O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: notebook

  • Apple launches first Apple Silicon-based Mac in the form of a 13-inch MacBook Air

    The very first of the Apple Silicon-based Macs have arrived.

    Apple unveiled the Mac, a 13-inch MacBook Air powered by its new “M1” chip at its “One More Thing” event on Tuesday. The notebook is a 13-inch MacBook Air that offers the following specs, including a purported 20-hour battery life:

    • Apple M1 chip with 8‑core CPU and 8‑core GPU
    • 16-core Neural Engine
    • 8GB unified memory
    • 256/GB 512GB SSD storage
    • Retina display with True Tone
    • Backlit Magic Keyboard – US English
    • Touch ID
    • Force Touch trackpad
    • Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports

    The 256GB unit retail for $999 while the 512GB unit starts at $1,249. The MacBook Air is available for pre-order now and will hit retail shelves next week.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via The Mac Observer

  • Apple Boot Camp 6.1.13 update references unreleased, updated 16-inch MacBook Pro notebook

    Once again, it’s the developer notes that indicate hardware coming down the road.

    Last week, Apple released a Boot Camp update. Following its release, several users noticed the release notes referenced an unreleased model of the company’s 16-inch MacBook Pro notebook.

    While this could be a mistake, Apple released a new high-end graphics option for the 16-inch MacBook Pro in June, but it still refers to all configurations of the notebook as 2019 models on its website.

    Apple offered the following release notes for Boot Camp 6.1.13:

    • Improves audio recording quality when using the built-in microphone
    • Fixes a stability issue that could occur during heavy CPU load on 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019 and 2020) and 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020)

    The 16-inch MacBook Pro, which was introduced in November 2019, and features slimmer bezels, a Magic Keyboard with a more reliable scissor mechanism, 9th-generation Intel Core processors, up to 64GB of RAM, up to 8TB of SSD storage, AMD Radeon Pro 5000M series graphics, and upgraded speakers and microphones. Pricing starts at $2,399.

    Rumors have indicated that Apple could be planning to host another media event on November 17 to introduce its first Mac with an Apple Silicon processor. It’s also believed that this transition will begin at the lower end for notebooks, such as the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, or possibly even the return of an ultra-portable 12-inch MacBook.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors

  • Rumor: Apple may release Apple Silicon-powered 12-inch MacBook in late 2020

    The Apple Silicon-powered MacBook that you’ve been waiting for could arrive this year.

    A recent leak via The China Times has indicated that the first Mac released operating under ARM-based CPUs could be a relaunched 12-inch MacBook.

    This could also translate to a cheaper notebook, and a leak in July indicated that a new computer could start around $799. This would also include a Retina display, and be centered around the A14X chip, codenamed “Tonga.” The new machine could also weigh in at less than 2.2 pounds, and feature a battery life of 15 to 20 hours given the energy-sipping nature of the ARM processor architecture.

    Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has offered a different opinion, stating that a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro would be first out of the gate. Kuo predicted, in March, that the Apple Silicon 13.3-inch MacBook Pro would go into mass production in the fourth quarter of 2020, shipping either in time for Christmas or sometime in early 2021.

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

    Via The Mac Observer, The China Times, and @komiya_kj

  • Rumor: Apple’s ARM-based Macs due this fall, first ARM-based MacBook could retail for $799

    If this rumor is true, you’re going to like it.

    Per a credible leaker, Apple’s conversion to ARM-based/Apple Silicon processors could reduce the price of the first ARM-based MacBook this fall to about $799.

    As predicted, it’s “…much cheaper to make its own A-series Apple Silicon chips than to buy” from Intel. Granted, it’s unknown as to whether this would be for a 12-inch MacBook (its short-lived predecessor being produced between 2015 and 2019) or its 13-inch counterpart.

    Such a price point could also make these notebooks more affordable to the education market, which in some school districts, has been devoured by Google Chromebooks.

    Still, savings are savings, and with Apple making its own iron, the Mac you’re hankering for could become that much more affordable in the near future.

    Via The Mac Observer, Tom’s Guide, and @Komiya_jp

  • Apple offers AMD Radeon Pro 5600M GPU as build-to-order option for the 16-inch MacBook Pro

    In a somewhat quiet update, Apple on Monday announced a new graphics processing unit option for the 16-inch MacBook Pro notebook. Users can now order an AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, complete with 8GB of HBM2 memory, and 40 compute units, as a discrete processor. The new option stands as 75 percent faster than the Radeon Pro 5500M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory.

    The memory for the 5600M is integrated into the 7nm 5600M and has 394 GB/s of bandwidth. In a press release from AMD, the 5600M “delivers up to 5.3 TFLOPS of single-precision (FP32) floating point performance.”

    This option tacks on an extra $800 for the $2,399 model, and $700 for the $2,799 notebook.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via Macworld and Apple.com