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motomotomoto

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 3, 2018
101
43
I continue to be shocked that we are (probably) less than a month out from a launch of at least one new model of Mac that will redefine Apple's approach to (non mobile) computing, and there have been almost zero leaks. Not even the other Apple products like iPhones have achieved this kind of secrecy. I can't hardly think of any real details making it out that weren't specifically revealed by Apple.
 
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smoking monkey

macrumors 68020
Mar 5, 2008
2,327
1,452
I HUNGER
Agree, but perhaps these computers aren't as close to release as we think.
Or perhaps because it's an Apple chip they have better control over it.
Or maybe leakers just aren't that interested in the Macs!

I can't wait though. This is the keynote I'm looking forward to, not that uninspiring malarkey we got served up a few days back.
 

ian87w

macrumors G3
Feb 22, 2020
8,704
12,629
Indonesia
iPhone (or smartphones in general) generates more interest from the public, thus many channels focus on those for their clickbaits/page hits. Laptops/desktops are not as exciting. I mean when the last time you see youtubers talking about a Dell/HP laptop?

I do hope we get more news once we get closer to the date. I mean the whole iPhone 12 stuff was leaked just days prior to the keynote. Since whatever Apple does will have to be pre-recorded (with a slew of subtitles), we will hear more stuff closer to the announcement date.
 
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throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
8,514
6,561
Perth, Western Australia
If they don't revise the enclosure (and they probably don't need to) there's no reason you'd know if you saw one in use by an apple employee or partner even if it was in plain sight.

My guess is the first ARM MacBook will look either like a 2020 (19, 18, etc.) Air or the previous 12" Macbook. There might be minor detail changes but probably nothing you'd spot from a distance.

Or maybe, the new Mac is basically just an iPad (with more internal storage and RAM) running Big Sur.
 

Tafkaeken

macrumors member
Oct 6, 2018
80
56
Can the first series be manufactured somewhere where Apple has much more control?
 

Jorbanead

macrumors 65816
Aug 31, 2018
1,194
1,421
We’ve gotten some rumors and leaks, but I also think they’ve been overshadowed heavily by iPhone, airtags, iPad Air, Apple Watch, HomePod, and AirPods Studio rumors. There’s just so many products being talked about in the rumor mill.

Now that the iPhone event is over, I’m expecting a few more leaks to come out in the next month when the iPhone glow wears off.
 
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aednichols

macrumors 6502
Jun 9, 2010
381
311
Macs in general don't really leak. They are missing the following common leak vectors:

  • Case designs (shells technically exist but nothing like as popular as phone cases)
  • Carrier partners
  • Stores that might be more casual about tech secrecy. You can buy iPhone accessories at Kohl's – no Mac accessories
 

bobsala

macrumors newbie
Oct 15, 2020
5
1
Well let's start the journey
Jon Prosser just tweeted

-To confirm, there IS a November ARM Mac event.

I’m hearing November 17th. ?

-You should see this confirmed with an announcement on Tuesday, November 10th.
 

Unregistered 4U

macrumors G3
Jul 22, 2002
9,608
7,363
We’ve gotten some rumors and leaks, but I also think they’ve been overshadowed heavily by iPhone, airtags, iPad Air, Apple Watch, HomePod, and AirPods Studio rumors. There’s just so many products being talked about in the rumor mill.

Now that the iPhone event is over, I’m expecting a few more leaks to come out in the next month when the iPhone glow wears off.
Remember that rumor about a high powered Apple system designed for gaming? I’d always thought that, if that came from the supply chain, it would have been due to someone knowing that certain motherboard components/configurations usually align to gaming laptops. BUT, they may have missed the big picture that “high performance” doesn’t have to equate to “gaming” in the PC sense, it could just be that it’ll be expected to do certain things really well. And, based on what we’ve heard, this should be a fairly performant system, whatever it is.

So, it could also be that folks don’t have enough knowledge about what Apple’s doing to be able to effectively leak :) Of course, once AppleSi is out, that may change as related to the upcoming systems :)
Macs in general don't really leak. They are missing the following common leak vectors:

  • Case designs (shells technically exist but nothing like as popular as phone cases)
  • Carrier partners
  • Stores that might be more casual about tech secrecy. You can buy iPhone accessories at Kohl's – no Mac accessories
I could imagine a conversation like...
Leaker: Thanks for meeting me and picking up the tab for breakfast! I’ve got some really juicy Apple info!
Person1: Great and pics, too, this is awesome... ummm, what’s this? It looks like a laptop.
Leaker: It is, it’s about the new Apple Si...
Person1: You don’t have anything about the iPhone? Or the iPad?
Leaker: Well, no, but this is a huge scoop because...
Person1: Oh, ok, then. Well, I can’t really use this, my readers aren’t interested. So, guess I’ll see you later!
Leaker: But...
Person1: Nope, gotta run! Hey, can you pick up the tab? I’ve got to rush to meet someone with actual leakable info.
 
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Jorbanead

macrumors 65816
Aug 31, 2018
1,194
1,421
So, it could also be that folks don’t have enough knowledge about what Apple’s doing to be able to effectively leak :) Of course, once AppleSi is out, that may change as related to the upcoming systems :)

AFAIK Leaks typically come from people in marketing, or people who typically work on a project later in production or on the assembly line.
People like Kuo are supply chain analysts so his rumors are some of the earliest that leak out. He just reports on what he hears in the supply chain which is why his leaks don’t always come true.

Prosser on the other hand somehow has connections inside Apple HQ. From my research it sounds like he has at least two sources from inside Apple, and at least one of them is likely in marketing or something related which is how he is able to leak stuff a week or two before events.

Grumman also seems to have similar sources to Prosser in that he leaks out information close to events. Though he also must have someone high on the food chain to get some of the leaks.

Most of the other leakers sound like they work on production assembly somewhere.
 

dmccloud

macrumors 68030
Sep 7, 2009
2,863
1,582
Anchorage, AK
Even if you go back and look at the iPhone/iPad leaks over the last decade, they have focused on the design of the phone and key features such as screen, cameras, LTE and/or 5G capabilities, etc. Other than the name of the processor (e.g., A14), none of the leaks really provide any information on what the processor itself contains as far as cores, graphics, etc. My guess is that Foxconn and other assemblers for the iPhone just recieve batches of the processors directly from TSMC and plug them into the logic boards, so they would have even more limited ability to leak details of the processors since they don't have the details of what's inside the SoC, just the pinout configuration and mounting location/process.
 

theorist9

macrumors 68040
May 28, 2015
3,332
2,490
Macs do leak when there is a new case design.* We knew about the 16" Macbook Pro well before it was released. So perhaps the fact that we haven't heard leaks about the first AS Mac(s) means we won't see a new case design. And that would in turn suggest the first AS laptop(s) will be a 13" MBP and/or an MBA, rather than a MacBook. An AS Mac Mini would also be consistent with the lack of leaks.

*The one exception was the Mac Pro, but that that's for two reasons:
(1) It is manufactured in the US, where Apple has much more control. Apple seems to have much less control over leaks coming out of the foreign factories that manufacture its products.
(2) It was announced 6 months before it was available. Thus, to leak that product, the leaker would have needed to know >6 months before the release date (as compared with products that are announced just before they are released, as is typical for other Mac products). This might also explain why the Pro Display XDR, which is assembled in China rather than the US, was not leaked.
 

aednichols

macrumors 6502
Jun 9, 2010
381
311
Macs do leak when there is a new case design.* We knew about the 16" Macbook Pro well before it was released.
We heard that it would go 16" (or maybe just "larger") but there were no photos, diagrams, or specs. About as much as the current 13" -> 14" rumors.
 

theorist9

macrumors 68040
May 28, 2015
3,332
2,490
We heard that it would go 16" (or maybe just "larger") but there were no photos, diagrams, or specs. About as much as the current 13" -> 14" rumors.
While there were no photos, etc., there were still enought leaks to create a consensus throughout the rumor mill that it would be 16" and have a scissor keyboard, and that consensus was correct. That's night-and-day from what we have regarding the first AS laptops, where we have no consensus whatsoever about what form they will take, or even what model(s) they will be.
 
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aednichols

macrumors 6502
Jun 9, 2010
381
311
Also reported on Macrumors with a more honest title and less fluff.


The Forbes 3rd party contributors' section is basically a content farm for random people's blogs.
 

calstanford

Suspended
Nov 25, 2014
1,419
4,302
Hong Kong
Frankly that’s because interest in laptops in the general population has been going down year by year. People only buy them if they need them.

But a new iPhone that looks like an iPhone 5? OMG! Let’s talk about this nine months in advance!
 
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Hexley

Suspended
Jun 10, 2009
1,641
503
I continue to be shocked that we are (probably) less than a month out from a launch of at least one new model of Mac that will redefine Apple's approach to (non mobile) computing, and there have been almost zero leaks. Not even the other Apple products like iPhones have achieved this kind of secrecy. I can't hardly think of any real details making it out that weren't specifically revealed by Apple.
They did such a good job that people think the M1 was developed within a month before WWDC 2020.

Apple Silicon's design started as early as 2017.

This becomes tedious when I say that the transition will end by WWDC 2021.

They all expect a AS Mac Pro by November 2022.

So how will sales be of Intel Mac for the next 2 years?
 

Hexley

Suspended
Jun 10, 2009
1,641
503
I agree, OP. Apple did an excellent job preventing big leaks about the M1. It is a shame that doesn’t happen with iPhone.
iPhone leaks because of accessory makers and possibly people who do stock trading of $APPL and companies that does business with them
 
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