Tag: apple macbook

MacBook Models Powered by M3 Chipset Won’t Be Launched Until End of 2023: Ming-Chi Kuo

MacBook models powered by Apple’s rumoured M3 chipset won’t be launched by the company until the end of this year, according to details recently shared by Ming-Chi Kuo, a supply chain analyst with TF International Securities. The Cupertino-based iPhone maker was previously tipped by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman to introduce three new Mac computers in October, running on the next-generation Apple Silicon chipset, which is expected to bring notable improvements to both power and efficiency, and is said to be produced using TSMC’s 3nm process.

Last week, Kuo posted to X (formerly known as Twitter) that Apple was unlikely to launch new laptops powered with its yet-to-be-unveiled next-generation chips in 2023. “It seems that Apple will not launch new MacBook models (equipped with M3 series processors) before the end of this year,” Kuo wrote on the microblogging platform. 

This partially contradicts Gurman’s previous prediction that the transition to the new M3 chip would take place in October this year. However, Kuo’s claim specifically mentions that no M3-powered MacBook models would arrive this year. On the other hand, Gurman had predicted that the company was testing M3-based iMac, 13-inch MacBook Pro, 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, and Mac mini models.

While Apple doesn’t typically reveal or confirm its plans to launch a new product until it is announced on stage, Kuo’s claim suggests that only M3-powered MacBook models might be delayed to next year — while the rest of the products predicted by Gurman could still be unveiled by the company.

Earlier this year, the company announced a 15-inch MacBook Air model (Review) which is powered by the M2 chip. This could possibly explain the delay in the company’s plans to introduce a new MacBook model with a more powerful chip within a few months. 

Just like the rumoured A17 Bionic chip expected to debut on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone Pro Max on Tuesday at Apple’s ‘Wonderlust’ launch event, the purported M3 chip from Apple is expected to be produced by Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC on its 3nm process. The transition from TSMC’s 5nm process is expected to bring a big improvement in performance and efficiency for the next-generation chips that are expected to power Apple’s upcoming Mac computers.

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Apple to Launch Affordable MacBook to Challenge Chromebook Range: Report

Apple’s MacBook Air 15 with a starting price of Rs. 1,34,900 was launched during the company’s WWDC 2023 event in June this year. As the competition in the affordable PC market grows hot with Google’s Chromebooks and multiple entry-level Windows laptops, Apple is believed to be gearing up to rival this segment. As per a new report, the Cupertino giant is developing low-cost MacBook models to compete with the likes of Chromebook models in the education sector. The rumoured MacBook series is expected to go official as early as the second half of next year.

A report by DigiTimes citing industry sources claims that Apple is developing a low-cost MacBook series to compete with Chromebook models in the education sector that could be released as early as the second half of 2024. The alleged MacBook lineup is expected to come with the usual metal casing. However, the upcoming models could be different from the ongoing MacBook Air and MacBook Pro by incorporating less expensive materials and components to lower the price.

Currently, Windows laptops and Chromebooks are quite popular among students and in the education sector. As per the report, more than 13.9 million Chromebooks were shipped in 2019 and over 30.4 million units were shipped in 2020. In 2021, more than 33.5 million Chromebooks were shipped. Apple might be targeting the Chromebook market and is expected to keep the price of upcoming MacBook laptops under $1,000 (roughly Rs. 80,000).

However, Apple is yet to reveal plans to unveil affordable MacBook models. Therefore, this information should be considered with a grain of salt.

Right now, the M1-powered MacBook Air 13-inch is the cheapest laptop from Apple. It is currently available at a starting price of Rs. 99,900 in India.

The MacBook Air M1 has a 13.3-inch IPS Retina display with a 1,600×2,560 pixels resolution. Powered by the Apple M1 chip, the laptop packs up to 16GB of RAM and up to 2TB of onboard storage. It is equipped with an HD FaceTime camera and a Touch ID sensor. It includes stereo speakers enhanced by Dolby Atmos as well.

Apple unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, at its annual developer conference, along with new Mac models and upcoming software updates. We discuss all the most important announcements made by the company at WWDC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Apple Supplier Foxconn to Reportedly Invest $300 Million More in Northern Vietnam

Apple supplier Foxconn has signed a $300 million (roughly Rs. 2,400 crore) memorandum of understanding with Vietnamese developer Kinh Bac City to expand its facility in the north of the country to diversify and boost production, state media said on Saturday. The Taiwanese company’s new factory, on a plot of 50.5 hectares (125 acres) in Bac Giang province, will generate 30,000 local jobs, the Tuoi Tre newspaper said. Foxconn, formally called Hon Hai Precision Industry, and Kinh Bac City did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Foxconn, which has been in Bac Giang for 15 years, has moved part of its iPad and AirPods production to Bac Giang’s Quang Chau Industrial Park, Tuoi Tre reported. It did not say which type of products would be produced at the new factory or its capacity.

The Vietnamese government said last year Foxconn had invested $1.5 billion (roughly Rs. 12,000 crore) in the Southeast Asian country.

A recent report had stated that Apple’s suppliers are in talks to produce Apple Watch and MacBook in Vietnam for the first time, Nikkei Asia reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Apple’s Chinese suppliers Luxshare Precision Industry and iPhone assembler Foxconn have started test production of Apple Watch and MacBook in Northern Vietnam, the report added.

Apple has been shifting some areas of iPhone production from China to other markets, including India, where it started manufacturing iPhone 13 this year, and is also planning to assemble iPad tablets.

Apple iPad With Larger Screen, iPad Pro With M2 Chip Could Launch in October India, the world’s second-biggest smartphone market, along with countries such as Mexico and Vietnam are becoming increasingly important to contract manufacturers supplying American brands, as they try to diversify production away from China.

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Apple Patent Reimagines MacBook With Apple Pencil Replacing Function Row

Apple has reportedly applied for a revamped patent that would support an Apple Pencil mounted above the MacBook keyboard. The claims include the ability to magnetically retain or secure the Pencil when it is placed the storage area and use the pencil as function keys while housed in the chassis. The patent, which the company first applied for last year, imagines the Pencil as a replacement for the function keys row. There’s no word from Apple on plans to incorporate the technology in upcoming MacBook models.

According to a report by Patently Apple, the Cupertino giant has added 20 new patent claims to the invention, as part of continuation patent number 20220171474. The patent explains that the input tool could be stored in a recess of the keyboard housing or the chassis, and that the application is a continuation of Apple’s 2020 patent application for a “Mountable tool computer input”.

Apple’s patent application suggests the compant could use the Pencil as an input tool when it is housed in the chassis
Photo Credit: Patently Apple

 

With the newly filed patent continuation application, Apple has illustrated a system where the Apple Pencil can be stowed away in a retainer, or along the chassis of the MacBook. While the company’s latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models got rid of the Touch Bar in favour of function keys, the application says that the retainer can support a high-end lighting system, to allow the Pencil to replace the function-key row on the MacBook.

In its patent application, the Cupertino company has envisioned an input tool whose rotation can be measured and tracked as user input. For example, rolling the input tool (like an Apple Pencil) could perform actions like scrolling, zooming or adjusting size. This is shown in the third figure in Apple’s application. Meanwhile, figure 11 suggests the Apple Pencil could be illuminated when placed in the recess to show function keys, system function controls, application settings, and more.

While Apple releases tablets with touchscreen and Apple Pencil support, there’s no word on whether the Cupertino company will actually add touchscreen or Apple Pencil support on the MacBook. As is the case with many patents filed by companies like Google and Apple, there is no guarantee that the stylus-centric design for input on will make its way to Apple’s MacBook models in the future.

This week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, we discuss iPhone 13, new iPad and iPad mini, and Apple Watch Series 7 — and what they mean to the Indian market. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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