O'Grady's PowerPage

  • Apple discontinues the Mac Pro product line, offers no future plans for updated hardware

    Apple discontinues the Mac Pro product line, offers no future plans for updated hardware

    As much as you may love the Mac Pro towers, Apple felt differently as to the future of the product.

    Per 9to5Mac, Apple has confirmed that the Mac Pro is being discontinued and that no future models are planned in the future. The company removed the tower from its “buy” page on Apple’s website, and the former Mac Pro web page now redirects to other sections of the website.

    The Mac Pro has lived many lives over the years. Apple released the current Mac Pro industrial design in 2019 alongside the Pro Display XDR (which was also discontinued earlier this month). That version of the Mac Pro was powered by Intel, and Apple refreshed it with the M2 Ultra chip in June 2023. It has gone without an update since then, languishing at its $6,999 price point even as Apple debuted the M3 Ultra chip in the Mac Studio last year.

    At present, the Mac Studio is clearly set up as the “pro” desktop Mac. The unit can be configured with the M3 Ultra chip and a 32-core CPU, and an 80-core GPU, paired with 256GB of unified memory and 16TB of SSD storage.

    With the discontinuation of Mac Pro today, Apple now sells three desktop Macs:

    • 24-inch iMac with M4
    • Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro
    • Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra

    And three notebooks:

    • MacBook Neo
    • MacBook Air
    • MacBook Pro

    While this may break a number of hearts (including my own, I owned several Mac Pro towers over the years, and I loved upgrading them), the writing’s been on the wall for several years now and the time had come for Apple, in a true Steve Jobs fashion, to slash a product it didn’t need.

    Please let us know what you think in the comments.

    Via 9to5Mac

  • Rumor: Apple developing a quad-curve display iPhone to celebrate the iPhone’s 20th anniversary

    Rumor: Apple developing a quad-curve display iPhone to celebrate the iPhone’s 20th anniversary

    Sometimes Apple’s product roadmap gets weird, if not that much more interesting.

    Per 9to5Mac and Weibo, Apple may be developing an iPhone with a quad-curved display.

    According to noted Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station,

    Apple is testing a quad-curved display for next year’s expected ‘iPhone 20.’

    2027 will mark the iPhone’s 20th anniversay, and reports have indicated that Apple is working on something special. This model is said to feature a fully cutout-free display, albeit recent reports have stated that Apple is struggling to meet its goals for under-display camera and Face ID components.

    Essentially, a quad-curved display would wrap around the corners of the device to provide a bezel-free, all-screen design. This might explain why the iPhone 20 is rumored to drop physical buttons for haptic ones.

    Rumors of the quad-curved display iPhone have been circulating since last May, and it’s thought that Apple may have progressed with the design.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac

  • Rumor: Apple to release new full-sized HomePod alongside next-gen HomePod mini and Apple TV devices this year

    Rumor: Apple to release new full-sized HomePod alongside next-gen HomePod mini and Apple TV devices this year

    Apple may be releasing a new full-sized HomePod smart speaker alongside next-gen HomePod mini and Apple TV models.

    Per MacRumors, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reiterated that updates to all three products are on hold until Apple releases its more personalized version of Siri later this year. The revamped assistant is expected to debut in iOS 27, which will be available in beta starting in June and should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September.

    Gurman also expressed confidence in the idea that the three devices would be released this year.

    In a recent Power On newsletter that went out last weekend, Gurman noted that the next-gen versions of the Apple TV and HomePod have been “ready” since last year, and explicitly stated “yes” as to a next-gen full-sized HomePod en route for this year.

    Once again, and in true Apple fashion, remaining inventory for the current Apple TV HomePod mini, and full-sized HomePod is said to be “running low” at Apple’s retail locations around the world. Current rumors have also stated that the next Apple TV would be equipped with the A17 Pro chip, which is the oldest chip that supports Apple Intelligence. The device is also expected to feature Apple’s N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread.

    Where the upcoming HomePod mini is concerned, the device is expected to use the Apple Watch’s S9 chip or newer, although it’s not entirely clear how the chip would be revamped to support Apple Intelligence. Other rumored features include the N1 chip, improved sound quality, a newer Ultra Wideband chip, and a red color option.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Bloomberg

  • OpenCore Legacy Patcher project’s future, macOS Tahoe support on Intel-based Macs, may be in doubt

    OpenCore Legacy Patcher project’s future, macOS Tahoe support on Intel-based Macs, may be in doubt

    It’s been a good run, but the OpenCore Legacy Patcher, which allows various versions of the macOS operating system to run on unsupported hardware, may be up against even more challenges than ever, thereby making it almost impossible to get macOS Tahoe running on unsupported Intel-based Macs.

    As is customary with every macOS release, Apple has ended support for select Mac models. This typically occurs when a Mac is several years out of date and lacks the hardware required for the latest user interface elements or features. For years, the OpenCore Legacy Patcher project has worked around this, and has been able to bring macOS Big Sur through macOS Sequoia to Intel Macs dating back to 2007.

    Unfortunately, Apple’s macOS Tahoe release has proven to be much more difficult for the project’s shrinking team. Aside from difficulties with T2-equipped Macs and the usual missing drivers, the key figures of the project have unfortunately moved on. Mykola Grymalyuk, the lead developer, for instance, is no longer affiliated with the OpenCore Legacy Patcher, having accepted a position at Apple. Other developers have left as well.

    On March 22nd, the OCLP team announced that donations would no longer be accepted, thereby threatening the future of the project and its potential ability to bring macOS Tahoe support to Intel-based Macs.

    The developers, in turned, have commented that they “do not know if any Apple Silicon Macs will become unsupported anytime soon, and if they are, whether developing a patcher is feasible.”

    Nonetheless, efforts to bring macOS Tahoe to older Intel Macs are still ongoing, even if there’s no clear release timeline. It remains to be seen just how long we’ll have to wait to see macOS 26 running on older Apple hardware.

    At present, users of select Intel-based Macs can continue to update to macOS Sequoia through the OpenCore Legacy Patcher, which supports up to the macOS Sequoia 15.7.5 security update, which was released on Tuesday.

    For the time being, the OpenCore Legacy Patcher is not completely dead and is still chugging along, but it could be some time before full macOS Tahoe support arrives for unsupported Macs.

    If you’ve had success with the OpenCore Legacy Patcher and running unsupported versions of macOS on your Intel-based Mac, please let us know in the comments.

    Via AppleInsider and opencollective.com

  • Apple opens pre-orders for AirPods Max 2 headphones, targets April 1st delivery date for U.S. customers

    Apple opens pre-orders for AirPods Max 2 headphones, targets April 1st delivery date for U.S. customers

    If you’re hankering for the Apple’s new AirPods Max 2 headphones, which were announced on March 16, Apple has just opened up its pre-orders page on the Apple.com website.

    In the U.S., Apple’s online store lists a delivery timeframe of April 1 to April 3.

    The AirPods Max 2 headphones are priced at $549 and feature the same design as the original AirPods Max headphones, but also incorporate the H2 chip, which adds new capabilities that are currently being offered by other AirPods models.

    The H2 chip delivers up to 1.5x better Active Noise Cancellation with computational audio algorithms that are better able to detect and mitigate outside sound. Real-time Live Translation is supported, and features like Adaptive Audio, Voice Isolation, Conversation Awareness, Loud Sound Reduction, and Personalized Volume are available.

    Other bells answered whistles include Bluetooth 5.3 support, a new high dynamic range amplifier that offers more consistent bass as well as more natural-sounding mids and highs, and improved localization of instruments. The new Transparency Mode sounds more natural than before, and the Digital Crown found on the headset can be used as a camera shutter for the iPhone or iPad.

    The headset uses a USB-C connection to charge with the battery lasting up to 20 hours in Active Noise Cancellation mode before needing to be recharged. Like the prior-generation USB-C model, the ‌AirPods Max 2‌ support 24-bit 48kHz lossless audio over USB-C, and ship with a Smart Case. Color options continue to include midnight, starlight, orange, purple, and blue.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Apple