Jony Ive was ‘involved’ in designing the M1 iMac

The news: There’s a big reason that the new M1 iMac looks the way it does, according to Wired’s recent review of the all-new machine.

  • According to Wired’s Jeremy White, “Jony Ive was involved in the design of this new iMac, despite having left Apple back in 2019. Hardware design is a long process, so perhaps it’s not surprising that Ive’s fingerprints are all over this new desktop. But, interestingly, Apple would not confirm or deny if he worked on the 2021 iMac after he left the company – just that he had worked on it.”
  • Ive, who worked on too many iconic products to count, famously left the company in June 2019 to start a new creative business called LoveFrom…Apple was their first client

Our take: This is so ridiculously obvious now that I’ve had it spelt out for me: the white bezels, the chin, the same Magic Mouse…it has Ive’s fingerprints everywhere. Really interesting that Apple wouldn’t confirm when Ive worked on the iMac, however…just that he did at some point.

M1 iPad Pro is now fastest iOS device by 33%

The news: The first iPad Pro benchmarks have been uploaded and the performance as just as mind-numbing as expected (via MacRumors).

  • With single-core scores hovering around 1715 and multi-core scores in as high as 7262, the M1 chip on iPad Pro is the fastest iOS device by 33.8% when comparing the top two highest iOS multi-core scores of all time
    • The previous iOS multi-core high score was 4809 on the 2020 iPad Pro with A12X inside
  • This M1 chip on iPad Pro sees almost identical performance to the Macs with M1 chip inside

Our take: This performance is ridiculous and is sure to position the iPad Pro in a peculiar spot on the market. At the point, no other tablet even gets close to the performance on the iPad Pro…

2021 MacBook Air: Slimmer bezels, thinner/lighter design & MagSafe

The rumor: Apple is preparing a redesigned MacBook Air that could release as soon as soon as the second half of 2021, according to Mark Gurman (89.1% accurate).

Here’s what to expect:

  • “Thinner and lighter” design with Apple Silicon inside
  • The same 13.3-inch display, but with slim bezels
  • 2 USB 4 ports for I/O
  • MagSafe charging is also making a comeback
  • This new MacBook Air will be a higher-end offering, with the existing model remaining as the entry-level option

Our take: Seems like Apple is giving all their notebooks the thinner bezel treatment in 2021, which will make them look significantly more modern. For the MacBook Air, I’m most excited to see how the thinnest and lightest MacBook gets thinner and lighter.

2021 14/16″ MacBook Pros to have upgraded screens, release in mid-2021

Updated 1/22: Gurman has released a new report saying that the SD card reader will make its way back to MacBook Pros as part of an upgraded I/O effort.

The rumor: Apple’s redesigned MacBook Pro models are coming in the middle of 2021, according to Mark Gurman (89.1% accurate).

Similar to Kuo’s recent report, here’s what to expect:

  • “Minor design changes” for the new MacBook Pro models
  • 14/16-inch displays, with “brighter, higher-contrast panels”
  • New Apple Silicon chips with “more cores and enhanced graphics”
  • MagSafe port replacing current USB-C charging which will support faster charging
  • The Touch Bar may be removed
  • A new, redesigned MacBook Air is also in the works…but it isn’t coming anytime soon

Our take: Seems like Kuo and Gurman disagree on how significant the design changes will be. Incredible to hear that the displays are getting significant upgrades and faster charging is in the works. These machines sound almost perfect.

Apple’s future M-series chips may have up to 32-cores, improved graphics

The rumor: Future versions of Apple’s wildly powerful M-series chips are coming throughout 2021, according to Mark Gurman (89.1% accurate).

  • Apple is reportedly planning “the next two lines of Apple chips,” with speculation that they could be called M1X and M2
  • 8, 12 or 16 high-performance cores are planned for new MacBook Pro and iMac models, with up to 32-cores coming to the new “half-size” Mac Pro
  • In the graphics department, Apple is working on 16-core and 32-core options for future laptops and desktops
  • The next generation of ARM chips are said to be coming in Spring and Fall 2021, powering new versions of MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac Pro

Our take: If Apple is able to scale the baseline M1 chip…the results are going to literally be off the charts. These redesigned Macs can’t come soon enough.

Download the official Apple M1 wallpapers here

The wallpapers: In macOS 11.1, Apple included two new stunning wallpapers…including the one on the box art of the new M1 MacBook Pro.

  • There are two new variations of the ‘light stream’ style wallpapers:
    • Light Stream Green
    • Light Stream Pink

Our take: Super glad to see Apple release these officially, in high resolution. The green variant is one of my favorite new desktop images in years.

Numerous redesigned Macs likely coming in the second half of 2021

The rumor: Apple plans to significantly upgrade a number of Macs in the second half of 2021, according to L0vetodream (88.9% accurate) and Ming-Chi Kuo (78% accurate).

  • While Kuo suggests design changes are coming only to Macs with Apple Silicon, L0vetodream suggests Intel Macs will see redesigns as well
  • 14/16-inch MacBook Pro models and a smaller Mac Pro are expected
  • Apple debuted the M1 chip in MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini earlier this month

Our take: Seems like the second half of next year will be huge for the Mac. I am extremely excited to see what Apple can do with their silicon in optimized designs.

https://twitter.com/L0vetodream/status/1331635944290623490?s=20

Download the new M1 MacBook Pro wallpaper here

The wallpaper: Apple showcases a new, unreleased wallpaper on the box for the brand new M1-powered MacBook Pro.

  • It’s visually similar to the 16-inch MacBook Pro’s wallpaper
  • Apple hasn’t released a full-resolution original yet, but this article will are updated if or when they do

Our take: Taken from the box itself, the wallpaper features greens, blues and a streak of pink. It’s one of my favorite stock wallpapers in a while.

First Apple M1 Geekbench results show massive gains

The news: The first Geekbench test of Apple’s M1 processor has been performed, and the results in the single-core range are incredible.

  • Here are the results from M1 inside the new MacBook Air:
    • Single-core score of 1,687
    • Multi-core score of 7,433
  • If situated on Geekbench’s leaderboards right now, the M1 chip would sit at #1 on the list of single-core scores and #13 for multi-core scores
  • This result fully outperforms the most expensive 16-inch MacBook Pro
  • And as noted by Steve Troughton-Smith, the multi-core score of 7,433 is only 556 points off from…the base Mac Pro, Apple’s highest-end Mac line

Our take: Wow. These results are absolutely out of this world. It’s everything we hoped in more…and the MacBook Air is Apple’s lowest-end offering for M1.

New 13-inch MacBook Pro with Apple M1 chip announced

The news: Apple just updated a 3rd new Mac with Apple Silicon inside: this time, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 processor.

  • Up to 2.8x faster CPU performance
  • Up to 5x faster graphics performance
  • Up to 11x faster machine learning performance
  • 17 hours of wireless web browsing
  • 10 additional hours of battery life
  • Active cooling system
  • 3 studio quality mics

Our take: The best battery life ever in a Mac. Wow. Literally can’t describe how wild this jump is. Doesn’t feel possible or real.

New MacBook Air announced with M1 processor inside

The news: Apple just updated the MacBook Air for a second time this year with the new Apple-designed M1 processor.

  • Up to 3.5x faster performance
  • Up to 5x faster graphics performance
  • Faster machine learning performance
  • Silent, finless design
  • 6 hours longer battery life than pervious MacBook Air
  • 2x battery for video calls
  • Up to 2x faster SSD
  • P3 wide color gamut support on 13-inch display
  • Starts at $999
  • Developing…