, which the company also discussed today. More on that here.

The previous version of this machine started at $1,499, and the new one starts at $1,299. It starts shipping today.

The 15-inch model includes an Intel Crystal Well chip with Iris Pro graphics, and has models with GeForce GT 750M.

It gets up to 8 hours of battery life.

It also comes with PCIe-based flash, 802.11 ac Wi-Fi, and Thunderbolt 2 storage.

It’s “just better across the entire system,” said Apple’s Phil Schiller.

The previous model started at $2,199. The new one starts at $1,999. It also begins shipping today.

More Apple coverage here.

October 22, 2013
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.”

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]

October 15, 2013
MacBook Shipments Predicted to Drop This Year

For the entire year, PC shipments have been down year-on-year. Though sales are expected to pick up this holiday season, the quickly-rising tablet market is taking a large bite out of traditional PC sales. Though Microsoft’s improved Windows 8.1 OS and the death of Windows XP are expected to help drive enterprise hardware sales, the consumer market still seems set on smartphones and tablets – and it appears that not even apple is Immune to the effect it kicked off with the iPad.

A new DigiTimes report states that overall Apple MacBook shipments for this year will be down from 2012 shipment numbers. MacBook shipments his just over 13 million units last year, but are not expected to hit that figure this year.

The report’s unnamed “sources from the upstream supply chain” say this is despite a recent uptick in orders for new MacBooks. Shipments for Apple’s notebooks have been increasing since June, but are not likely to reach last year’s numbers. DigiTimes points out that this could be partly due to a freeze on component shipments Apple put in place for three months earlier this year. The manufacturer shipped only 5.3 million MacBooks during the first half of 2013.

In many ways, the situation is of Apple’s own making. Now that the company’s smartphone and tablet businesses are its leading products, Apple has not been emphasizing its MacBook, iMac, or Mac Pro products heavily in marketing campaigns. This was demonstrated recently by Apple’s announcement of a new iMac lineup. The announcement was made just days after the company’s big iPhone 5S presentation, where no mention of a MacBook was to be found.

October 7, 2013