Apple just finished presenting their “Unleashed” event about the newest Apple Silicon Macs, and it’s time for your two favorite geeks to unload their thoughts about it all. Listen as John and Dave share their reactions to everything that happened today!
Apple Silicon
Apple Unleashed Speculation – TMO Daily Observations 2021-10-12
Charlotte Henry and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to discuss the freshly announced Apple Event happening October 18.
Apple Silicon Success Means Google Will Design Chromebook Processors Itself
Following on the heels of Cupertino’s success with Apple Silicon, Google has plans to design Chromebook processors itself.
Travel Tips, Wi-Fi Troubleshooting, and Dave Got Caught! — Mac Geek Gab 885
It’s always interesting when multiple listeners have the same problem, and today you can listen as John and Dave dig into issues with Mac minis and restarting. We think your two favorite geeks have the answer! And that’s what happens here, you ask questions, we provide answers… and Quick Tips… and Cool Stuff Found, too! Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things!
Reset Your SMC By Restarting Your Mac
Did you know when you restart a Mac with Apple Silicon, you do more than just restart your device? You also reset your M1 Mac’s SMC! Check out this and more from Mac Geek Gab 882.
MacBook Air With M2 Chip Arriving 2022, According to Leaker
Rumors are swirling about future Apple Silicon and the devices that updated chips will go in. MacRumors picked up on one leak that suggested an M2 going into Macbook Air, which will be released next year.
On Twitter, Dylandkt claimed that a new MacBook Air model is “on track” to launch in the first half of 2022, featuring an M2 chip and a more colorful design. They also claimed that the “M1X” chip is being reserved for high-end “Pro” Macs, which could include the MacBook Pro and a larger, more powerful iMac model. Dylandkt’s claim is not entirely new, given that Jon Prosser has previously said that the next-generation MacBook Air will feature a complete redesign, a range of iMac-like color options, and an M2 chip. Dylandkt has been resolute in previous comments about the “M1X” being destined for the next-generation MacBook Pro, while the “M2” will apparently be a lower-end chip for the MacBook Air, but it is worth noting that this does not seem to fit very well with the specific thoughts of reliable Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman about Apple’s upcoming custom silicon chips for the Mac.
Apple Should Have Been Clear About macOS Monterey and M1 Macs
As we have now learned, users will require an M1 Mac to get all of the features coming in macOS Monterey. Oliver Haslam at iMore thinks that by allowing users and journalists to work this out, instead of properly announcing itself, Apple missed a big opportunity to talk up its own silicon. I rather agree.
What if Apple had made a point out of the M1 Macs getting the full feature set? What if Apple had someone stand on its virtual stage and say “because M1 is so powerful, and thanks to its Neural Engine, we were able to take macOS Monterey a step further on new Macs.” What if someone had rolled out the red carpet, shown the new features off on a bright orange M1 iMac, and pointed out just why the M1 is so great? The whole message would be different. Then, the M1 would be the hero of the piece, flexing its muscle to go above and beyond. Now, it’s the villain as it rips features from Intel’s cold, dead hands.
Next Gen 'M2' Apple Silicon Chips Already in Mass Production
The next generation of ‘M2’ Apple silicon chips are already in mass production and could be shipped as early as July.
Windows 10 Now Runs on Apple Silicon M1 Macs
Users who so desire now run Windows 10 on an M1 Mac. The latest version of Parallels allows the operating system to run on an Apple Silicon computer, The Verge reported.
The latest version of Parallels Desktop for Mac now allows M1 Mac owners to run Windows 10 on Arm apps or traditional x86 apps side by side with Mac or iOS apps on Big Sur. There will be some app limitations on the Windows 10 on Arm side, thanks to its own app emulation, but Windows 10 on Arm will soon support x64 app emulation, too. Parallels Desktop maker Corel says its latest update also results in some impressive performance and battery improvements over running the software on Intel-based Macs. According to Corel, the 16.5 update uses up to 250 percent less energy on an M1 Mac, compared to an Intel-based MacBook Air. There’s also a promise of up to 60 percent better DirectX 11 performance and up to 30 percent better overall virtual machine performance running the Arm version of Windows 10 on an M1 Mac instead of a Windows 10 VM on an Intel-based MacBook Pro.
M1 Mac Users Report Hard Drive Health Readings That Could Limit Device Life Span
Some M1 Mac users have started to highlight hard drive health reports that might possibly indicate severe life span problems for the device. iMore rounded up some of the issues.
The issue of ‘TBW’, or total bytes written, refers to the lifespan of an SSD… If the readings being given out from these machines is correct, developer Hector Martin says it could indicate that some machines “aren’t going to last half a year”… Martin does however state this is “definitely” a bug, however its unclear if that relates to the readings being given, or macOS behavior which is causing the readings to be abnormally high (but accurate). As PC Gamer notes in its report, smart monitoring tools “are notorious for misreporting” and this could be an M1 teething problem.