I was hoping for an iMac. It is long due for an update. I am waiting for it to replace mine.
The Intel 21.5" iMac is rumored to make the jump to Apple Silicon with an Apple Silicon 24" iMac which rumors still peg as being launched this year. The Intel 21.5" iMac wasn't updated this year alongside the Intel 27" iMac, which strongly indicates that the former will see an Apple Silicon update very soon, while the latter will probably not see its update for another year. Apple did say it would be a two-year transition and, unlike how it was last transition, I believe that they'll actually use all two years to complete the transition (particularly for the higher-end Macs).
The 27" iMac was just updated in August no? But I agree, its awaiting a long needed design refresh. I'd love to see this rumoured 23-24" iMac with the iPad Pro like design.
The Apple Silicon 24" iMac would be to replace the Intel 21.5" iMac which wasn't updated this year. The Intel 27" iMac was likely updated this year because the Apple Silicon replacement (a rumored Apple Silicon 30-32" iMac) wouldn't be coming until 2H 2021 at the earliest.
I’m starting to feel a bit Rumor-Fatigued by the hype-train these past 6 months on pending products that have just never surfaced. AirTags? Apple Silicon iMac? AirPods Studio? Where art thou....
AirTags and AirPods Studio are new products that, as of yet, there's no guarantee of an actual release for. The Apple Silicon iMac, on the other hand, is an inevitable certainty. You'll get the smaller one out by the end of this year and the larger one by the end of next year. Nothing about that has changed in the past four months...
I’m really not sure if Apple can convince Pro user to ditch X86 this soon and work with Rosseta2.
That's why you won't see Pro-calibur systems like the 16" MacBook Pro, 27" iMac, iMac Pro, or Mac Pro updated until the latter half of the transition. That and Apple will likely want to wait until newer A-series based SoCs can further put some distance in performance between themselves and 10th Gen Intel.
IMO, it's a revived 12" MacBook.
- It's the least demanding of all Macs, so it's safer to start with this one,
- It's been out of the line-up for so long, but there's still a market for ultrabooks, bringing it back only makes sense,
- Macbook Air was refreshed not so long ago,
- The MacBook Pro has to be a "pro" model. An A14X probably won't suffice for that matter.
Finally, it could have a bigger screen than 12" by reducing the bezels (13"?). If that happens, I can picture the MacBook Air slowly dying and never be replaced. This MacBook Air has always looked like a placeholder, something to fill the void while waiting for an ARM ultra portable Mac.
Just my opinion.
The current iteration of the MacBook Air is the continuation of the 12" MacBook. It's not the continuation of the 2010-2017 Air; the machine continuing that legacy is the 2-Port 13" MacBook Pro. Performance wasn't the only reason why the 12" MacBook failed. It was too small to be ergonomically viable for long term use and it only had one port, which made it unsuitable for many people. Giving the 12" MacBook the 16" Pro's bezel treatment to make it 13" is cute, but it doesn't solve any other problem. Apple also REALLY needs to highlight the fact that these new Macs will be better FIRST AND FOREMOST for ditching Intel. Given that, you're going to see some new body styles (like on the iMac), but probably not on these first couple of releases.
The 16" Mbp will clearly have a much improved chip than the A14/14X and apple i bet is working on a custom made gpu to replace the need for the dGpu from the bigger imac and the bigger macbook pro
Someone suggested that the first Apple Silicon 16" MacBook Pro and 27" iMac successor will have something A15 based. The timing of when those are rumored to come about would align very well with this. Plus as first generation Apple Silicon Macs as well as Macs on the lower-end, A14 would be perfect (and still give final round Intel Macs a run for their money).
Jon also tweeted directly at an MR staffer about no Apple TV this year.
That above all is one major disappointment as I have waited to replace my third generation box.
The 4K model (essentially the 5th Gen box) is plenty capable. Hell, I see no reason to replace my fourth gen 64GB model. The tvOS app ecosystem is less than stellar, and it's not like an A13X or A14/X would do much to improve upon that.
The problem is not that Rosette2 won't work, it is that after 18 months Rosette2 will be dropped and everyone will be forced to either toss their brand new Apple Silicon or move away from the X86. There is no future in Rosette2, just like there was no future in the original Rosette.
Rosetta 1 lasted for six years before getting dropped. Apple is likely going to have Rosetta 2 last longer than that (and deprecate it at least a few years after they stop releasing whole new Intel versions of macOS). I wouldn't count on Rosetta 2 being included in Apple Silicon macOS releases forever, but it will definitely be around for long enough for most titles to safely make the jump. There will always be older versions and/or discontinued software that won't survive because it's Apple. But with any luck, virtualization in Apple Silicon will allow you to continue to virtualize old versions of Apple Silicon macOS that still have Rosetta so that, if need absolutely be, you can continue to run your x86 software in Rosetta in a VM running on an Apple Silicon Mac just like I could run any PowerPC apps in a Snow Leopard VM running on any current Intel Mac.
What ports are they going to use. Thunderbolt is an Intel port. Has USB 4 been implemented?
Apple has already said that they'll continue to have Thunderbolt on Apple Silicon Macs. Incidentally, aside from the 10th Generation Intel based MacBook Airs and 4-port 13" MacBook Pros, every Intel Mac with Thunderbolt on it has a separate controller chip by Intel. You'll probably see that controller chip make its way to Apple Silicon Macs just like it has to AMD PCs.
Well,
I've never been more exited for the new mac, however I was under impression that it will be able to run x86 apps using Rosetta 2, well boy I was brain-washed by apple.
turns out Rosetta 2 doesn't support many important apps:
Chrome, VsCode, all Electron based and Chromium engine based apps and more
The chip in the DTK does not have hardware support for 4kB pages, meaning many apps will not even run.
sure those apps mentioned above will be ported sooner or later, However there can be some plugins / sdks that may end not working for a while especially if the developer is busy and it's opensource.
so Yeah watch out for that before jumping blindly trusting Apple.
Where does it say that Apple Silicon won't support Chrome, and Chromium/Electron based apps? Chrome and Chromium will be native pretty much right off the bat, but I don't recall seeing anything about those things not being supported in Rosetta 2. The only apps that I recall seeing as not being supported in Rosetta 2 are apps that do x86 virtualization (like current releases of Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion).
Why is it that the ONE THING that Apple has already said people refuse to believe? Macs get their own Apple Silicon variants separate from A-series chips.
it won’t be A14 or A14X or A14Z. It will be something else.
You do realize that you're arguing semantics, right? The chips will still be based on A14 somehow. Just like the A12Z and A12X are not variants meant for an iPhone or an iPad mini, there will be A14 variants that are not meant for the iPad Pro, iPad Air, or anything smaller and will instead be for the Mac. What they name it is not important at all. That's all marketing that none of us know. What we do know is that it will be based on A14.
The date is a bit late, I would prefer Nov 10 as best guess if Apple was going to do this.
It just needs to be before Black Friday.
I agree, the “Air” tag is outdated. I get it when Apple first released the Air as it was revolutionary due to the slim 10 yrs ago.
It’s also outdated for the ipad. IPad SE, iPad (Air), iPad Pro. Their naming across all their lines just leads to consumer confusion. Look how any iterations there the past 5 years for the iPhone. Geez. Pro, Max, S, SE, C.. Probably missing some. 2020 iPhone Pro 6’7. Simple.
Apple tried to get rid of "Air" in 2016 and 2017. On the MacBook side, they tried to have the 2-port 13" MacBook Pro replace it (as that machine is basically a retina-based continuation of the 2010-2017 Air). On the iPad side, they basically forked it off to a non-Pro and a Pro model (which continues on in the form of the current Air). Then in 2018 and 2019, they brought it back by popular demand. "Air" isn't going anywhere. Apple tried to kill it, but then they reneged and brought it back.
I think we can be fairly certain that Apple will introduce the ARM-based Apple Silicone in to the low-end of the line first. They are putting iPad chips in Macs in this fist release. It will take years before Apple Silicone is able to replace higher-end Intel processors. This is why Apple has a year-long plan.
The first step is easy, put a phone-class chip in a notebook but doing that in an iMac Pro is much harder
I'm guessing the new ARM mac will be a new class of Mac. Not a "Mac air" or "MacBook Pro" but some new name. It will likely have Mac Air class specs
Apple may change the naming scheme, but they won't do it across the board. They need SOME continuity. Also, it's not a year-long plan, but a two-year long plan. And it technically hasn't even commenced yet.
In my experience managers were running around with 12" MacBooks, while me, the poor software developer looked longingly with a bulky MacBook Pro. Also if you look at other manufacturers, being the thinnest/lightest is for the most premium/expensive, not the budget line. That is the Macbook Air, while Macbook should be the portability, while Pro being the performance end of the spectrum. The current state of the lineup - ie missing Macbook - is in my reading entirely up to Intel not being able to keep up their schedule.
There are four key reasons why the 12" MacBook got nixed. Performance, the keyboard, the single USB-C port, and ergonomics. The keyboard got fixed. Performance will be fixed once the jump to Apple Silicon commences. Every other problem will remain and frankly, isn't fixable. That's why the 12" MacBook gave way to the 2018-2020 MacBook Airs which are the same exact class of machines but with the latter two problems fixed. Apple won't revive the 12" MacBook; they'll make the MacBook Air finally usable in ways that its 2010-2017 predecessor (and 2-port 13" MacBook Pro spiritual successor) is but that the 12" MacBook simply isn't and never will be.
