Leaker: Apple Planning iPad Air With Under-Screen Touch ID, ARM MacBook, Game Controller, and More

[rp2011]

As all of us who’ve been enjoying the power and battery life of the iPad pros already. anything with Intel inside feel like low end Macs. They feel ancient and primitive by comparison.

Whatever Mac gets ARM first, that “low end” Mac will be become the first new high end Mac.

 

[chucker23n1]

The unavoidable problem areas are likely to be:

• Goodbye to x86 Bootcamp/x86 virtualisation/x86 Docker (but hello to iOS/ARM and ARM Linux/Docker and maybe ARM Windows)
• Any "abandonware" no longer being actively developed/supported (that hasn't already been killed off by Catalina and the loss of 32-bit support)
• Some big dinosaurs with loads of legacy code and huge ecosystems of third-party plugins
• Some custom hardware drivers - but that's only because certain manufacturers suck at long-term support, and they're just as likely to drop support for the next x86 version of MacOS anyway.

...most of which aren't going to be a big deal on a 12" MacBook replacement. The key would be how well Apple manage any transition on the more powerful machines. They could of course stuff things up by trying to lock down MacOS or otherwise making MacOS for ARM half-baked, or pushing the transition of Pro machines too quickly...

This is spot-on and exactly why I think that, if Apple does go ARM on the Mac, they'll start on something like the 12-inch MacBook, or possibly constrain it to certain low-end computers forever (or a long time).
[automerge]1587383171[/automerge]

The notion that 1% of Apple's audience is interested in gaming is the deepest FUD imaginable.

That's not what I said.

I replied to: "A machine for the average person that can also install Windows and game on it with a decent sized CPU cooler"

The average person doesn't install Windows, and the average person doesn't look for "a decent sized CPU cooler".

I'm literally typing on one that happily runs The Sims 4 for example.

But that game was fairly low-end to begin with, and several years old when the 12-inch MacBook launched.

 

[PickUrPoison]

I’d hope so, but that sounds too good to be true.

Keep in mind the 12” MacBook was priced as a premium product, despite having the least powerful chips of any Apple device.

The entry level machine wasn’t really all that much more expensive than the Air. A 256GB 13” MBA with the crappy screen was $1,199, compared to the 256GB 12” MacBook with Retina at $1,299.

The faster CPU options could crank up the price pretty good though.

PS when the Retina Air came out in late 2018, it was $1,199 for the 128GB and $1,399 for the 256GB.

 

[EugW]

No, current programs are not "written in x86-64". They're written in Objective C, C++, Swift etc. - which don't depend on the processor architecture - and compiled to x86 code. Huge swathes of applications will simply require the developers to tick the "ARM64" box in XCode, re-compile and test: in many cases it will be far less work than the recent switch to 64 bits, or the annual update to cope with the latest OS X version - which could involve changing code or even re-designing apps to work with new security features.

Yes - there will be exceptions where processor-specific code has been used for speed or optimisation, but in 2020 that sort of thing is overdue for replacing with calls to OS frameworks (Metal, Accelerate etc.) anyway, and other optimisation is best left to the compiler. Even then, we're talking about replacing small sections of code, not a complete re-write of the app. Lovingly hand-crafted machine code is hard work and no developer with any sense uses it unless there is a very, very good reason.

I'm not saying it's a non-problem, but its nothing like the complexity of (say) making a Mac version of a Windows app or even a iOS version of a Mac app. Even with Photoshop for iPad, a huge part of the difficulty is totally re-inventing the UI for touchscreen, dealing with the limited RAM/storage of the iPad and the peculiar security restrictions of iOS.

The unavoidable problem areas are likely to be:

• Goodbye to x86 Bootcamp/x86 virtualisation/x86 Docker (but hello to iOS/ARM and ARM Linux/Docker and maybe ARM Windows)
• Any "abandonware" no longer being actively developed/supported (that hasn't already been killed off by Catalina and the loss of 32-bit support)
• Some big dinosaurs with loads of legacy code and huge ecosystems of third-party plugins
• Some custom hardware drivers - but that's only because certain manufacturers suck at long-term support, and they're just as likely to drop support for the next x86 version of MacOS anyway.

...most of which aren't going to be a big deal on a 12" MacBook replacement. The key would be how well Apple manage any transition on the more powerful machines. They could of course stuff things up by trying to lock down MacOS or otherwise making MacOS for ARM half-baked, or pushing the transition of Pro machines too quickly...

It should also be noted that A12X/Z is already fast enough to run macOS-on-Intel apps via translation. It would not be super fast, but it would be fast enough for a 12” MacBook. Translation might cut the effective speed by 40-50%, but A12X/Z is already so fast, it’d be OK in a MacBook. And A14X will be even faster.

In Geekbench 5 multi-core, A12X/Z (4700) is about twice as fast as the 2020 Core i3 13” MacBook Air (2350) and three times as fast as my 2017 Core m3 12” MacBook (1570).

For general business applications, surfing and such, I find the speed of my 12” MacBook (1570) and the 2019 iPad 7 (1430) quite adequate. Not blistering fast but very adequate, and enough that I have no desire to upgrade my 16 GB MacBook any time soon for performance reasons. I could use this just fine performance-wise for the next several years. My main beef with this model is not the performance, but the fact it only has one USB-C port, which is occasionally annoying.

Meanwhile, my 2017 iPad Pro 10.5” (2310) feels quite speedy for general OS tasks and business applications, and surfing. Yes, side by side the A12X feels faster than my A10X but it’s diminishing returns at this point. A12X/Z’s advantage here is with more heavy duty applications like video editing.

BTW, my rough categories of speed go something like this for Geekbench 5 multi-core, for general mainstream tasks:

1000: Acceptable but slowdowns can be noticeable
1400: Usually quite decent
2300: Very speedy
4600: Extremely speedy

 

[macfan90]

There’s an article every day about a stupid iPad. The Macs are always delayed and take back seats to a dumbed down iPhone that happens to be enlarged. That’s all an iPad is.

 

[fredrik9]

If they can release an iPad Air for a lower price point than the Pro with a 12.9 inch screen I‘m on! Need that bigger screen but not all the power of the Pro or that better screen.

And of course, with some kind of smart connector and support for one of the Apple pencils (preferably the first one since that is the one I own)

 

[supertiffany]

There’s an article every day about a stupid iPad. The Macs are always delayed and take back seats to a dumbed down iPhone that happens to be enlarged. That’s all an iPad is.

macs got slower updates one of reasons is apple waiting for intel

 

[profets]

Fun times on MR seeing so many rumours.

Bit selfish on my part, but would really love to see some news of an iMac.

 

[44267547]

Steve Joswiak (VP of Marketing) Stated last year touch ID had a future with Apple products moving forward. I think the implementation of touch ID is exactly as this rumor indicates, it will be embedded under the display, which I also suspect will migrate its way into the iPhone for the future offering both face ID and touch ID under the display at one point. It gives options to consumers, and provides a secondary layer of security.

Apple's Greg Joswiak Says Touch ID Will 'Continue to Have a Role'

Apple's vice president of product marketing Greg Joswiak recently spoke with the UK's Daily Express about the future of its biometric...

www.macrumors.com

 

[chucker23n1]

There’s an article every day about a stupid iPad. The Macs are always delayed and take back seats to a dumbed down iPhone that happens to be enlarged. That’s all an iPad is.

So, uh, you seem to have strong opinions about iPads, but it's not like the iPad gets more frequent updates than the Mac.

All iPads seem to be on a cycle of roughly a year and a half (530 days for the 12-inch Pro, 485 for the 11-inch, 654 for the Air, 467 for the mini, and 575 for the $329).

MacBooks are on a faster cycle than that: 412 days for the Air, 322 for the Pro. It's mainly desktops where Apple has been very slow to update: 634 days for the mini, 772 for the Pro, 383 for the iMac, and who-knows for the iMac Pro.

I would understand the desire for a more predictable schedule like the iPhone has. Every September, period (leaving aside the SE). But pitting the Mac against the iPad on this makes no sense to me. It's not like iPads get an annual refresh.

 

[PickUrPoison]

If they can release an iPad Air for a lower price point than the Pro with a 12.9 inch screen I‘m on! Need that bigger screen but not all the power of the Pro or that better screen.

And of course, with some kind of smart connector and support for one of the Apple pencils (preferably the first one since that is the one I own)

I don’t expect a lower tier than the iPad Pro for the 12.9”.

Similarly, some want a 16” at a lower tier (a 16” Air, for instance) than the MBP.

Neither are likely.

 

[Jury]

I can't understand why some people think that a Macbook ARM can sort of float between iPads and Macs. This ARM Asomething will be a high(er) TDP effort and Mac OS X itself will be at least recompiled. This isn't something you do on the side.

I'm pretty certain that when and if Apple brings Mac OS X to ARM they will go all in and in one to two years every single Mac will be running some variation of Axx chips.

Disagreed. Apple will likely not able to do a transition over ARM-Based Macs without controversy that many products are lack of effort with unfinished development from Tim Cook.

 

[Z3man]

I would love it if they brought back the 12" MacBook.

Currently using the first gen 2015 model and absolutely love it, but its not going to last forever, so i do hope the bring the 12" back, preferably exactly the same design.

 

[Jury]

iPad Air underscreen Touch ID is a surprise given that iPad’s price point.

Under the screen fingerprint is not a new technology and Apple is a second fiddle by being not able to come up with a solution and Qualcomm proved that it can be done properly.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

I’d honestly be happy to buy an Apple game controller. The DS4 is great but it’s cumbersome to use with more than 1 Apple Device. Give me an Apple controller with a W series chip.

 

[The Game 161]

Under the screen fingerprint is not a new technology and Apple is a second fiddle by being not able to come up with a solution and Qualcomm proved that it can be done properly.

It’s not new not sure anybody said it was. Hopefully when apple do it the consistency isn’t as trash as it is on android devices.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Fun times on MR seeing so many rumours.

Bit selfish on my part, but would really love to see some news of an iMac.

Agreed! Out if the 17 products listed in the tweet, we’ve only gotten 3 so far.

PS iMac update won’t come before Intel ships S-series Comet Lake. Same with the mini. 30 April is rumored.

 

[Jury]

It’s not new not sure anybody said it was. Hopefully when apple do it the consistency isn’t as trash as it is on android devices.

Nobody? You can naively think so, but why are you surprised about the low price point.

 

[iandk]

When is the MacBook 12" expected to launch?
WWDC? or next year?

 

[Rogifan]

I think it's safe to assume that these "leaks" have always been intentional and targeted. The "secrecy" and the rumor mill around Apple products have always been a rather cheap but very effective marketing strategy.

Sony very obviously is much better at keeping secrets than Apple: The Japanese tech giant built a whole car in secrecy and nobody had known anything about it when it was shown. Or look at the PS5: No leaks whatsoever, everything the world know about the next gen console was officially announced.

No. John Gruber and Jason Snell have talked about this on their podcasts. They’ve both said Apple hates leaks because they want people to be surprised when they announce stuff. And if the company was going to leak something I doubt it would be through some random Chinese guy posting on Twitter. This has all the hallmarks of a leaky supoly chain which Apple probably has no control over.

 

[timber]

Disagreed. Apple will likely not able to do a transition over ARM-Based Macs without controversy that many products are lack of effort with unfinished development from Tim Cook.

And why would Apple care about controversy? Never ou rarely did and probably never will.

 

[PickUrPoison]

I would love it if they brought back the 12" MacBook.

Currently using the first gen 2015 model and absolutely love it, but its not going to last forever, so i do hope the bring the 12" back, preferably exactly the same design.

A 14” at around 2.5 lbs. would be sweet. A re-introduction with Apple ARM for MacOS has always made sense (followed by the Air) but who knows.

 

[EugW]

I would love it if they brought back the 12" MacBook.

Currently using the first gen 2015 model and absolutely love it, but its not going to last forever, so i do hope the bring the 12" back, preferably exactly the same design.

Which model and what do you think of the speed?

To be honest I wasn’t completely happy with the speed of the 2015 base model (Geekbench 5 multi-core score 1150), even back in 2015, but the 2017 m3 (1570) feels much faster.

Also see my performance post here:

Leaker: Apple Planning iPad Air With Under-Screen Touch ID, ARM MacBook, Game Controller, and More

It should also be noted that A12X/Z is already fast enough to run macOS-on-Intel apps via translation. It would not be super fast, but it would be fast enough for a 12” MacBook. Translation might cut the effective speed by 40-50%, but A12X/Z is already so fast, it’d be OK in a MacBook. And A14X...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[The Game 161]

Nobody? You can naively think so, but why are you surprised about the low price point.

Naive? So are people saying here apple is the first to do this? Pretty sure nobody has said that.

For a $300 iPad it would be a surprise to see full screen display. Be good to see though.

 

[macfan90]

why did you mention “mini”? The mini was just updated.

also, rumors should stop saying “iMac updates soon” “iMac updates right after Mac mini”. People don’t know what soon means.

besides, maybe, just maybe, Apple has early access to new intel chips like the good ol days.
Regardless, yes, Apple sucks at updating Macs on a timely basis. Especially non mobile devices.

Agreed! Out if the 17 products listed in the tweet, we’ve only gotten 3 so far.

PS iMac update won’t come before Intel ships S-series Comet Lake. Same with the mini. 30 April is rumored.