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Apple Silicon

All articles tagged with #apple silicon

technology14 days ago•8 min saved

Apple Retires the Mac Pro, Ending a 20-Year Pro Desktop Era

Apple has discontinued the Mac Pro, closing a two-decade chapter for its high-end desktop towers. From the 2006 Intel-based original (the “cheese grater”) to the 2013 redesign, the 2019 modular model, and the 2023 shift to Apple Silicon with the M2 Ultra, Apple emphasized performance and design while challenging upgradeability. The Mac Studio emerged as a smaller, more affordable alternative, and with new configurations halted, Apple signals the end of the Mac Pro era in favor of Silicon-based and Studio-class machines.

via MacRumors|

#apple #apple-silicon #mac-pro

technology15 days ago•6 min saved

Apple Ends the Mac Pro Era as Pro Desktops Pivot to Mac Studio and Mac mini

Apple has discontinued the Mac Pro, with no replacement planned for now; the M2 Ultra-based model released in 2023 was its last, signaling a shift away from expandable pro desktops in the Apple Silicon era toward the Mac Studio and Mac mini lines.

via Ars Technica|

#apple #apple-silicon #mac-mini

technology15 days ago•4 min saved

Apple Retires Mac Pro as Mac Studio Takes the Pro-Desktop Lead

Apple has discontinued the Mac Pro and confirmed no future models will be developed, effectively ending the line. The Mac Pro’s last update was in 2023 with an M2 Ultra, but the chassis hasn’t been refreshed since 2019. Apple now positions the Mac Studio as its high-end pro desktop, with PCIe expansion limited compared to the Pro, signaling a shift to a smaller, silicon-based desktop lineup.

via MacRumors|

#apple #apple-silicon #desktop

technology22 days ago•10 min saved

Parallels Enables Windows 11 on MacBook Neo for Light-Use Scenarios

Parallels Desktop can run Windows 11 on Apple’s MacBook Neo via virtualization, and it’s deemed suitable for lightweight tasks like document editing and basic apps. The Neo’s 8GB unified memory is the minimum practical configuration, and while single-core Windows performance is competitive, sustained multi-core workloads and RAM-heavy tasks (CAD/3D, heavy data tools) suffer. ARM-based Windows emulation adds overhead, making the Neo a poor fit for heavier workloads; overall, it’s viable for light productivity but not for demanding software.

via Ars Technica|

#apple-silicon #macbook-neo #parallels

technology23 days ago•96 min saved

MacBook Neo: 48 hours with Apple's budget laptop and the surprising takeaways

A Tom's Guide writer spends 48 hours with the $599 MacBook Neo, praising its premium aluminum build, bright 13-inch display, and solid day-to-day performance thanks to the A18 Pro chip and 8GB RAM, while noting trade-offs like limited RAM for heavy multitasking, no True Tone, no Touch ID on the base model, two USB-C ports without MagSafe, a dim camera, and underwhelming speakers — but at its price, the Neo offers a compelling budget option that can compete with many Windows laptops for casual use.

via Tom's Guide|

#apple-silicon #budget-laptops #display-quality

technology24 days ago•9 min saved

Upgrade Guide: The M5 MacBook Air Across Generations

Apple's M5 MacBook Air introduces a 3nm M5 CPU with 10 cores, 8–10 GPU cores, plus a neural accelerator per core, along with faster memory/SSD, Wi‑Fi 7 and a 512GB base storage at $1,099 (13-inch) or $1,299 (15-inch). Upgrading depends on your current model: Intel Macs should upgrade now; from M4/M3 the gains are incremental (roughly 9–13% faster Geekbench 6 and 12–18% faster Cinebench 2024 vs M4; about 33% faster single-core and 40% multicore vs M3), while the M2‑to‑M5 jump is more substantial and the M1‑to‑M5 upgrade is a clear choice. The M5 keeps the familiar design but offers meaningful improvements for future‑proofing, making the 15-inch option particularly appealing; for many M4/M3 users, the upgrade may not be urgent, whereas Intel‑based Macs meet the threshold for upgrading now.

via CNET|

#apple-silicon #m5 #macbook-air

technology28 days ago•13 min saved

M5 MacBook Air: A refreshed staple for everyday users

The M5 MacBook Air remains the best all‑around choice for most buyers, delivering roughly double the M1 Air’s performance in multi‑core workloads and GPU tasks, a faster CPU, 16GB RAM baseline, 512GB storage, and a quiet, fanless design, all at a higher entry price than before. It sticks to the Air’s mass‑market sweet spot with strong battery life, a bright display, and a comfortable keyboard, while Pro features stay in the higher‑end lineup. The MacBook Neo offers a cheaper alternative but throttles under heavy load, and the Pro line still provides premium displays and ports for those who need them.

via Ars Technica|

#apple-silicon #laptop-review #m5-chip

technology29 days ago•11 min saved

M5 Max MacBook Pro: Unmatched Power, but at a Premium

The 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Max is a monster of speed, delivering on‑device AI, excellent gaming performance, and a top-tier display and speakers with solid battery life. However, it carries a steep price and a starting configuration that’s positioned for professionals, making it less of a value proposition for casual users despite its impressive capabilities.

via WIRED|

#ai-on-device #apple-silicon #m5-max

technology1 month ago•5 min saved

M5 Max Tops Apple Silicon Benchmark Leaderboard in Geekbench 6

The 18‑core M5 Max inside a 16‑inch MacBook Pro posted Geekbench 6 multi‑core score of 29,233, the highest ever for Apple silicon and faster than the Mac Studio’s M3 Ultra and M4 Max; single‑core score reached 4,268; GPU Metal scores around 218,772–232,718—roughly 5–10% below the M3 Ultra’s average but above the M4 Max. Apple claims up to 15% CPU and 20% GPU gains versus the M4 Max; pre-orders are live and units begin shipping March 11.

via MacRumors|

#apple-silicon #benchmark #geekbench

technology1 month ago•11 min saved

macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 Renames M5 High-Performance Cores to 'Super' Cores

Ars Technica reports that macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 retroactively renames the M5’s high-performance cores from “performance” to “super” cores, aligning with the new M5 Pro/Max naming. The change appears only cosmetic—no real performance difference for existing M5 Macs—while updating System Information and Activity Monitor and enabling Studio Display support. Older M-series chips (like the M4) are not affected.

via Ars Technica|

#apple-silicon #m5 #macos

technology1 month ago•6 min saved

Dual‑Die M5 Pro/Max Bring AI‑Ready Power to MacBook Pro

Apple debuts the M5 Pro and M5 Max, a dual‑die Fusion Architecture that packs two 3nm chips in a single MacBook Pro SoC, delivering an 18-core CPU, up to 20-core (Pro) or 40-core (Max) GPU, unified memory up to 64GB/128GB with up to 307GB/s/614GB/s bandwidth, plus upgraded Neural Engine and media engines for ProRes/AV1. Preorders start March 4 with availability March 11. Apple touts strong multithreaded and AI‑oriented performance gains, hints at a Mac Studio refresh, and has not announced an Ultra‑class chip.

via AppleInsider|

#apple #apple-silicon #dual-die-fusion

technology1 month ago•17 min saved

Studio Display XDR: No Intel Mac support and a 60Hz cap on Apple Silicon

Apple’s Studio Display XDR won’t work with Intel Macs at all, and even on supported Apple Silicon Macs it’s limited to 60Hz (no 120Hz), according to Apple’s compatibility notes.

via AppleInsider|

#apple #apple-silicon #display-compatibility

technology1 month ago•4 min saved

Studio Displays Go Silicon-Only, Intel Macs Left Out

Apple confirms the new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR do not work with Intel-based Macs; only Apple Silicon Macs are listed as compatible. This continues Apple's shift away from Intel, with macOS Tahoe serving as the final update for Intel Macs and security updates promised for three more years. Pre-orders for the displays begin March 4 at 9:15 a.m. ET.

via MacRumors|

#apple #apple-silicon #intel-macs

technology1 month ago•5 min saved

Tahoe 26.4 Flags Rosetta 2 Dead-End for Intel Apps as Intel Macs Phase Out

macOS Tahoe 26.4 now shows a warning when launching apps that use Rosetta 2, indicating they will stop working after Rosetta 2 support ends with macOS 27. Apple reiterates that Tahoe will be the last macOS version to support Intel Macs, with full end-of-life for Intel-based machines expected in September 2026; some older or unmaintained titles may still run in Linux VMs beyond macOS 27, and there could be limited security fixes.

via MacRumors|

#apple-silicon #end-of-intel-support #intel-macs

technology3 months ago•2 min saved

Upcoming MacBook Pro 2026: Major Redesign with Touch and 5G

The MacBook Pro is rumored to undergo a major redesign in 2026, featuring a thinner and lighter body, an OLED display without a notch, touch support, and possibly a cellular modem. While this could be a significant upgrade, concerns remain about maintaining ports, performance, and battery life, with the success depending on execution. The author is excited but cautious about the changes.

via 9to5Mac|

#apple-silicon #macbook-pro #oled-display