Category: Apple

Tom Warren, writing at The Verge:

Apple will start switching its Macs to its own ARM-based processors later this year, but you won’t be able to run Windows in Boot Camp mode on them. Microsoft only licenses Windows 10 on ARM to PC makers to preinstall on new hardware, and the company hasn’t made copies of the operating system available for anyone to license or freely install.

“Microsoft only licenses Windows 10 on ARM to OEMs,” says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge. We asked Microsoft if it plans to change this policy to allow Boot Camp on ARM-based Macs, and the company says “we have nothing further to share at this time.”

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Jason Snell:

Doing unusual things at Mac startup has long required remembering keyboard shortcuts. Is it Command-Control-P-R or Command-Option-P-R that zaps the PRAM? Is that still even a thing? Is it Command-S for Recovery Mode—or wait, that’s Single User Mode, it’s Command-R for Recovery mode, Command-T for Target Disk Mode, Option to choose a startup disk.

With the advent of Macs running Apple-designed processors, things will get a whole lot simpler. As described Wednesday in the WWDC session Explore the New System Architecture of Apple Silicon Macs, these new Macs will only require you to remember a single button: Power. (On laptops, that’ll be the Touch ID button. On desktops, presumably it’s the physical power button.)

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Like during the switch to Intel, Apple has put together a transition hardware kit for the move to ARM.

Like with Intel, this is not a product, and Apple was quick to note that it doesn’t represent what final hardware could look like. That said, here are the specs:

• Apple A12Z Bionic (from the 2020 iPad Pros)
• 16 GB RAM
• 500 GB SSD
• Two USB-C ports (up to 10 Gbps)
• Two USB-A ports (up to 5 Gpbs)
• HDMI 2.0 port
• 802.11ac Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 5.0
• Gigabit Ethernet

… all in a Mac mini case, as predicted.

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A quick look at a “About this Mac” window in today’s keynote showed the version number of the copy of macOS running on the Apple Silicon development hardware was 11.0, but Apple is also using the new name on the Developer website:

macOS 11 introduces many user interface changes that update the appearance of apps and make them more approachable to people transitioning from iPad apps. macOS 11 also adds support for familiar iOS features — such as SF Symbols and text styles — that enhance the user experience and can streamline the app design process.

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‘Twas the night before Dub Dub, when all through the house, Not an iPad was stirring, not even with a mouse; iPod Socks were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that Hair Force One would be there; The developers were nestled all snug in their beds; While visions of new APIs danced in their heads; With STS in his ‘kerchief, and Marco in a cap, Had just settled their plans to rewrite some apps. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, Siracusa sprang from his bed, dreaming of Chris Lattner. A crash in the window due to old Flash, Casey monitored his shutters without spending much cash. The moon lit the floor as the Mac Pro fans blow, Gave a lustre of midday to SwiftUI below, When what to our wondering eyes did appear, Not a Hey update, but Apple’s stream far and near. With a dad-jokey intro so lively and quick, I knew in a moment he must be St. Tim.

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Well this is fun:

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Brian Heater at TechCrunch:

One the notebook front, the 16-inch model gets an additional graphics configuration. The addition of the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M GPU marks the best graphics performance yet for the notebook line, marking up a 75-percent speed increase over the the next-highest configuration, the Radeon Pro 5500M.

And it’s priced to match. The 5500M with 8GB of memory is a $100 premium over the system’s $2,799 base. The 5600 with 8GB of HBM2 memory, on the other hand, will run an extra $700. But if you’re going to go for the top of the line, you might as well really go for the top of the line, right?

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Jason Snell, writing at Macworld:

As Mac users approach Apple’s annual developer conference and the promise of the whole operating system cycle starting over again, it would be natural to feel a lot of trepidation. It’s been a rough ride for macOS Catalina, with overly strict and chatty security barriers, incompatibility with 32-bit apps, a host of little annoying instabilities, and a less-than-impressive debut for Mac Catalyst.

It’s just time to get back on the hamster wheel and go through another macOS beta cycle—whether we like it or not. But I’ve got some hope that this year will be different. Here’s what I’m wishing for when Apple rolls out the new Mac operating system, macOS 10.16, at WWDC in less than two weeks.

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This is Apple at its best:

The unfinished work of racial justice and equality call us all to account. Things must change, and Apple’s committed to being a force for that change. Today, I’m proud to announce Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, with a $100 million commitment. pic.twitter.com/AoYafq2xlp

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) June 11, 2020

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Apple PR:

Now in its 31st year, WWDC20 will be the biggest WWDC to date, bringing together the global Apple developer community of more than 23 million in an unprecedented, virtual way, from June 22 to 26. Apple today shared the WWDC20 lineup, including keynote and Platforms State of the Union timing, and information on how developers can learn about the future of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS, and engage with Apple engineers.

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Gus Mueller:

With all the recent rumors flying around about the Mac transitioning to ARM processors, I’ve seen some assertions about what this means for software going forward. I thought I could chime in on this as someone who’s been developing software for the Mac for a long time, including the last architecture transition from PowerPC to Intel.

Let it be stated that I have no knowledge of what Apple’s internal plans are. These are educated guesses based on my years of experience of working with Apple and Apple’s frameworks. And maybe this is all for nothing, since this transition might not even happen!

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Sonny Dickson, with some fun iMac news:

New iMac incoming at WWDC. iPad Pro design language, with Pro Display like bezels. T2 chip, AMD Navi GPU, and no more fusion drive

— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) June 9, 2020

The current iMac design was unveiled way back in 2012, and while I still think the all-in-design is great for a lot of users, there’s no doubt that it could use a refresh. Adapting the Pro Display XDR’s design to the iMac would be sweet.¹

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