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  • First 2021 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro shipping notices begin to be sent out

    First 2021 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro shipping notices begin to be sent out

    Apple’s new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro notebooks have apparently started to ship, and should be arriving on some doorsteps fairly soon.

    The updated notebooks, as mentioned before, offer a significant redesign, with Apple reintroducing posts as the HDMI and SD card slot, as well as the MagSafe port. The new MacBook Pros are also powered by the M1 Pro or ‌M1‌ Max chips, the first Apple silicon chips designed for professional machines. 

    While the new MacBook Pros are now starting to ship to customers ahead of a Tuesday launch, those who have yet to place their orders or perhaps did so a little after pre-orders went live should prepare to face a long wait.

    Apple opened pre-orders for the MacBook Pros following its “Unleashed” event last week. Within minutes of pre-orders going live, delivery dates were already slipping by weeks and in some cases by over a month. The 14-inch model, at the time of writing, displays at least 3-4 weeks for delivery, with all 16-inch models showing 4-5 weeks. Exact delivery date estimates will vary depending on location, configuration, and more.

    This also comes at a time when the holiday shopping season has somewhat officially begun, as a number of Apple’s products, including the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and Apple Watch Series 7, face long delivery dates.

    If your 14-inch or 16-inch 2021 MacBook Pro is en route, please let us know in the comments.

    Via MacRumors and @opaqueSphere

  • Apple confirms that 2021 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro notebooks will feature slower UHS-II SD card slots

    Apple confirms that 2021 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro notebooks will feature slower UHS-II SD card slots

    While Apple’s new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro notebooks seem to have rung all the right bells with its user, Apple has confirmed that the computers are equipped with a midline SD card slot supporting the UHS-II standard, rather than the substantially faster USH-III, the company has confirmed.

    The UHS-II standard allows for read and write speeds of up to 312MB/s, which is lower than the UHS-III standard’s read and write speeds of up to 624MB/s. Apple confirmed the SD card slot’s specs, which noted that opting for the UHS-II standard isn’t “as forward looking” as UHS-III.

    The UHS-III standard supports the fastest SD card read and write speeds, and has been available on the market since 2017. Some professional users had hoped Apple would adopt the newer, faster standard for its new notebooks, which are the first in years to offer ports other than USB-C. The new notebooks come equipped with the aforementioned SD card slot, as well as an HDMI port for connecting to displays or TVs. Like the SD card slot, Apple’s HDMI port is midrange — limited to HDMI 2.0, instead of HDMI 2.1.

    The new MacBook Pro models also offer three Thunderbolt 4 ports as well as a MagSafe-style charging port. Users can charge their new Macs with either the MagSafe 3 port or any of the three Thunderbolt ports.

    In addition to the expanded port selection, the new MacBook Pro models also feature significantly upgraded M1 chips, mini-LED displays with ProMotion, and full-sized function keys instead of a Touch Bar.

    The new MacBook Pro units will be available to order on Monday, October 25, and are slated to arrive via delivery and be available in-store on Tuesday, October 26. The 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,999, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,499.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and @dcseifert

  • Apple unveils new 14.-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro notebooks feature M1 Pro or M1 Max processors, assorted new features

    Apple unveils new 14.-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro notebooks feature M1 Pro or M1 Max processors, assorted new features

    If you’ve been hankering for Apple’s new 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro, you’re going to like this.

    Apple on Tuesday announced its 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch MacBook Pro notebooks, complete with configurations that include the M1 Pro or M1 Max processor, a mini-LED display with ProMotion, an HDMI port and SD card reader, charging with MagSafe 3, a notch housing a 1080p webcam, and more.

    The new machines offer additional ports, the right side incorporating an HDMI port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, and an SD card reader. The left side of the machine offers a ‌MagSafe‌ 3 port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a headphone jack. The keyboard features now a full-height function key row in place of the Touch Bar, and the entire keyboard area is black.

    The updated notebooks offer reduced display borders, with a notch out of the top of the display for the webcam. The webcam itself offers a 1080p resolution with a wider aperture and a larger image sensor. The display itself is a mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display, which also features ProMotion for refresh rates up to 120Hz.

    Other new features include improved studio-quality mics and speakers that support Spatial Audio, with the 16-inch model containing a six-speaker system.

    Where charging is concerned, the units offer magnetic charging with MagSafe 3, which offers fast charging of up to 50 percent of battery capacity in 30 minutes. When playing back video, the 14.2-inch model offers up to 17 hours of battery life, while the 16.2-inch model can deliver up to 21 hours of video playback.

    Apple’s new M1 Pro chip functions as a scaled-up, more powerful variant of the M1 chip, and features a 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, a more capable Media Engine, more Thunderbolt controllers, support for up to 32GB of RAM, and more. The ‌M1‌ Max chip features the same 10-core CPU as the ‌M1‌ Pro, but includes a 32-core GPU with support for up to 64GB of RAM.

    The MacBook Pro is available to pre-order today with prices beginning around $1,999 and begins arriving to customers next week.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors

  • Rumor: Apple to begin mass production of Apple Silicon-based 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro units in second half of 2021

    Rumor: Apple to begin mass production of Apple Silicon-based 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro units in second half of 2021

    It looks as if two additional new Apple Silicon MacBook Pro notebooks are en route for the second half of 2021, the new rumor echoing previous hints as to upcoming 14-inch and 16-inch notebooks.

    Tuesday’s report fails to specify which MacBook Pro models will reach the assembly line, though predictions suggest Apple is primed to introduce a 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2021. Both notebooks are anticipated to sport Apple Silicon chips — potentially second-generation “M1X” or “M2” designs that build on the M1.

    Apple was said to have previously planned to begin mass production of the two unspecified MacBook Pro notebooks in May or June. While an exact timeline has not been made public, this matches up with what’s been cited by noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo

    Per Kuo, the two upcoming MacBook Pro notebooks will feature mini Led screens, a redesigned chassis, and the return of a MagSafe charging system. Other features that are expected to return include an HDMI pot and an SD card reader, while the unpopular Touch Bar will be replaced by physical function keys. Many of Kuo’s predictions were echoed by Bloomberg in January.

    Kuo expects a launch in the third quarter, while others are quoting a debut date sometime in 2021.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and Nikkei Asia

  • Rumor: Some next-gen MacBook Pro notebooks to regain SD card reader, HDMI ports

    Rumor: Some next-gen MacBook Pro notebooks to regain SD card reader, HDMI ports

    If you’ve missed the SD card reader and HDMI ports on recent model MacBook Pro notebooks, it looks like they may return this year.

    TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has indicated that at least two MacBook Pro notebook models with an SD card reader and HDMI port will debut in the second half of 2021. In a note to investors on Tuesday, Kuo indicated that the additions will arrive with a major design change that includes more options for external device connectivity. Apple over the past six years has pared down MacBook’s I/O choices to USB-C and Thunderbolt 3. The shift to a more inclusive mobile platform will be a welcome one for those averse to dongles. 

    The last MacBook Pro notebook to include an SD card slot and HDMI port shipped in 2015, with subsequent models eschewing these ports in favor of the slimmed down design.

    Genesys Logic appears to be the exclusive controller supplier for the upcoming SD card reader and could play a larger role in Apple’s product line moving forward, Kuo says. The firm could be on tap to fill orders for an expected hardware upgrade to the USB 4.0 protocol.

    In a report last month, Kuo stated that he expects Apple to launch 14-inch and 16-inch mini LED MacBook Pro variants that feature a “flat-edged” look more in line with the company’s current designs.

    Kuo also stated that he expects next-gen MacBooks to once again feature MagSafe charging technology. He also stated that the much-maligned OLED Touch Bar will get the boot in favor of physical function buttons.

    The analyst is predicting a launch in the third quarter. 

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider