Tag: Mac

Categories
Tech Guesses

Apple’s Fall 2021 Updates

As we approach the fall, rumors are swirling about Apple and what they are going to announce this year.

The Mac

While most are assuming we will see some Mac Updates, along with a new M-Series chip, I think we may see two things simultaneously. I’m expecting the new M2 chip, for the MacBook Air, low-end MacBook Pro, 24″ iMac, and lower-end MacMini. Then instead of an M1X, we will actually see the M2X chip for the higher-end machines, including a 30 or 32″ iMac, 16″ MacBook Pro, and the Mac Mini Pro. I feel this is the direction that Apple will head, because unlike with the A-series chips, where the beefier model comes out about 6-months after the initial release, it has been nearly a year with the M1. The existing machines are due for an update (following Apple’s traditional cycle), and because these chips names will be far more visible to the consumer, putting an M2 into a lower-end machine, and an M1X into the higher machines, around the same time, would be confusing. I don’t know if the name will just be marketing, or if Apple would do the bold thing of actually creating two chips, or SoCs, with the same basic structure. I can see this moving in the direction of Intel’s chips, where multiple SKUs come out with the same basic technology, but different features. Like an i5 and an i7, we will instead have M# and M#X.

I would love to see Apple update most of their line up in one single event. New MacBook Airs, Pros, Minis, and iMacs, and get people excited for the Mac Pro coming sometime in 2022.

iPads

As the Pro was updated earlier this year, I don’t see it getting updated until the Spring. However, I see the Air getting the M1 chip, and the iPad and iPad mini getting the A14 chip. I don’t expect major redesigns with them, just an extension of the squared off design language that was featured with the Air last year.

Apple Watch

Apple Watch will again get the new design language, and likely a slightly large screen option. I would love to see more health sensors, like the rumored blood-glucose meter, but we can only hope.

iPhone

The iPhone 13 will add more mmWave 5G in more countries (along with updated iPhone 12s in those countries). I see LIDAR becoming standard on all machines, faster FaceID, and perhaps touchID on the power button, like the iPadAir, on the 13 Pro.

Categories
Tech Rants

How in the world???

It has been a week, since M1 Macs have been able to be discussed by reviewers and normal users. In that time, we have seen benchmarks and real world use, and I have frankly been stunned. I was expecting a platform that basically iterated upon the performance of the existing Intel based Macs, with less heat and improved battery life. What we got instead was something almost revolutionary.

These new M1 Macs come close to putting everyone else to shame. The CPU performance is up there with AMD’s Ryzen 5000 series chips and Intel’s 10th Generation Core chips, especially in single core tasks, but rivaling them in multi-core performance as well. The GPUs are no slouch, coming close to, if not beating, cards that still fetch $200-400 (disclaimer: the last GPU I bought, by itself, was a Matrox Mystique 220 for $120, and I thought that was expensive). To think this is the first iteration of these chips for PCs. It also puts into context what the iPads and iPhones actually are, as these chips are close cousins to the A series chips used in those devices.

The reviews are actually making me want to go out and buy a new Mac. I don’t normally buy new machines frequently, my last new purchase was 2012, for a MacBook Pro Retina 15″, but these new M1 Macs, make my existing 3 main machines (2012 MBPr 15″, 2011 27″ iMac, and Lenovo Ideapad Y700) look like chumps. I AM one of those Mac guys though that actually games on his machine, and not things like RCT (which I do play), or something in a browser, but Cities Skylines, Republique, CivVI, GTA V, among others. And while the 960M in my Lenovo works great most of the time, and the 650M and 6970M in my other machines is capable in both MacOS and Windows, I actually covet the performance being cited from the M1… an integrated GPU.

It isn’t just me. My financé, who while working at literally the same job I do, isn’t that into computers, is even getting on the bandwagon. She is considering ditching her 2013 27″ iMac for a MacBook Air, which I keep telling her to wait until the next generation, as I recall what happened with the early Intel Macs, and even some of the early PPC Macs; there are always better machines coming.

I will say, $1059 for an M1 Mac Mini is starting to seem quite compelling to me. While the reviews have been for the 8GB model, I know better, and will have to have the 16GB, just like I did 8 years ago with my MacBook Pro Retina. Honestly, it certainly can’t be too much worse than what I currently daily-drive at home or work, and at the very least could be an interesting experiment.