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Apple’s iMac Pro is its most powerful computer ever
Apple has another iMac to reveal. The iMac Pro is a powerful, familiar-looking all-in-one, decked in Space Gray -- and the company says it's the most powerful Mac ever. Period. The pro-level computer will ship with up to 18-core Xeon processors as well as Radeon Pro Vega graphics (a new GPU and high-bandwidth memory). That's apparently enough for up to 11 Teraflops of single precision (or 22 Teraflops at "half precision") processing power. You can also cram in up to 4TB of SSD storage, with a row of USB ports lining up with four Thunderbolt ports. These (and all the rest of the connections) can be found behind a 27-inch Retina 5K display, with all-flash memory architecture and an all-new thermal design, adding 80 percent more cooling capacity to match all that processing power.
Apple boosts the MacBook line's performance with Kaby Lake processors
Apple's 2017 laptop lineup will be a bit speedier than last year's offerings, the company announced at WWDC 2017 on Monday. The MacBook will receive the seventh-generation "Kaby Lake" processors from Intel. Specifically, they'll come equipped with a new i7 chip ranging in speed from 1.3GHz up to 3.6GHz. Its new SSD will be both twice as fast as the current model and support double the memory.
What to expect from Apple at WWDC 2017
As a rule, Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference is predictable: New versions of iOS, macOS and watchOS are the stars of the show, and anything else is gravy. WWDC 2017, however, is shaping up to be different. Although there hasn't been much talk about what the new software will entail, the rumor mill has kicked into high gear with word of new Macs, new iPads and even a smart speaker. All told, operating systems may actually be the least exciting part of Apple's keynote. But which products are likely to steal the spotlight, and which ones are just wishful thinking? That's what we're here to sort out.
Apple reportedly announcing a slew of MacBook updates next month
Apple's annual developer conference hasn't been a venue for product launches in four years, but it might produce a bumper crop of laptops this time around. Bloomberg sources hear that Apple is planning to upgrade at least the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro line when WWDC kicks off in June. The Pros would get improved 7th-generation Core (aka Kaby Lake) processors with little to no external changes, while the 12-inch system is only said to be getting a "faster Intel chip" (our money's on Y-series Core i5 and i7 CPUs). However, the biggest deal may be an update to a system many thought Apple had left for dead: the MacBook Air.
WD's G-Drive USB-C adds storage and power to your laptop
Apple's courageous decision to equip the MacBook with just one USB-C port for charging and external storage forced owners to carry a pricey dongle if they wanted to do both at once. If you're in that camp, or would rather not sacrifice a port on your MacBook Pro or other USB-C device, Western Digital has a drive that could make your day. The G-Drive USB-C gives you 4, 8 or 10TB of storage, while simultaneously charging your laptop with up to 45 watts of power.
Apple is sorry about the Mac Pro, vows to relaunch it in 2018
The last new Mac Pro was announced back in 2013, and not much has changed much since. The iconic shiny objet proved a difficult fit for its pro users, and as a consequence Apple is apparently fundamentally rethinking its top-end computer series and everything that comes with it. According to a roundtable the company held with reporters earlier this week, Phil Schiller, Apple's SVP of worldwide marketing added that since its new Pro will be a far more modular system, you can also expect a new Pro display to land alongside it. However, it told Buzzfeed that "You won't see any of these products this year." That's because Apple's engineering team is apparently still working to design a system that can easily and efficiently be upgraded -- the biggest issue many had with the current Mac Pro.
MacBook Pro accessory adds ports that the 2016 model lacks
As you know by now, you have to learn to embrace dongle-city if you want to buy Apple's latest products. A component supplier called OWC has unveiled a different kind of expansion solution for the 2016 MacBook Pro's lack of ports, though. It's called the DEC, and it's a slab that sticks to the bottom of the laptop to add up to 4TB of additional flash or SSD storage, an SD card slot, full-size USB 3.0 ports and an Ethernet jack for wired internet.
Apple is reportedly putting Mac development on the back burner
Apple only released one substantial update to its entire lineup of Mac computers in 2016, and what a controversial update it was. To many outsider observers, the last year made it feel like the Mac is far from a priority at Apple -- and a report from the reliable Mark Gurman of Bloomberg backs that up. According to Gurman's anonymous sources, the Mac team just isn't a priority with Jony Ive's design team, the company's software team or senior management at large. Additionally, both technical challenges and the departures of key members of the Mac team have also slowed things down.
Apple says why the new MacBook Pro doesn't have an SD card slot
Did you take one glance at the new MacBook Pro and wonder why Apple removed your precious SD card slot? The company isn't about to bring the slot back, but it's at least ready to explain its decision. In an interview with the Independent, Senior VP Phil Schiller says there were a few reasons for axing the card reader. It was a "bit of a cumbersome slot," he claims, since your card juts outward. He also argues that the slot was a compromise, since it forced high-end camera owners (who often use CompactFlash or XQD cards) to get an external reader. And any slot is less necessary these days, Schiller adds. Many newer cameras have built-in wireless transfers, so you may never need to plug something into your laptop.
Apple drops its iconic startup chime from the new MacBook Pros
Aside from the ports that didn't make the cut, there's something else that Apple's taken away from its new MacBook Pro family: the startup chime. Yep, it's taken out the F-sharp chord that accompanies the boot-up whir of previous MacBooks, and that's at least partially because the late-2016 MBPs (all three of them), will turn themselves on and boot up when you open them. So while the power button still turns the machine off, there's no need to use it to turn it on.
The Engadget Podcast Ep 12: Surface Envy
Managing editor Dana Wollman and senior editor Devindra Hardawar join host Terrence O'Brien to talk about the value of the Esc key, the Nintendo Switch and the impeding Gilmore Girls resurrection. Then they'll relive Microsoft's big Surface event and dig in on future of Twitter... and whether or not it even has one.
The Morning After: Friday October 28th 2016
Apple's big MacBook event introduced a new family of Pro machines, with nary a mention of the MacBook Air. The company also expelled standard USB 3.0 ports in its new range, replacing them all with (USB-C-shaped) Thunderbolt 3.0 ports -- but hey, at least there's a fancy OLED "Touch Bar." Meanwhile, Turkey's government shut down internet across 11 cities in the Kurdish area of the country, Oh, and Twitter killed Vine.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro vs. the competition: Small but effective
It's been a while since we've seen a revamp of the MacBook Pro, and this year's models are definitely a big change thanks to the new OLED touch bar. Meanwhile, rival companies have been busy releasing machines that are increasingly more powerful, slimmer and even a bit sexy. We've highlighted some of the more outstanding small and light machines on the market here to see which slim chassis brings the most thunder under the hood.
UK pricing for Apple's new MacBook Pros
So, Apple's "Hello Again" event is over, and it turned out to be a little lighter than first thought. The company announced a new all-in-one guide for Apple TV, as well as Minecraft hitting the little box before the end of the year. The new MacBook Pro lineup was the main reason people showed up, though. They are thinner and lighter, with brighter screens and improved performance, though they seem to have misplaced standard USB ports. The new OLED Touch Bar with Touch ID that replaces the function keys is the big addition to the top-end 13-inch and 15-inch models, offering contextual controls based on what program you're using at the time (where supported, of course). We know what you're here for, so we'll cut to the chase. What's the damage?
The writing is on the wall for MacBook Air
Apple hasn't updated the MacBook Air since 2015 and it's not going to any time soon. Instead, the company today phased out the $900, 11-inch MacBook Air. Only the $1,000, 13-inch MacBook Air remains available on Apple's store, and the company has instead gone all-in on the new line of MacBook Pros.
Meet the MacBook Pro's new Touch Bar with TouchID
Apple has unveiled its newest line of MacBook Pro notebooks, and true to the leaks, it comes with an OLED strip instead of function keys. As the company's Phil Schiller notes, function keys are a decades-old technology that shouldn't really have a place in a laptop from 2016. In its place, the company is adding a retina display touchscreen (with multitouch) that it's calling the Touch Bar. As well as contextual menus that change depending on what app you're in, the power button on the far right now doubles as a TouchID sensor.
What to expect from Apple's 'Hello Again' event
Apple is sneaking in one more big product unveiling before 2016 comes to a close, and expectations for new Macs are running high. And how couldn't they be? Aside from last year's iMacs and the 12-inch MacBook, Cupertino's computer lineup has gone largely untouched since 2015 -- and there are numerous systems that have remained the same for even longer. But which Macs are going to get an upgrade on Oct. 27th? And is there a chance that other devices will get their moment in the sun? We've rounded up some of the more credible rumors to give you a sense of what's likely in store.
The Morning After: Monday October 24th 2016
Happy Monday. Over the weekend, we sampled smart-refrigerated wine, looked back on 15 years of iPod, and asked Amazon's AI to fact-check politicians for us. Coming up this week: Apple's MacBook event, some news from Microsoft, and a lot of companies reporting on their quarterly earnings -- if you're all about gross revenue and such.
Apple's October 27th event is reportedly all about laptops
We hope you weren't expecting a new iMac or Mac Pro at Apple's "Hello Again" event... you might be disappointed. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (who has a mostly good track record for Apple rumors) now expects that the October 27th media gathering will focus solely on MacBooks. The highlight would be a long-rumored MacBook Pro redesign with USB-C ports and OLED touch strips. They would use Intel's Skylake-based processors, he says (what, no Kaby Lake?), but they'd get longer battery life, up to a 2TB solid-state drive and a possible "MagSafe-like" power adapter from either Apple or a third party.
Apple will finally update its Mac lineup on October 27th
It's been a very, very long time since Apple has updated its Mac lineup -- the new Macbook is the only computer that Apple has seen fit to upgrade in 2016. That should all change next week, though: We just received an invite to an event in Cupertino on Thursday, October 27th. With the yearly iPhone refresh in the rearview mirror and macOS Sierra out in the wild, it's time -- well past time, in fact -- for some new Mac computers. The event's tagline -- "Hello again" -- is a pretty clear nod to the Mac, which debuted with a big old "hello" on its screen way back in 1984.