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Portables (Apple)

Report: Super-Lightweight 12-inch MacBook Powered By Apple Silicon To Launch This Year (macrumors.com) 103

Apple has designed a 12-inch MacBook powered by Apple Silicon that weighs less than one kilogram (2.2 pounds) and the company intends to launch it by the end of the year, according to a new report. MacRumors: Apple's first ARM-based Mac will use an A14X processor, which is codenamed "Tonga" and manufactured by TSMC, and the MacBook will have a battery life of between 15 and 20 hours, according to the Chinese-language newspaper The China Times. The report adds: According to Apple's supply chain, Apple is expected to launch a Macbook with a 12-inch Retina Display at the end of this year, using its self-developed and designed A14X processor, with the development code of Tonga, supporting a USB Type-C interface and weighing less than 1 kilogram, because of the low-power advantage of the Arm-based processor. The Macbook battery lasts 15 to 20 hours. The A14X processor will also be used in the new generation iPad Pro tablet."
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Report: Super-Lightweight 12-inch MacBook Powered By Apple Silicon To Launch This Year

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  • by dgatwood ( 11270 ) on Tuesday September 01, 2020 @05:28PM (#60463438) Homepage Journal

    The only real question I have about these new machines is whether they will have Thunderbolt support so we can work around the terminally underpowered GPUs that Apple puts in so many of their machines (not to mention supporting all my FireWire-based audio and video gear).

    I didn't realize just how underpowered the Intel GPUs were until I tried to run OBS on a Mac Mini, and it sputtered and stuttered and couldn't keep up, while a MacBook Pro with a significantly slower CPU had no trouble. It turns out that all the H.264 decoding for on-screen rendering was being offloaded to the GPU on the MacBook Pro, but was being emulated by the CPU on the Mini. One eGPU later, the Mac Mini was purring like a kitten.

    I would expect the embedded GPUs that Apple ships in these machines to be similarly underpowered, hence my concern. Thunderbolt is the only reason that the Mac Mini didn't get returned to Amazon and replaced with a Linux box.

    • I would expect the embedded GPUs that Apple ships in these machines to be similarly underpowered

      At minimum, they would be as powerful as an iPad Pro, and that was already pretty decent even in a year-old model [notebookcheck.net]...

      Way better than Intel integrated graphics, and for a desktop model they will probably have a GPU with even better performance. Apple has done a really good job with custom GPUs... I think in fact the mobile GPU scene is a big reason why they are switching the Mac line over to ARM as well.

      That sai

      • by dgatwood ( 11270 )

        I would expect the embedded GPUs that Apple ships in these machines to be similarly underpowered

        At minimum, they would be as powerful as an iPad Pro, and that was already pretty decent even in a year-old model [notebookcheck.net]...

        Way better than Intel integrated graphics, and for a desktop model they will probably have a GPU with even better performance.

        I hope so. I mean, the iPad Pro's GPU is not nearly as bad as the integrated Intel abomination that comes in the current-generation Mac Mini (which pretty much just whimpers with its tail between its legs), but my 2017 MacBook Pro can still wipe the floor with it (at about 61% faster).

        To put that in perspective, when you include the laptop's internal display in the calculation, a laptop with the iPad Pro's GPU would theoretically have almost as much GPU power per pixel when driving one external monitor as

    • Based on the current Apple trend, you should lower your expectations.
    • by kriston ( 7886 )

      Thunderbolt is the only reason that the Mac Mini didn't get returned to Amazon and replaced with a Linux box.

      That's too bad. You could have saved several hundred dollars. I just can't rationalize the price of any Mac Mini.

      • by Dog-Cow ( 21281 )

        The mini line wasn't always trash. I've purchased two over the years, but would never buy one today.

    • by keltor ( 99721 ) *
      The Apple VT Hardware Encoder (by far the fastest encoder on MacOS) uses the Intel built-in GPU except on the iMac Pro. Most "hardware" encoders in Windows don't make use of the Intel acceleration and in Windows the Intel GPU is disabled when you have another GPU.
      • by dgatwood ( 11270 )

        The Apple VT Hardware Encoder (by far the fastest encoder on MacOS) uses the Intel built-in GPU except on the iMac Pro.

        Sadly, both of Apple's hardware encoders hang 100% of the time on every Mac I've used whenever I try to use them in OBS (in both Mojave and Catalina). The only hardware compression I'm aware of that actually works correctly in OBS is nvenc on Windows/Linux.

        Either way, it wasn't the encoding that caused me problems; it seemed to be the mixing/layering. OBS doesn't let you designate a source as audio-only, so it is apparently doing heavy lifting for every source that could be onscreen, even if it is entirel

    • Apple said they will have Thunderbolt support, and their existing iPad GPU's are already much faster than Intel onboard offering. Recent report just a few days ago said you can expect around Intel i9 performance.
      • Recent report just a few days ago said you can expect around Intel i9 performance.

        Wow!

        And just remember: This is only the beginning; whereas Intel has taken x86/64 about as far as it can go without resorting to room-temperature superconductors!

      • by dgatwood ( 11270 )

        Apple said they will have Thunderbolt support,

        Thanks for the update. I haven't been paying nearly as much attention to tech lately as I probably should be. I've been spending too much time correcting people who are wrong on the Internet about various coronavirus hoaxes/disinformation. :-D

        and their existing iPad GPU's are already much faster than Intel onboard offering.

        I think my Apple IIgs was faster than Intel's onboard offering. :-D

        Okay, okay, so that's a slight exaggeration, but Apple should be embarra

    • by mccalli ( 323026 )
      Remember this will be an Apple machine, so it's not likely to have Intel HD or anything other than Apple GPUs in there. And on benchmarks, the iPhone destroys almost all its competition.

      It's unlikely to give the RTX 2080 pause for concern, but in terms of its purpose it's likely to be significantly ahead of the Intel graphics solutions.
    • It turns out that all the H.264 decoding for on-screen rendering was being offloaded to the GPU on the MacBook Pro, but was being emulated by the CPU on the Mini.

      Either you were using a machine with a very old CPU [wikipedia.org], or Apple was dragging ass adding QuickSync decode support. Either wouldn't surprise me, as Apple has sold CPUs long past their prime in current models, and they literally took years before they enabled hardware HEVC decode support in iOS, even though the silicon already supported it.

  • apple arm Thin is in (just wait for the mac pro)
    Ash tray at half the size of the last one at X2 the cost.

  • An iPad with an attached keyboard.

    Earth shattering!

    • Rumor has it that it's also slightly jailbroken compared to the maxiPad. Or is Apple planning on 'securing' this thing in some sort of prison like their iOs gadgets?

      • Rumor has it that it's also slightly jailbroken compared to the maxiPad. Or is Apple planning on 'securing' this thing in some sort of prison like their iOs gadgets?

        No.

        I can't find the quote right now; but they have already publicly addressed that question.

        Apple full well understands the difference between Mac and iPad markets.

        Remember, they use these things, too!

        • by dfghjk ( 711126 )

          Apple did say this, and prior to that I expected ARM Macs to not allow apps installed around the App Store. In hindsight, doing that was probably untenable since existing x86 apps would largely be ruled out unless installed thru migration.

          Remember, though, that Apple also said absolutely NO 3rd PARTY APPs on the iPhone because Apple couldn't risk unvetted code corrupting the cellular network. That was all a lie of course, largely due to Jobs' ignorance, but it shows that Apple will change their mind on th

          • by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

            Remember, though, that Apple also said absolutely NO 3rd PARTY APPs on the iPhone because Apple couldn't risk unvetted code corrupting the cellular network. That was all a lie of course, largely due to Jobs' ignorance, but it shows that Apple will change their mind on things like this.

            Also, whether Apple internally uses Macs has little bearing on Apple's commitment to the product. Apple isn't an engineering driven company.

            Apple traditionally releases locked down stuff and then quietly relents as time goes o

            • This was also replicated on the Mac where the first Macs did not have cursor keys. Intentionally - Apple wanted you to use the mouse to point and move the cursor around.

              I have been using Macs since they were Lisas, and I can't remember one without cursor keys.

              Can you actually find an example of this? Genuinely curious (and a bit skeptical).

  • Considering the reported performance already with the Developer Transition Kit's two-generation-old SoC running a Beta release of macOS Big Sur, this should be quite pleasant.

    With that kind of battery life, so long as classes don't require Windows compatibility (most do not at this point), this should make a perfect back-to-homeschool laptop.

    • by fermion ( 181285 )
      These small machines tend to be slow. They tend not to have the long lifetime of other macs because they become sluggish as the OS grows.
  • If all the major apps (Adobe, Microsoft, browsers) support it the machine'll be a great performer. Because it's Apple it's unclear whether it'll be a good value, but hopefully it'll be cheaper than today's MacBook Air.

  • Posted on MacRumors, and already refuted within TFA itself!

    Break the /. Rules and go read TFA before we all get wound up in speculation!

  • Does Apple provide magnifying glasses in the package?
    • Protip: visit an optometrist.

      My 11.6" netbook from 2008 is as functional as it ever was. But my vision began to deteriorate once I entered my 40s; a hereditary thing, my siblings got it too.

      Otherwise, there's really no difference between a 12" and a 14" panel with the same number of pixels.

  • Keyboard has bigger battery to increase run time.Runs a version of iOS that says "MacOS" when asked.

  • It's not a "self-developed and designed" processor when it's licensed ARM intellectual property.

    This is like China claiming its "indigenous" 64-bit processor was "self-developed and designed" when it's licensed MIPS tech.

    On the other hand, it's somewhat better than if China claimed Zhaoxin and Hygon chips were indigenous.

    • by NoMoreACs ( 6161580 ) on Tuesday September 01, 2020 @06:47PM (#60463736)

      It's not a "self-developed and designed" processor when it's licensed ARM intellectual property

      Jesus Fucking Christ! Not this again!

      For the Googolplexth time:

      Apple has a Perpetual Arm Architecture Class License. That means they license the ISA.

      Apple In-House designs their own Arm-compatible CPUs and Peripheral Subsystems (which is exactly why they kick other Arm SoCs).

      Give us all a break, and do some research before you prove yourself to be any more ignorant, willya?

      Sheesh!

      • by kriston ( 7886 )

        Nice ad hominem attack, sir. I'm sure you feel great about pointing out my ignorance.

      • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        The architecture class licence grants Apple access to everything, not just the ISA. If they only wanted the ISA they would just licence that and save themselves a huge amount of money.

        The architecture licence gets them access to things like the big.LITTLE IP (replaced by DynamIQ now) that lets them mix high performance and low power cores. They didn't design that part of the architecture, they licenced it from ARM.

        In fact the architecture licence they have gives them access to internal ARM development infor

    • Well actually (Score:5, Informative)

      by mveloso ( 325617 ) on Tuesday September 01, 2020 @06:47PM (#60463738)

      Apple has been designing the A series chips. Apple isn't just taking ARM designs and burning them to silicon, which is why the Apple A-series chips are an order of magnitude faster than any other ARM chips out there.

    • It's not a "self-developed and designed" processor when it's licensed ARM intellectual property.

      Apple licensed the instruction set then designed their own CPU. Sort of like the relationship between AMD and Intel - only they are not competing.

      It is unfair to say that ARM did not help Apple. The underlying architecture is all defined by ARM. But the implementation of said architecture on the Apple chip is designed by Apple. The ARM provided core designs are not used.

  • Look better

  • by seoras ( 147590 ) on Tuesday September 01, 2020 @06:40PM (#60463706)

    I'm probably buying one just because I write apps for a living and I really need to see what my iOS Apps look like and feel like to use on an aMac.
    What I'm most intrigued to see isn't the weight, size, CPU benchmarks, MacOS, ports, etc, etc but what else Apple includes in its silicon other than just multiple ARM processors.
    I suspect this, as well as Intel dropping the ball far too often of late, is one of the major factors in Apple's shift to their own silicon.
    Will it support FaceID? It will no doubt have a neural engine like the A11 and later "Bionic" ARM's got. What will MacOS do with it?

    If you followed anything in Apple's WWDC2020 you'll have seen that iOS14 is attempting to secure proprietary app data, specifically in-app AI models.
    CoreML Model encryption was one notable announcement.
    Apple has also updated their DeviceCheck API to include, in iOS14, an App Attest Service [apple.com] which lets developers check if an installation of an App is compromised before downloading data (e.g. AI model) which is at risk of being stolen.
    My concern, with iOS Apps running on MacOS, is that they will be wide open to file browsing and stripping.
    This isn't an issue on iOS (unless device is jail broken which Attest is supposed to address).

    I think we'd already have seen more on device AI if it wasn't for the corporate fear of IP theft.
    So expect more locking down and a higher garden wall coming out of Cupertino and, I suspect for these reasons I've given, a new wall around MacOS machines.

    Isn't it time we had a shake up of the x86 platform dominance and ubiquity, that some one tries something new to force progress in new directions?
    I think so. It has to be good for the industry as a whole. Remains to be seen if Apple pulls it off though.

    • by Bert64 ( 520050 )

      If a device is in someone else's physical possession then that person has access to the data stored on it. Don't try to rely on software to restrict it, sooner or later it will be broken and the more valuable the data the sooner that will happen.

      NEVER rely on client side security.

      • by seoras ( 147590 )

        Right, there's no perfectly secure system. Cloud based systems are preferable for this reason, even though they themselves aren't 100% secure.
        It's how close you can get to 100% that is the goal.

        I think we'd already have seen more on device AI if it wasn't for the corporate fear of IP theft.

        It's a shame this is the case because we'd all benefit from AI functionality on device instead of having to maintain a network connection to a cloud service.
        Voice recognition and language translation is one such example that I've wanted to see on device and offline.
        Software is too easily stolen.
        Hardware is harder to

    • by dddux ( 3656447 )
      Very good post, seoras. Especially the last part. I'd love to have a PC with a *good* ARM processor, that I can install Linux on, and use for browsing and daily tasks, just like I use this PC, and move on from x86 platform. ARM CPUs use less power and are perfectly suitable for everyday tasks, but when it comes to professional work, I'd still keep my AMD or Intel based workstation that consumes like 300W, but use them only when it's needed for demanding tasks. I suppose, and hope, that aside from all these
  • Something wears out, throw the whole thing away, and buy a new one.
  • As expected, the first Mac to be replaced is a low end device taking nothing but an ordinary iPad processor. Unfortunately no report whether they increased the clock speed or not, but if they want 15 hour battery use, then probably not.

    It's interesting how people here are focussed on the speed of executing Intel code. The reality is: Most of the code that runs will be compiled for iOS. Because most is in the OS, or in the Swift standard library, compiled for ARM. And building an app that runs native on A
    • by mccalli ( 323026 )
      Yep. I noticed when they demo'd that they used Tomb Raider to show great graphics performance. I think a lot missed that Tomb Raider had been ported to Metal, meaning the Intel->ARM translated code was actually just calling out to native ARM libraries rather than trying to emulate that stuff itself.

      Plus, this is the 12" MacBook. A lot of the usage will be the standard Mac apps plus Pages/Numbers...maybe Keynote. A lot will be native to start with.

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