Sketchy Rumor Claims Apple Plans to Announce High-End Gaming MacBook or iMac at WWDC 2020

[dgdosen]

Assuming this new 'computer' is built using an ARM architecture, and if it's built with some A14 variant, and if it's one of the first chips out of the box built with 5nm...

Apple's already got enough processor power in the compute cores (assuming those geek bench scores are meaningful)

Is it that crazy to expect A14ish GPUs might be able to provide competitive performance compared to that of AMD or Nvidia?

 

[TheColtr]

I could see the possibility. With Apple launching Apple Arcade, Apple is getting into gaming. Funny enough my MacBook Pro is the slowest at running arcade games, as oppose to my iphone and iPad.

 

[ipponrg]

Those injuries are overuse, stemming from an imbalance pushing yourself too much, not allowing yourself to adapt at an acceptable rate.

Even though these injuries are not contact based, they are still injuries from the training and competition. Thanks for confirming real injury is still possible.

 

[Fiachers]

why? no one makes games for Mac... I'm still waiting for Witcher 3...

...no one? Sick of hearing this crap every time this topic comes up. There are plenty of native mac games.

 

[smulji]

Yeah, but it'd be suboptimal using an AMD GPU for games, and it'd be somewhat broken running macOS on a Nvidia GPU. Also, being a Hackintosh, it probably won't sleep properly or be able to use virtual machine optimization or generally play nicely at all with macOS updates.
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lol
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Lots of things are sticking. Someone else named them. The only thing not is the iPad, and that's cause it was a flawed idea since before Tim Cook was even CEO.

Btw, "gamers are not easily fooled by flashy gimmicks," yes they are, more than anyone else. That's what aesthetics-only DLC is all about. If you want to compare apples to apples more, look at a gamer's LED-encrusted desk setup or his PC which is either overly equipped or full of parts that seem cool but don't actually help. Also I don't know what percentage of gamers are young kids, but it's probably a lot.

"Someone else named them. The only thing not is the iPad, and that's cause it was a flawed idea since before Tim Cook was even CEO. "

How so? When Steve Jobs first introduced the iPad in 2010, he said that for it to be successful it had to be better than the smartphone and the laptop at seven key tasks. And if you watch the entire demo, he does it sitting back against a couch because that's the type of experience an iPad was envisioned as: lean back against the couch experience. It was never introduced as a laptop replacement. Fast forward to today, there are two more tasks you can add to that list that SJ never mentioned in 2010 => note taking and gaming.

What if it's Tim Cook's idea of pushing the iPad as a laptop alternative / replacement that's a flawed idea?

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Commenters here are doubtful, but it actually makes sense, Apple are obviously busy expanding their revenue streams, so jumping on gaming adds up. Commenters also doubt that people will pay $5k when they can buy a Windows gaming box for way less, but if you apply that argument to all Apply products, then Apple ceases to exist, so yes, build it and they will buy. Maybe it's a false rumour, but it makes sense to me.

 

[IG88]

There is a gaming Mac. It's an iMac 5K with Boot Camp.

IMO part of the "gaming" aspect would be modular / expandable / upgradable tower. Simply upgrading the GPU in the iMac and pushing it as "gaming" isn't going to get anyone excited. Same with a "gaming" laptop. Zero ****s given.

 

[HiRez]

This is hilarious, not a chance in hell this is happening. Has anyone been paying attention to Apple in the last 20+ years? OK Apple Pippen in the mid-90s, but those days are long gone (and it failed hard anyway). Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see Apple get serious about games outside of iOS, but I don't see it happening.

 

[Cole Slaw]

I don't know; based on the price and the timing I'd say this is a new or at least upgraded iMac Pro they're talking about.
Wish it was a "consumer" version of the Mac Pro, though.

 

[name99]

Apple WWDC keynote will look like this:
- How great Apple is (so many customers, app downloads, sales, ...)
- Services doing well
- What’s new in iOS14
- New in iPadOS14
- New in WatchOS 7
- New in MacOS <location>
(includes various apps, INCLUDING some amazing Metal gaming)
- One More Thing
- All the MacOS demos were on an ARM mac mini
- Developer units available now, customer Macs available end of the year, rolling out across entire product line

Within this framework, an eSports Mac makes perfect sense. It’s a halo (set of) devices that show, at every form factor, how much better performance (single CPU, multi-core, and GPU) ARM Macs can provide tha the x86 competition. The devices will exist not to be sold, but to make people aware that ARM Macs are qualitatively and quantitatively in a different universe from older PCs.
All they need is to have a few leading edge games on them at launch. If they are enough of a leap over the competition, demand will have other games ported over In time.

Is this feasible? I don’t see why not. You should be able to pack eg the equivalent of 3 or even 4 A13X’s in the thermal profile of a MacBook Pro or a Mac mini, at which point I think you are substantially ahead of their x86 specs.

 

[TerrorOFdeath]

Yeah right, and here there are not able to bring an MacMini with an iGPU from Amd that could handle 1080p Games. Hell even Vega20 could do that, not even speaking of 5300 or 5500..

Tod

 

[fairuz]

"Someone else named them. The only thing not is the iPad, and that's cause it was a flawed idea since before Tim Cook was even CEO. "

How so? When Steve Jobs first introduced the iPad in 2010, he said that for it to be successful it had to be better than the smartphone and the laptop at seven key tasks. And if you watch the entire demo, he does it sitting back against a couch because that's the type of experience an iPad was envisioned as: lean back against the couch experience. It was never introduced as a laptop replacement. Fast forward to today, there are two more tasks you can add to that list that SJ never mentioned in 2010 => note taking and gaming.

What if it's Tim Cook's idea of pushing the iPad as a laptop alternative / replacement that's a flawed idea?

There's an entire section of that presentation devoted to using iWork on the iPad. Jobs was also aiming at the education market. Turns out it's not an improvement for either of those, so then what's left but the tasks you can already perform just as well on a phone, especially ones with large screens? I'll grant that it's better for a few things that really demand a tablet form factor, but the Surface covers those bases while still working as a laptop too, and anyway those are niche.

 

[IG88]

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see Apple get serious about games outside of iOS, but I don't see it happening.

Gaming may be their marketing angle. Think of it as a Mac Pro mini, non Xeon and it starts making more sense.

I don't want an iMac, and Mac Mini = nope. I'd pay the Apple tax for a consumer grade Mac tower. I don't want to deal with Hackintosh issues, but I want a dual boot Mac / Windows tower.

 

[PickUrPoison]

<snip>
What if it's Tim Cook's idea of pushing the iPad as a laptop alternative / replacement that's a flawed idea?

It was Jobs, not Cook, who thought the iPad would replace laptops/desktops. Remember his car/truck analogy? That most people don’t really need a truck; a tablet computer can be as good or better for many. But that some will always need the power of the desktop/laptop truck.

And wasn’t Jobs right? Laptop sales declined (somewhat), while iPad now outsells Mac better than 2:1.

What’s interesting to me as how little Mac sales have eroded. But Apple’s fine with whatever customers want to buy. They’ll gladly sell you a $1,500 iPad Pro laptop replacement, a $329 iPad, an $800 mini, a $1,100 MBA, $1,300 13” MBP, an $1,800 iMac, a $2,400-6,000 16” MBP, a $14,000 iMac Pro or $52,000 Mac Pro. With a $6,000 display.

Anyone who’s afraid Cook is pushing $500 ASP iPads over much more expensive Macs is not paying attention. His preference is to sell you both

 

[PickUrPoison]

Yeah right, and here there are not able to bring an MacMini with an iGPU from Amd that could handle 1080p Games. Hell even Vega20 could do that, not even speaking of 5300 or 5500..

Tod

Do people want to game at 1080p? Mac mini has a 65W thermal budget for CPU + GPU. Any AMD dGPU is going to blow that up. That’s not to say Apple can’t build a gaming machine; the iMac Pro chassis would probably be best starting point.

If Apple does want to do gaming, they’re going to need a platform before they’ll be able to convince the studios to port older games and build newer games targeting it. But I’m skeptical they have much interest in competing head to head in terms of esports.

However, a new Apple TV (and the next iPad Pro) with an A14X would be a decent gaming platform for all but the top 10% or so of use cases. If Apple subsidizes development, they should be able to get some great games. Isn’t that what they’re doing with Arcade?

 

[Hieveryone]

This makes sense.

Think about it folks, this computer would be PERFECT for Apple Arcade


/s

 

[Kinotto]

IMHO, the only thing it’d make sense doing would be to start adding dedicated Gpus to the bottom tiers of the MacBook lineup and to the Mac Mini ( something in the realm of the 16” MacBook Pro’s Radeon 5300m ).
This way people who uses Macs for work could install Bootcamp for some gaming, instead of having to build a dedicated gaming rig.
Still won’t compete with hardcore gaming systems but it’d be very appealing for casual gamers like myself.

 

[TerrorOFdeath]

Do people want to game at 1080p? Mac mini has a 65W thermal budget for CPU + GPU. Any AMD dGPU is going to blow that up. That’s not to say Apple can’t build a gaming machine; the iMac Pro chassis would probably be best starting point

Most are still gaming on 1080p. And more so eSports, they care for frames not eyecandy. So at least that can be expected from Apple if they want to do something like that -> Be aware of the market and their needs!
And also portability for their rigs.
So Macmini would be perfect for that aspect.
But with the Intel iGPU you cant do even the most basic stuff like Overwatch or even Dota.

Tod

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

They must of had the same dream I had. There's no way and no reason for Apple to produce a machine like that.

They'd have to find a really REALLY good reason to convince even a light gamer that the Mac platform is on par with or better than the dominant PC platform.

And up-to $5000 means they have to convince serious gamers that it's better to buy the Mac equivalent of a Alienware over a DIY system.

And that's just for the hardware.

We'd still need to see developers make games for the Mac platform.

All I basically play anymore nowadays are Blizzard titles. They're all cross-platform. Once my PC rig is long in the tooth, I intend to build a rig around a MBP or a Mini and an eGPU.

So there, there's your $5000 use case.
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All they need is to have a few leading edge games on them at launch. If they are enough of a leap over the competition, demand will have other games ported over In time.

While I would prefer a legit "PC-ish" gaming Mac... Your example makes a lot of sense. With PUBG and Fortnite already on iOS and macOS now running iOS apps, all they'd need to do would be to convince Logitech and Razer to write drivers for their mice/keyboards and boom. Instant gaming ecosystem.

And frankly... the idea of a pile of Ax SoCs instead of a traditional x86 does sound pretty potent.

 

[smulji]

Do people want to game at 1080p? Mac mini has a 65W thermal budget for CPU + GPU. Any AMD dGPU is going to blow that up. That’s not to say Apple can’t build a gaming machine; the iMac Pro chassis would probably be best starting point.

If Apple does want to do gaming, they’re going to need a platform before they’ll be able to convince the studios to port older games and build newer games targeting it. But I’m skeptical they have much interest in competing head to head in terms of esports.

However, a new Apple TV (and the next iPad Pro) with an A14X would be a decent gaming platform for all but the top 10% or so of use cases. If Apple subsidizes development, they should be able to get some great games. Isn’t that what they’re doing with Arcade?

"However, a new Apple TV (and the next iPad Pro) with an A14X would be a decent gaming platform for all but the top 10% or so of use cases. If Apple subsidizes development, they should be able to get some great games. Isn’t that what they’re doing with Arcade?"

I agree. This is the way to go though I will add that I still think Apple needs to buy a well-known game developer and develop first-party games. Nintendo would be a great acquisition.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Most are still gaming on 1080p. And more so eSports, they care for frames not eyecandy. So at least that can be expected from Apple if they want to do something like that -> Be aware of the market and their needs!
And also portability for their rigs.
So Macmini would be perfect for that aspect.
But with the Intel iGPU you cant do even the most basic stuff like Overwatch or even Dota.

Tod

The GPU power real gamers need far exceeds the capabilities of the mini. As I said, the Mac mini has a 65W thermal budget for CPU + GPU. How is that going to be a viable gaming platform for PC games? esports pros use high-end GPUs, that’s maybe 250 Watts to budget just for GPU. Add a CPU and that’s easily 5 times more heat produced than the mini can handle.

 

[gkarris]

Apple WWDC keynote will look like this:
- How great Apple is (so many customers, app downloads, sales, ...)
- Services doing well
- What’s new in iOS14
- New in iPadOS14
- New in WatchOS 7
- New in MacOS <location>
(includes various apps, INCLUDING some amazing Metal gaming)
- One More Thing
- All the MacOS demos were on an ARM mac mini
- Developer units available now, customer Macs available end of the year, rolling out across entire product line

Within this framework, an eSports Mac makes perfect sense. It’s a halo (set of) devices that show, at every form factor, how much better performance (single CPU, multi-core, and GPU) ARM Macs can provide tha the x86 competition. The devices will exist not to be sold, but to make people aware that ARM Macs are qualitatively and quantitatively in a different universe from older PCs.
All they need is to have a few leading edge games on them at launch. If they are enough of a leap over the competition, demand will have other games ported over In time.

Is this feasible? I don’t see why not. You should be able to pack eg the equivalent of 3 or even 4 A13X’s in the thermal profile of a MacBook Pro or a Mac mini, at which point I think you are substantially ahead of their x86 specs.

A13? Let's go for broke and say A15...

All Apple really needs to do is take the AppleTV 4K, put the newer chip in, add a bigger fan and memory, and throw that into a Mac Mini case...

Done...

 

[citysnaps]

I don't see Apple making a high-end MBP or iMac tailored for gaming. Not going to happen.

I do see Apple leveraging their huge push and investment into AR/VR and developing a smallish device/box with loads of computational horsepower that works with an existing MBP or iMac via TB3 and tailored for whatever glasses/visual interface Apple is currently working on, also via TB3. The box and glasses would also be powered by the host MBP/iMac via TB3.

That would be slick.

 

[compwiz1202]

$5000, yeah right, way too expensive for most gamers.

*Actually it says up to $5000 but even then, don't think Apple cares for gamers.

Yea going to easily be starting at or an average of $5k with how much just the regular ones are now.

 

[ascender]

I mean, neither of those makes sense? If Apple were to do something like this then surely it would be modular in nature? Although even then, Apple and gaming aren't really a thing these days? It would take the meaning of a "niche product" to a whole new level.

Unless this is one of those rumours where its nearly right - could this be a revised iMac Pro or something?

Use of the word "sketchy" when it comes to a rumour is also setting expectations in itself