Category: Tech Guesses

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Tech Guesses

Nintendo Switch Pro?

Rumors are swirling around a Nintendo Switch Pro to be released in April, along with the sequel to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey 2, as well as several games which will run natively on the new hardware, or use cloud processing to function on the original Switch, the upgraded Switch, and the Switch Lite.

The Pro is expected to use a new, faster ARM CPU, have more RAM and VRAM, a change to the construction for the joy cons, which will make them more robust and less likely to suffer “joycon drift”. The Pro is also supposed to have built-in BlueTooth 5 Audio Support, so you can use your AirPods or other BT headphones to listen to the audio from your switch.

All of this is supposed to be announced at a Nintendo Direct on or around January 11. Let’s see what becomes of it.

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Tech Guesses

More Apple Announcements?

There is a rumor that Apple is planning a fourth announcement in as many months, on December 8. They have informed their Authorized Sales Providers/Retail Channels of the new SKUs entering the system on that date.

M1 Mac Mini with 10Gbps Ethernet

This is the most likely item to appear, as repair parts are already available in Apple’s repair system. Still not other upgrades, but this would be a welcome item to many users, including people like Linus Tech Tips, who currently use Mini’s for uploading video to their editing servers, as it frees up resources for editing, at a low cost.

M1x Devices?

It is unlikely, but completely possible, that Apple may already have M1x devices produced to a sufficient quantity to make them available, rather than waiting until January for things like the iMac or 16″ MBP… or even an M1x MacMini. All of which would be a pleasant surprise.

AirTiles

Apple’s long rumored RFID tracking devices may finally see the light of day. If that happens, great. If not, they may just disappear like AirPower.

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Tech Guesses

11/10/20 – The Apple Silicon Event – One More Thing

Well, Apple threw us for a loop. They announced their November event 8 days earlier than expected, to occur a week earlier than expected. So, in theory, we will see new Computers with Apple Silicon on 11/10.

What is expected?

The current theory is that at 13″ MacBook Air, 13″ MacBook Pro, and a 16″ MacBook Pro are coming at this event. It is possible that they will all be running Apple Silicon, but a small chance, given some recent references to MacBook Pro 16″ (2020) in some Catalina updates, that the 16″ may still be rocking the Intel/AMD combination for one more cycle. There are unlikely to be any major design changes in the these devices, at least for a few generations. Although the more I watch people with the iPad Air/Pro and Pro Keyboard, the more I want something similar for the new MBA or MB design.

Surprises?

It is entirely possible that a new iMac or Mac Mini would be released as well, but only if they are confident that the Apple Silicon is ready for desktops. I would love to see a Mac Mini with Apple graphics hold its own against a 6800 or 3080, only time will tell.

One more thing…

It has been speculated that this presentation will be coupled with another hardware release, but I think people are forgetting the impending release of MacOS Big Sur (10.16 or 11), which will have to be released before the Apple Silicon Macs are in customers’ hands. So I would expect hardware is announced on Tuesday, pre-orders same day, Big Sur available on Thursday, and machine arriving on Friday.

Let’s see what happens…

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Tech Guesses

Apple Silicon Coming Soon…

It appears that we do have a date for the Apple Silicon Event, November 17. But what are we expecting…

What are we expecting?

The logical thing would be a small form factor, lower power Apple Laptop, perhaps a 12″ MacBook, 13″ MacBook Air, and/or a 13″ MacBook Pro. I believe that this is exactly what Apple is planning, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Apple wouldn’t want to introduce only a low-end machine, or just a smaller form factor machine to the world with their new processors. It would feel odd for Apple to introduce a 13″ (or 14″) MacBook Pro, without also refreshing the 16″, so I feel that is off the table at this point. Doing the MacBook and/or MacBook Air would be perfect, as I can see them complementing each other. Release both, with the MB running a 4×4 Apple Silicon chip (4 power cores, 4 efficiency cores) and basic graphics power. Then an MBA running 6×6, 6×4, or 8×8, with some more advanced graphics, something akin to the current Intel integrated graphics or better. I would expect slightly different form factor from the existing machines. However, I would hope that they maintain their good resting areas for the wrist, as that is a major advantage that Apple has over its competition.

Surprises?

It also wouldn’t surprise me to have Apple sneak in the new Mac mini at the same time. The Mini is usually focussed on the same people that would buy the MBA, but I can see it having more powerful graphics and even a more power hungry CPU, thanks to the wall connection, than the notebook/laptop versions. Maybe something with GTX980 or GTX1080 level graphics, something we basically saw during the WWDC preview. It would certainly give us hope that there will be power behind the new iMac and Pro machines. By integrating all the needed components into the processor, it is possible that a Mac mini could simply be the size of the current AppleTV, just need to ensure it has the appropriate ports on it to make it a useful computer.

The Name

I have serious doubts that Apple will use the AxxX numbering scheme for their desktop class chips. It just seems like it would be too easy for pundits and haters to compare costs and performances between the products, and that would be really bad for Apple. I almost expect the Apple Silicon chips to actually continue the Tx naming scheme, like these first generation will be T3 chips, or perhaps Apple will have paid some marketing company to come up with a name like “Pentium” for their processors. Something that is uniquely Apple, maybe the Braeburn Chips or Fuji.

What else?

The last few announcements seem to bundle different items together. In September it was iPad and Apple Watch. In October it was iPhone and HomePod Mini. So perhaps in October there will be Apple Silicon Macs and… Apple TV? It would be the perfect time for a new Apple TV. More storage, more power, perhaps some more gaming options. I have an AppleTV 4K, and I have a game pad for it. At present, I’m only playing Sonic The Hedgehog on it, but it is quite fun, but I would love to see what could be done, either for casual gamers, or given some of the power that the A14X is likely to have, full blow power to rival the Switch, or even the PS5/XBSX. Of course, if the MacMini is updated, perhaps AppleTV turns into a service on the Mac, much like we had Pre Snow Leopard. One can dream.

Final Thoughts…

I believe we will see Apple Silicon Macs in November. I do believe they will blow away people’s expectations, and I believe, strongly that they will make people less nervous about this transition. I also believe that Apple may even be able to lower the prices to the point where you will laugh when someone mentions “Apple Tax”.

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Tech Guesses

Hello Speed?

There are plenty of rumors around Apple’s October 13, 2020 event, titled “Hello Speed”.  Most people seem to be content with an iPhone 12 announcement with an A14 Chip and 5G, usually consisting of 4 models.

Others believe that there may also be an iPad Pro announcement, which would be odd given that September’s announcement was for iPads.  I don’t think there will be an new iPad Pro until the new year.

The title of the event is a little odd, if I’m honest.  To me it is obvious what this even will be an Apple Silicon reveal.  I suspect they will use a different naming scheme from the A-Series chips, but may maintain the T-Series name, however I would prefer an actually name/number system, to a letter/number system.  This even will likely be the introduction of both a new Mac Mini as well as a MacBook (12″) and perhaps a MacBook Air.  The title of the presentation is to invoke that all 3 models are leaps and bounds faster than their predecessors, in CPU, GPU, and x64/x86 code emulation.  These machines will likely be available for purchase by the end of the week, shipping the following week.

As a result of the release of Apple Silicon Macs, they will also need to announce a release date for macOS Big Sur.  I suspect that Big Sur will be available either the 14th, 15th, or 16th, for free, of course.

However, like you I will be happy with whatever improvements Apple does announce, as COVID-19 has been especially weird for Tech Companies, as they are seeing higher sales, but for lower tier products, by and large.