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Tag: engineers

Rumor: Debug kit leaks hint at possible iMac Pro featuring the M5 Max chip

The iMac Pro may be returning in a big way.

According to leak posts on Chinese social media websites Weibo and Bilibili over the past week, Apple is thought to be developing a high-end iMac featuring the M5 Max chip. The finding comes from leaked kernel debug kit files used by Apple engineers. These kits, which are used for kernel debugging, enumerate unreleased Apple hardware by internal identifiers, such as codenames and platform names, and can also include separate references that map the products to chip codenames and marketing names.

The software contains references to an ‌iMac‌ with the identifier J833c running on platform H17C. H17C is associated with the codename “Sotra C,” which relates to the expected marketing name “M5 Max.” This suggests that an ‌iMac‌ with the M5 Max chip is in active testing.

The leaks refer to several devices believed to be used exclusively for internal testing, such as iPad minis running tvOS and MacBooks with the A15 chip, so there is a chance that the M5 Max ‌iMac‌ is used for testing only. Apple is expected to be introducing its M5 Max Chip in 2026, and there have been rumors about Apple reintroducing the high-end “Pro” iMac for several years now. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has posited that Apple was still “working on a larger-screened ‌iMac‌ aimed at the professional market” following the launch of the Apple silicon ‌iMac‌. This rumor was also supported by noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

The kernel debug kit has also mentioned several additional Mac configurations, such as 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro notebooks with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, a 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with the M6 chip, and 14- and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models with the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips. Other products mentioned include 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, Mac mini models with the M5 and M5 Pro chips, and new Mac Studio models with the M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips. Finally, the leak also lists a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, which is thought to be an all-new, budget model.

As always, stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via MacRumors

December 17, 2025
Rumor: First iOS 18.6 beta around the corner, Apple Intelligence expected to go live in China
Although it’s only been three weeks as of Monday since Apple released its iOS 18.5 update, the first beta of iOS 18.6 is expected soon, as Apple’s software engineers have been internally testing iOS 18.6 since late March, according to the MacRumors visitors logs.

The first betas of iOS 13.6 through iOS 16.6 were all released before WWDC over the years, while the first iOS 17.6 beta was released the week after WWDC last year, so it is hard to pinpoint exactly when the first iOS 18.6 beta will be available.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is expected to include the following fixes within the iOS 18.6 update:
- Apple Intelligence is expected to go online in China, with Alibaba and Baidu set to power some of the features in that country.
- Assorted bug fixes and security patches
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via MacRumors and Bloomberg
June 3, 2025
Apple begins notifying WWDC 2025 Swift Student Challenge winners, invites 50 Distinguished Winners to Apple Park event

Apple on Thursday began notifying students who had won slots in the WWDC 2025 Swift Student Challenge, which took place from February 3 to February 23 of this year. Students who entered can sign in to Apple’s Swift Student Challenge website to see their status.

350 winners have been selected, with the winners being eligible to attend Apple’s WWDC special event at Apple Park on Monday, June 9.

Of the 350, 50 will be named Distinguished Winners and will be invited to Cupertino, California for a multi-day ‌Apple Park‌ event that will include the keynote meetup and additional opportunities to meet with Apple engineers and employees.

Entrants who were not chosen as Distinguished Winners can still enter Apple’s lottery for a chance to attend the in-person Apple Park event. Space is limited, and the lottery’s winners will be notified on Thursday, April 3.

Swift Student Challenge winners who are not able to attend the ‌Apple Park‌ event will be able to follow along with Apple’s WWDC announcements through the Apple Developer website and the Apple Developer app. Winners will also be able to enter to attend future WWDC events for the next two years.

The Swift Student Challenge takes place annually and has students create and submit an innovative coding project using Apple’s Xcode or Swift Playground. Projects are judged based on technical accomplishment, creativity of ideas, and the content of the written responses explaining the project. The winners also receive a one-year membership in the Apple Developer Program and AirPods Max headphones.

‌WWDC 2025‌ will take place from Monday, June 9 to Friday, June 13.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via MacRumors

March 28, 2025
Apple pauses work on upcoming operating systems for one week to fix bugs in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS 14 Sonoma, other software

Sometimes you just have to stop what you’re working on and clean things up on your current projects.

Apple is reported to have stalled development on its iOS 18, macOS 15, iPadOS 18, and other major projects due to be introduced in 2024 to work on fixing bugs in its current operating systems and software.

Per Bloomberg, Apple informed employees of the delay at the start of November, people with knowledge of the announcement explained. Instead of working on new items, engineers are instead working to fix issues and improve the performance of what has already been produced.

The move came after the discovery of what was deemed to be too many bugs by software lead Craig Federighi’s team. It was then decided that engineers would embark on a week-long improvement sprint. Following the end of the pause, engineers will resume work on the previous projects and their new features.

While a week-long delay in software development can often be seen as problematic, it’s also thought that this could help minimize bugs and improve the condition of upcoming software.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via AppleInsider and Bloomberg

November 8, 2023
Apple invites developers to free, in-person app optimization workshop for September 27

If you’re a developer out in Cupertino later this month, this might come in handy.

Apple has invited developers to an all-day workshop on optimizing app performance at the Apple Developer Center on September 27.

The Apple Developer Center opened in 2022 during WWDC and is meant to act as a central location for developers to get help directly from Apple in person.

The company sent out an email to anyone with a registered developer account on Wednesday inviting developers to RSVP to an in-person workshop being held on September 27. The event will focus on helping developers optimize app performance and device battery life.

The event itself is free, registration is first-come, first-served, but you’ll need to head to Cupertino on your own dime.

Per the invitation:

Everyone loves apps that launch quickly and work efficiently — and in this all-day, in-person event, you’ll learn how to maximize performance to give people a great experience.

Join us at the Apple Developer Center in Cupertino and discover how to optimize your use of Apple frameworks, find out how Apple tools can help you identify and resolve performance problems, and get advice straight from Apple engineers. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to test your apps on site and get hands-on support.

Apple’s developer workshop is being held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. PDT on September 27, or the week after the iPhone 15 lineup is expected to begin shipping to the public.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via AppleInsider and developer.apple.com

September 7, 2023