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.
And those rumors of a refreshed MacBook Air? They’re on the right track, if you ask Kuo, but it’s not clear that you’ll get the same ultraportable with a few tweaks. He simply says that there will be a “13-inch MacBook” — it could be a slightly larger, hopefully more capable version of the 12-inch MacBook you’ve known since 2015. While there could be a spruced-up Air (particularly if Apple wants to court the sub-$1,000 crowd), it seems unlikely that Apple would reserve stage time for an update minor enough that it could be covered by a press release.
Everyone else would have to be patient. Kuo believes that new iMacs and a stand-alone 5K display are in the cards, but not until closer to the middle of 2017. There’s no mention of Mac mini or Mac Pro updates, either, although those could conceivably arrive without taking up any event time. Whatever happens, the absence of desktops would make sense. Intel isn’t releasing desktop Kaby Lake processors until January — Apple can’t use chips that aren’t ready yet. If MacBooks are all you see, though, it’ll still show that Apple hasn’t forgotten its original business.
Source: MacRumors
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.
Headlining the event should be a totally redesigned MacBook Pro, which has existed in its current form for a good four years now. Rumors point to a touch-capable OLED strip on the keyboard above the number row that can adapt to whatever app you’re using. Touch ID might be making its way to the Mac for the first time, as well. Of course, the computers will likely be thinner and lighter and will probably see many of the innovations Apple first rolled out in the MacBook in 2015. The butterfly keyboard mechanism, tiered battery design and reliance on USB-C all seem likely to come on board at this point. We’re hoping the MacBook Pro will be available in a variety of colors for the first time, too.
Beyond that, spec bumps for the iMac and MacBook Air seem like good bets, as does the inclusion of USB-C on those models as well. Looking beyond the Mac line, it’s also possible the iPad will get some love. The iPad Air 2, while still a very capable tablet, is now two years old. And the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is just about a year old and lags behind the smaller iPad Pro in a few key ways. It wouldn’t surprise us to see both of those devices get some updates.
Whatever Apple has to show off, we’ll be there live to bring you all the news as it happens when the event starts at 10AM PT.
Source: Apple
Apple could bring E Ink keyboards to MacBooks in 2018
You may have to wait a while if you want a Mac with an E Ink keyboard. Wall Street Journal tipsters understand that Apple wants to make Sonder’s e-paper keys a “standard feature” on MacBooks, but that it’s aiming for a 2018 launch. Don’t expect to see anything at that reported October 27th event, then. At least we’re getting a hint of the functionality. As you’d expect, E Ink would let your Mac use “any” alphabet, along with special characters and media editing shortcuts. You could write emoji more like you do on a smartphone (where you replace the keyboard with an emoji picker) instead of using a keyboard shortcut and wading through an on-screen dialog box.
None of the companies involved are commenting. However, Sonder had already acknowledged that talks had taken place. The technology would make sense, however. So long as Apple is still philosophically opposed to touchscreens on its computers, any input innovation will have to take place below the display. See those rumors of OLED touch strips on the next-generation MacBook Pro, for example. This isn’t going to make you happy if you prefer touch, but it might satisfy creative pros, emoji fans and anyone who has had to go without localized keyboards.
Source: Wall Street Journal
ASUS ZenBook 3 review: A powerful MacBook competitor with issues
Apple’s tiny MacBook was a revelation when it debuted last year. It was thinner and lighter than most ultraportables on the market, and its refined design brought over some cues from Apple’s mobile hardware. So it was only a matter of time before a PC maker took a swing at a similar design. Enter the ASUS ZenBook 3, a minuscule machine that promises to be just as portable as the MacBook while packing in much faster hardware. But while ASUS has proved it can sell powerful machines for far less than the competition, it’s less experienced when it comes to delivering truly premium hardware. The ZenBook 3, while attractive on the surface, is a reminder that ASUS still has a lot to learn.
Hardware
At first glance, the Zenbook 3 screams luxury. Its aluminum alloy case is smooth and sleek, and it measures an impressive 11.9mm at its thickest point. I particularly liked the deep shade of blue and the gold accents, which are classy in a subtle way. ASUS’s ZenBook line is unquestionably “Apple-inspired,” with an emphasis on thin profiles and all-metal cases. But the ZenBook 3’s design in particular looks like a mixture of the MacBook and the 11-inch MacBook Air, right down to the small notch below the trackpad and the look of the speakers above the keyboard. That’s one way to evoke a premium feel, I guess. But it would have been nice to see some actual innovation, as with HP’s sexy new Spectre.
With a 12.5-inch display, ASUS managed to outdo the MacBook by half an inch. But Apple’s laptop boasts a higher-resolution 2,304 x 1,440 display, as compared with 1080p on the ZenBook. At least it’s a good-looking display, though; it’s bright enough for outdoor use, while colors appear vibrant and mostly accurate. Though it’s not a touchscreen display (that’s to be expected with such a thin laptop), ASUS covered it in Gorilla Glass 4 for extra protection. After testing out plenty of touchscreen Windows laptops over the past few years, though, I’m surprised by how much I missed that feature here.
While the two-pound ZenBook 3 feels light and sturdy at first, it wasn’t long before I started noticing flaws. Applying a bit of pressure around the laptop’s keyboard leads to some seriously disturbing creaking noises, as if the seams around the bottom of the case are rubbing against each other. It’s not something you might ever do to your laptop, but this also doesn’t bode well for long-term durability. If a bit of force from my hands can disturb the case’s integrity, how can I ever trust it in a book bag with other heavy items?
Then there’s the keyboard and trackpad, which present a different set of issues. The ZenBook 3’s buttons have more travel than those on the relatively flat MacBook, but the feedback you get when pressing them is mushy and insubstantial. Perhaps it’s just because I’m a heavy typer, but I was never able to get into a decent typing flow. While I eventually got used to the wonky feedback, I still get more typos with this machine compared with every other laptop keyboard I’ve tested recently. Honestly, even though the MacBook’s keyboard isn’t ideal either, I still prefer it to the ZenBook 3’s.
The trackpad, while large and relatively smooth, is a chore to use. It requires a lot of pressure to register clicks, which isn’t great when you’re trying to balance an ultralight notebook on your lap. It would often get confused with left and right clicks, and on several occasions I had to press down multiple times for it to register anything. Tapping the trackpad to select things isn’t great either, as it often moves the pointer off your target. And for some reason, ASUS thought it was a good idea to put its fingerprint sensor right on the trackpad. That effectively renders the top-right portion of the trackpad a dead zone most of the time.
At least the fingerprint sensor works well; it usually gets me to the desktop in less than a second. On several occasions, I received warnings about Windows Hello being disabled because of too many fingerprint login attempts, even after I was just waking it up from sleep mode. I’m not sure why those errors occurred, but it makes me think that Windows Hello is somehow trying to identify fingerprints even when the ZenBook’s lid is shut. (And that could be tied to the flexing issue as well.)
You might have noticed one other nod to the MacBook: The ZenBook 3’s only ports are a single USB-C socket and a 3.5mm headphone jack. At least ASUS was kind enough to bundle in a USB-C mini-dock, which includes an HDMI port, a traditional USB connection and another USB-C socket. Unfortunately, you can use the dock’s USB-C port only for charging, which will make life difficult if you want to connect a USB-C device and an external monitor at the same time.
Performance and battery life
| ASUS ZenBook 3 (2.7GHz Intel Core-i7-7500U, Intel HD 620) | 5,448 | 3,911 | E2,791 / P1,560 | 3,013 | 1.67 GB/s / 1.44 GB/s |
| HP Spectre 13 (2.5GHz Intel Core i7-6500U, Intel HD 520) | 5,046 | 3,747 | E2,790 / P1,630 / X375 | 3,810 | 1.61 GB/s / 307 MB/s |
| Huawei MateBook (1.1 GHz Core M3, Intel HD 515) | 3,592 | 2,867 | E1,490 / P887 | 2,454 | 538 MB/s / 268 MB/s |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet (1.2 GHz Core M7-6Y75, Intel HD 515) | 4,951 | 3,433 | E1,866 / P1,112 | 2,462 | 545 MB/s / 298 MB/s |
| Dell XPS 13 (2.3GHz Core i5-6200U, Intel Graphics 520) | 4,954 | 3,499 | E2,610 / P1,531 | 3,335 | 1.6GB/s / 307 MB/s |
| Razer Blade Stealth (2.5GHz Intel Core i7-6500U, Intel HD 520) | 5,131 | 3,445 | E2,788 / P1,599 / X426 | 3,442 | 1.5 GB/s / 307 MB/s |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (2.4GHz Core i5-6300U, Intel HD 520) | 5,403 | 3,602 |
E2,697/ P1,556/ X422 |
3,614 | 1.6 GB/s / 529 MB/s |
| Lenovo Yoga 900 (2.5GHz Core i7-6500U, Intel HD 520) | 5,368 | 3,448 |
E2,707 / P1,581 |
3,161 | 556 MB/s / 511 MB/s |
What’s truly impressive about the ZenBook 3 is that ASUS has managed to fit in seventh-generation Intel Core processors and gobs of memory in such a tiny case. Our review unit came with a Core i7-7500U, which offers speeds between 2.7GHz and 2.9GHz, and 16GB of LPDDR3 RAM clocked at 2,133MHz. ASUS says it worked with Intel to achieve that memory speed, which is faster than any other ultraportable on the market. It even exceeds the maximum 1,866MHz RAM speeds Intel officially supports for its latest chips.
The MacBook, on the other hand, is still stuck with slow Core m3 and m5 CPUs and a maximum of 8GB of RAM. Apple might refresh it soon, now that the seventh-gen Intel CPUs are available, but for the time being, ASUS wins the spec battle.
The ZenBook 3 felt just as zippy as other high-end ultraportables. It didn’t skip a beat during my typical workflow, which involves having several browsers open with dozens of tabs each, plus Slack, Spotify and Photoshop. And thanks to the video-decoding capabilities in Intel’s new processors, the CPU usage managed to stay below 20 percent when I streamed 4K video from YouTube. Basically, you’re not sacrificing any performance here.
Battery life
ASUS ZenBook 3
9:45
Surface Book (Core i5, integrated graphics)
13:54 / 3:20 (tablet only)
HP Spectre x360 (13-inch, 2015)
11:34
Surface Book (Core i7, discrete graphics)
11:31 / 3:02 (tablet only)
Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display (13-inch, 2015)
11:23
iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 2015)
10:47
HP Spectre x360 15t
10:17
Chromebook Pixel (2015)
10:01
Lenovo Yoga 900
9:36
Apple MacBook (2016)
8:45
Samsung Notebook 9
8:16
Dell XPS 13 (2015)
7:36
Microsoft Surface Pro 4
7:15
HP Spectre 13
7:07
Huawei MateBook
6:35
Razer Blade Stealth
5:48
Dell XPS 15 (2016)
5:25 (7:40 with the mobile charger)
When it comes to real-world battery life, the ZenBook 3 also outshines some recent ultraportables I’ve seen, like the Huawei MateBook and the Lenovo X1 Yoga with OLED. It typically lasted an entire workday, and sometimes it even had juice left over by the time I got home. In our typical battery test, which involves looping an HD video until the power dies, it lasted around nine hours and 45 minutes. Given that Intel is stressing video decoding with its new chips, though, that figure might not be directly comparable to other ultraportables. I’ll be testing the ZenBook 3 with other battery benchmarks soon and will report back with the results.
Configuration options and the competition
You have two choices with the ZenBook: the $1,099 model with a Core i5-7200U processor, 8GB of RAM and 25GB of storage; or the more powerful $1,599 version with a Core i5-7500U chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The latter model was the one I tested, so keep that in mind if you’re hoping to achieve the kind of performance reflected in our benchmarks.
Apple’s MacBook, which is really the only direct competitor, starts at $1,299, with a significantly slower Core M3 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Bumping up to $1,599 gets you a Core M5 and more storage, but you’ll still be stuck with 8GB of RAM.
If you can live with something slightly heavier, then you’ve got a wealth of ultraportable options to choose from, including HP’s revamped Spectre 13 (2.45 pounds), the fantastic Dell XPS 13 (2.6 pounds), and even Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4. All of those machines will likely get upgraded soon with Intel’s seventh-gen CPUs, so it might be worth waiting a bit (or snap up one of last year’s models if they’re on sale).
Wrap-up
Ultimately, with the ZenBook 3, ASUS did what it does best: pack in plenty of powerful hardware for a cheaper price than the competition. But the company’s inexperience at crafting truly high-end machines shows, with some truly worrying durability and usability issues. I give ASUS credit for building such a thin and powerful device, but what does that matter if the keyboard and trackpad are a pain to use?
What we expect from Apple’s big iPhone event
Apple is holding a big press event next week, and it’s a pretty safe assumption at this point that we’re getting a new iPhone. We’re not expecting a radical reimagining of the device, but there might be a few surprises here (like no headphone jack!) to keep people on their toes. Will we see a new Apple Watch? Maybe. New MacBook Pros? Probably not. A play to repay $14.5 billion in back taxes? Keep dreaming. Watch the video above for all the latest on the Apple rumor mill.
Apple hints at OS X rebrand in the App Store
If you think about it, OS X isn’t really a great name for Apple’s Mac operating system. It was just meant to be the next OS after Mac OS 9, but because it has a nice round (roman) number and used all-new UNIX-based tech, Apple has stuck with the name for nigh on 17 years. According to the rumor mill and apparent slip-up on the App Store, that’s about to change, however. It now seems likely that Apple will change OS X to macOS, essentially reverting to its pre-1999 naming scheme.
“macOS”. Seen on Apple’s app subscription FAQ.https://t.co/890TR0LGz6 pic.twitter.com/JPOwp7NlDB
— Rob Hunt (@helloiamrob) June 8, 2016
Twitter user Rob Hunt spotted the “macOS” on Apple’s app subscription FAQ, and 9to5 Mac noticed that the company quickly changed it back to Mac OS X. That site also noticed that Apple used the moniker on OS X framework and environmental webpages earlier this year. Based on the change to the App Store, the betting is that Apple will announce the name change and reveal the first version of macOS at WWDC 2016, set to start on June 13th.
Via: 9 to 5 Mac
Source: Rob Hunt (Twitter)
ASUS’ ZenBook 3 vs. the updated MacBook: Which packs more punch?
The 12-inch MacBook is attractive and compact, but not without compromises. When the original came out last spring, our reviewer Dana Wollman took issue with its lackluster performance and lack of ports outside of a USB-C connection. Still, the MacBook was good enough to warrant a refresh in 2016 that delivered more battery life and improved performance. Now, ASUS is getting in on the minimalist act with its new ZenBook 3. At a glance, the new MacBook and ZenBook 3 seem quite similar indeed, with small, lightweight designs and, well, not many ports. While we’ll certainly put the Zenbook 3 through its paces in a full review, a quick peek at the specs reveals two machines similar in profile, but with the potential for very different performance.
| Price | $999 / $1,499 / $1,999 | $1,299 / $1,599 |
| Dimensions | 296 x 191.2 x 11.9mm (11.65 x 7.53 x 0.47 inches) | 280 x 196.5 x 13.1mm (11.04 x 7.74 x 0.52 inches) |
| Weight | 910g (2 pounds) | 920g (2.03 pounds) |
| OS | Windows 10 | OS X El Capitan |
| Display | 12.5-inch LED-backlit LCD | 12-inch LED-backlit LCD with IPS |
| Resolution | 1,920 x 1,080 | 2,304 x 1,440 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5 6200U or Core i7 6500U | Intel Core m3 (1.1GHz) or Core m5 (1.2GHz) |
| Memory | 16GB / 64GB | 8GB |
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 520 | Intel HD Graphics 512 |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB SSD | 256GB / 512GB SSD |
| Ports | USB-C | USB-C |
| WiFi | 802.11ac with WIDI | 802.11ac |
| Battery | 40 WHr | 41.4 WHr |
New, thinner Macbook Pros will reportedly have an OLED touch bar
Barring a big change to the trackpad, Apple’s high-powered MacBook Pro models haven’t seen many major differences in recent years. That may be until now. According to 9to5Mac, which is citing both Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and its own sources, the next family of MacBook Pros (or MacBooks Pro) could not only be thinner and lighter, but may also house a new OLED display touch bar just above the keyboard. This would act in place of the narrow physical function keys found on contemporary MacBooks. Apple may also bring Touch ID into its next series of laptops.
Alongside the rumor of a OLED touch bar, the design will apparently include new metal injection-molded hinges that will enable the company to make the Pro series lighter and thinner. (Uncorroborated reports suggested that Apple has tapped the same company that made the Surface’s special hinges.)
The same sources say that new Pro laptops will come with USB-C and Thunderbolt 3, while Apple will also bring a new 13-inch MacBook similar to the latest 12-inch Retina model. Yeah, if the range of MacBooks was confusing before, it could get even more baffling. Kuo’s report suggests that 13- and 15-inch models will arrive late 2016, although more details on that curious OLED bar are scarce — and that’s the most interesting part.
Lenovo attempted to add a similar-sounding adaptive keyboard panel to its ThinkPad series, but it wasn’t all that well-received, and the company rolled back its keyboard design soon after. However, let’s see how Apple plans to deliver this OLED touch bar first, if this is all true.
Source: 9to5Mac
The good and bad sides of Apple’s classroom hardware initiative
In late 2014, Apple announced that it would donate iPads, Macs and Apple TVs to 114 “underserved” schools as a way of getting more technology in the hands of those who don’t have as much of a chance to use it. With the program well underway, The Wall Street Journal published a report on the good and bad sides thus far. While some studies have shown that schools in which students that heavily use technology actually do worse than students who do so moderately, a big part of that problem comes from not having curriculum developed that the hardware can enhance. In the case of Apple’s trial, the company is providing an employee to spend 17 days per year at each school to help build lesson plans that take advantage of the company’s hardware.
While it’s too early to tell with hard data how the initiative is fairing, teachers the WSJ spoke with in Yuma, Arizona have positive feelings thus far. Fourth-grade teacher Blanca Rivera has overcome her skepticism to the value of using hardware in the classroom, saying that it has enhanced and motivated her students. She also said that the sessions with Apple’s guide have definitely been helpful.
Naturally, there are downsides as well. The students can’t currently take their iPads home, meaning they aren’t useful for homework. Even if the students were allowed to bring the tablets out of the classroom, many of them don’t have internet connections at home. And the teachers have concerns about what’ll happen when the three-year program ends and the district can’t afford to buy hardware itself. Apple’s Eddie Cue believes that if the program proves to be valuable, finding continued funding won’t be difficult. “You have to solve the problem you have today and not worry about the problem you’re going to have tomorrow,” he said to the WSJ.
Of course, Apple has non-philanthropic motivations for making these donations. Recent estimates shows that more than half of the hardware being purchased for schools at this point are relatively inexpensive Google Chromebooks rather than Apple devices. The company has never been about pure marketshare, but there’s undoubtably a benefit to getting its hardware in the hands of as many students as possible to help convert them to future Apple products down the line.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Disney scanner identifies gadgets by their electromagnetic field
If someone placed your naked smartphone on a table alongside two identical models, how would you determine which one is yours? If you’re an engineer at Disney Research, you would pull out a little scanner and immediately pinpoint the handset based on the noise it emits. It definitely sounds a little futuristic, but a team of researchers at Disney’s innovation labs found that every single piece of technology has its own unique electromagnetic signal, even if they’re exactly the same make and model, and built a radio scanner to read them.
Disney technicians tested a total of 40 devices, including five fluorescent tube light bulbs, five Lightsaber toys, five iPhone 6 handsets, five Retina MacBook Pro and 20 24-inch Dell LCD displays. Using a custom-built $10 scanner, the team fed the electromagnetic signals into a specialized software that pinpoints 1,000 unique frequency responses to create an EM-ID — a digital fingerprint of each device.
The results were varied but encouraging. For the Lightsaber, the algorithm “perfectly identified” the device 30 times. The Dell displays scored an average identification accuracy of 94.7 percent, followed closely by the five MacBook Pros with 94.6 percent. The lightbulbs came in at 86 percent but the iPhone 6 tests only averaged 71.2 percent, a result that Disney researchers believe occurred because the smartphone has a frequency distribution that can easily overlap with other identical models.
So, what does this mean? Right now, Disney is presenting the technology as a new way to “improve asset management and inventory tracking.” Instead of using RFID tags, which are considered too expensive when compared with a standard printed barcode, organizations could use a device’s own electromagnetic footprint to determine exactly what stock it has without even having to touch it.
Via: Gizmodo
Source: Disney Research
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