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Gurman: Apple Planning M2 Pro Mac Mini, New Apple TV With A14 Chip, Revamped HomePod With S8 Chip, and More
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HobeSoundDarryl
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Yes, all this is the same stuff slung at every "next tier" discussion.
I saw the same stuff last time: "No support of 4K, no financial or technical reason, 4K TVs are only in a faction of households, etc." I could just go back in time before there was a 4K AppleTV and get paragraphs of "our" rationale why Apple didn't need to make an 4K AppleTV before they did... and go back further to the time before there was a 1080p AppleTV, grab the same pile of why nobody needs a 1080p AppleTV... then change a few number references, update "the chart" with different numbers and lay in maybe 20 paragraphs as to why an 8K version is not needed.
Similarly, I could make a great case that iPhone 13 is beyond "good enough" too... that M1 Macs are beyond "good enough" etc too... but we see much less of that kind of thinking with other Apple hardware. Instead, we hunger for more, more, more there. Just this ONE thing seems to get this "good enough" (in the format Apple currently has for sale right now) sentiment right up until Apple rolls out the next generation... and then it takes over as "good enough." It seems Apple is never called out as wrong when they roll out the next tier before all of the rationale we offer each other as to why that tier is not needed is addressed. The only apparent wrong is us consumers desiring something that Apple is not yet selling. Apparently, there's no need for any such thing for anyone until Apple makes it for sale.
As to your guess at timing, I agree. AppleTV getting updated again so relatively soon after the last update makes me think he's predicting far too early. In my recall, the next tier cameras need to exist for upwards of a generation of iPhone and then arrive in iPads before AppleTV gets some tangible upgrade love. So my guess would also be 2+ years out... not this year.
But I'll welcome it either way. Better hardware must lead all other things. Then software can be released to take advantage of it. It doesn't ever work the other way.
Actually, my point was they could release a 4K A14 Apple TV in 2022/2023, and then maybe an 8K A16/A17 Apple TV in 2025.
I'd gladly buy M2 Ultra/Extreme right now.
I skipped the M1 Studio because I already have the basic M1 mini & MBP.
I want a desktop Mac with a faster single core.
I skipped the M1 Studio because I already have the basic M1 mini & MBP.
I want a desktop Mac with a faster single core.
Why for the faster single-core? Just curious.
And even M2 Ultra won't likely have much faster single-core than M2, and in turn, M2 single-core isn't hugely faster than M1 single-core.
I'm not 100% convinced M2 Extreme will actually exist. It might as a 4 x M2 Max SoC, but previously I had predicted it would have a different nomenclature. I was thinking the naming would be different because it would have a somewhat different architecture particularly related to memory, even if it recycled most of the same cores.
So Apple is going to offer more Mac choices, rumored new screen sizes and more desktop variants - good guess Gurman. Anyone can do this at this point.
As for S8 having the same specs as S7 and S6 - that really means no new functionality esp health sensors/features in AW8 - that will be a problem as the competition is catching up on Apple, Apple needs to build out its lead…
As for S8 having the same specs as S7 and S6 - that really means no new functionality esp health sensors/features in AW8 - that will be a problem as the competition is catching up on Apple, Apple needs to build out its lead…
Not sure we have enough information yet to establish a pattern, but I'm interested to see. I'd like to see all products have a regular and predictable cycle.
When I think about ordering the M1 mac mini, my subconscious says "2 year old computer", even if that isn't exactly true or meaningful. But I do hesitate to buy a product "late" into its lifecycle
I agree. It should be nothing less. The game possibilities would truly open up
While it is possible for an annual cadence, I just don't see why it is considered probable.
Everyone historically blamed Intel for Apple letting hardware "rot on the vine" without getting updated, but we may now see that this is just how Apple likes to operate and maintain margins while amortizing manufacturing costs. We will see soon how quickly Apple updates WHAT devices. Even with the M2, Apple hasn't bothered updating the iPad Pros, iMac, Mac mini, or iPad Air yet.
So far, the M* is following the 18 month cadence of its A*x forebearers (being about the same power/thermal class chip). If I were to bet, I would suggest that 18 month cadence (skipping an A* core design every third year or so) seems the most likely.
Given that Apple has left pro Mac hardware around for YEARS, I would be shocked if any future Mac Pro got updated faster than every TWO years.
There is no NEED for apple to update Macs annually, and if they can avoid that work, they'll save more money.
As for PC competition, Apple and mac users don't really care. Intel and AMD are not sitting still and they're willing to sell to markets where power/heat is no problem and external GPUs rule... There are always tradeoffs with technology.
I find it wild how many holes product holes there are with these recent rumours:
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The new HomePod needs to be better if I get one.
It needs a direct WiFi connection to iPhone or iPad for lossless playback and perhaps BlueTooth connectivity.
It needs better bass, a subwoofer.
I would get a newer Apple TV. I like the little box.
I am hoping Mac mini Pro will change it up a little bit. Maybe 3/4 current thickness.
It needs a direct WiFi connection to iPhone or iPad for lossless playback and perhaps BlueTooth connectivity.
It needs better bass, a subwoofer.
I would get a newer Apple TV. I like the little box.
I am hoping Mac mini Pro will change it up a little bit. Maybe 3/4 current thickness.
Sofar we have seen:
A14 -> M1 : 4 weeks
M1 -> M1Pro/Max : 1 year
M1Max -> M1Ultra : 6 months
A15 -> M2 : 9 months
No pattern to detect and we don't even know what went on behind the scenes.
Did one of these get delayed to coincide with a new product/design?
Did one of these get delayed by having design issues?
Did one of these get delayed by low yields for bigger chips?
Did one of these get delayed by a limited supply of wafers for anything 5nm?
Did one of these get delayed by supply issues outside chip manufacturing?
Apple should invest their R&D in a Dolby Atmos HomePod Theater system with a big ass sub! Would be an instant buy for me!
Gurman said in his newsletter:
Gurman also previously said he doesn’t expect new MacBook Pros (14/16) this year, so maybe they’re coming in early 2023 with M3 coming in late 2023 since he also said in this newsletter:
So?
Pretty much everything in my list could still happen.
Unless the already have higher M2s in (pre)production and fixed all other possible supply issues.
Faster single core, because 90% of my time spent on web-browsing. And the M2 scores 400 in Speedometer 2 benchmark vs 300 with M1.
That's 33% uplift for main Mac activity.
It's not that much better than the M1 in other areas (and certainly worse as a laptop in thermals & power draw), and I agree with that. But since I have the basic M1 mini and it struggles with multitasking due to only having 4 power cores, I need an upgrade for my desktop Mac that is based on M2 for the above reason.
I don't know about the M2 Extreme, it is entirely possible that would need new architecture (3nm?) to become a reality. Till then I'd keep an eye out for M2 Ultra.
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Ideal for what? Unless you think they need a higher end gaming machine, it's simply not necessary for an Apple TV.
A series chips would also help keep it tiny and cost effective.
Also for Digital Audio Workstations (DAW's), single thread is more important unless you are composing for an orchestra.
A 27" M2 Pro iMac would be awesome.
So I was agreeing that we don’t know the pattern and that just because it took this long between releases doesn’t mean we can say the timeline will be the same for the next generation of chips.