MacRumors

Apple is working on a high-end version of the Mac mini, featuring a more powerful Apple silicon chip and extra ports, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

In a wide-reaching report, Gurman explained that Apple is developing a more powerful version of the ‌Mac mini‌, positioned as a high-end version of the current M1 model. The new ‌Mac mini‌ is expected to use the same chip as the next-generation MacBook Pro.

The next-generation ‌MacBook Pro‌ models are expected to feature an improved version of the ‌M1‌ chip with a 10-core CPU, containing eight high-performance cores and two energy-efficient cores, and 16-core or 32-core GPU options, meaning this is also what we can expect from the new ‌Mac mini‌. Gurman said that this Apple silicon chip will also support up to 64GB of memory, a significant increase compared to the current maximum of 16GB.

The high-end ‌Mac mini‌ is also expected to feature four Thunderbolt ports on its rear, rather than the two that are available on the rear of the current ‌Mac mini‌ with an ‌M1‌ chip, which is also a change supported by the next-generation Apple silicon chip.

Apple has also been working on a more powerful version of the Mac mini (code name J374) with the same chip as the next MacBook Pro. It's expected to have four ports versus the pair available on the current low-end version and to sit above the current entry-level M1 Mac Mini. Apple could delay or cancel the new mini's launch - as it has in the past - but eventually the company will likely replace the Intel-equipped version it now sells.

When Apple introduced the ‌M1‌ ‌Mac mini‌ last year, it retained the Intel Mac minis with two additional ports in the product lineup as a high-end option. Apple did the same with the ‌MacBook Pro‌ and iMac, where the ‌M1‌ option replaced the entry-level version of the machine, and kept the high-end Intel models with more ports on sale.

The new high-end ‌Mac mini‌ is expected to replace the current Intel-based ‌Mac mini‌ that is still on sale, meaning that the whole ‌Mac mini‌ product lineup will have transitioned to Apple silicon. Gurman added the caveat that the new ‌Mac mini‌ may yet be delayed or cancelled, but said that the company will likely replace the current high-end Intel-based ‌Mac mini‌ with an Apple silicon version eventually.

Gurman also disclosed an extensive amount of information earlier this morning regarding upcoming MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac Pro models.

Apple TV's Color Balance calibration feature may make color accuracy and image quality worse on some TVs, tests have found (via AFTVnews).

Professional television calibrator Vincent Teoh, who runs the YouTube channel HDTVTest, put the ‌Apple TV‌'s color calibration feature to the test on a range of popular TVs in a recent video.

The ‌Apple TV‌'s Color Calibration debuted in tvOS 14.5 and iOS 14.5, giving users the ability to hold an iPhone with Face ID near their TV and, after tapping a notification, the ‌iPhone‌'s front-facing camera and ambient light sensor will begin color measurements and automatically tailor the ‌Apple TV‌'s video output to deliver supposedly more accurate colors and improved contrast. Apple says this process will result in improved picture quality without adjusting the TV's settings.

Apple's demonstration image showing what the Color Balance feature can achieve.

When set to their most accurate out-of-the-box color presets, two of the three TVs Teoh tested had their color accuracy made worse. On a Samsung QLED TV, the overall color accuracy improved, but the image was incorrectly shifted to a cooler blue tone. On a Sony LED TV, the feature made the color accuracy worse and similarly made the image too blue. On an LG OLED TV, the calibration feature did manage to improve color accuracy without making the image too blue.

When the tests were re-run with the TV's default color presets, the ‌Apple TV‌'s calibration feature improved color accuracy on all three models. Even so, Teoh found that when color accuracy was improved, image quality was degraded in other ways. Since the ‌Apple TV‌ had to shift the color output so much in these instances, the resulting image suffered from unwanted color banding lines, known as posterization.

• How to Use Apple TV's iPhone-Based Color Balance Feature

Teoh's tests indicate that the ‌Apple TV‌'s color calibration is certainly not a replacement for professional color calibration using specialized tools, and should be used with caution. AFTVnews suggests that users may be better off using the Color Balance feature to see how drastically it changes the TV's image, and then attempting to match the result using the TV's built-in color options.

SteelSeries, the makers of popular gaming controllers for Apple devices, has today announced that all purchases of the Nimbus+ Wireless Gamepad Controller will come with up to four free months of Apple Arcade.

The SteelSeries Nimbus+ Wireless Gamepad Controller delivers a "console-quality experience" with ‌Apple Arcade‌'s library of games.

Iterating on the original Nimbus controller, the Nimbus+ Wireless Gamepad Controller features an ergonomic design, ultra-responsive triggers and buttons, and a range of Apple connectivity options to work with Phone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and Apple TV. The Nimbus+ adds a range of new features, including clickable joysticks, new Hall effect triggers, and a 50-hour battery life. The Nimbus+ also features an optional iPhone mount to allows users to directly attach their ‌iPhone‌ to the controller.

SteelSeries notes that the Nimbus+ controller comes with up to four months of ‌Apple Arcade‌, which may indicate that some subscribers who have already redeemed their one-month-long free trial may be eligible for a shorter, three month period of free ‌Apple Arcade‌.

The Nimbus+ controller is available now for $69.99 USD at steelseries.com, the Apple online store, and other participating retailers, including up to four free months of ‌Apple Arcade‌.

Update: SteelSeries has now clarified that Nimbus+ customers will receive a code to redeem three free months of ‌Apple Arcade‌, on top of Apple's one-month free trial. Existing ‌Apple Arcade‌ subscribers will still be able to redeem the code for three free months of the service.

Apple is working on a high-end version of the MacBook Air that will feature an improved iteration of the current M1 Apple silicon chip, featuring improved graphics, but the same number of high efficiency, and high performance cores, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Apple updated its 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ alongside the 13-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini with the ‌M1‌ Apple silicon chip in November. Bloomberg says that this new ‌MacBook Air‌, which could launch as soon as the end of this year, will be more "high-end," featuring possibly nine or ten graphics cores, instead of the current seven and eight configurations.

The report notes that Apple is planning to update the low-end 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with the same improved chip.

For a redesigned, higher-end MacBook Air planned for as early as the end of the year, Apple is planning a direct successor to the M1 processor. That chip, codenamed Staten, will include the same number of computing cores as the M1 but run faster. It will also see the number of graphics cores increase from seven or eight to nine or 10. Apple is also planning an update to the low-end 13-inch MacBook Pro with that same chip.

Specfic details on what the ‌MacBook Air‌ redesign may include are scarce, but, Apple leaker Jon Prosser says that the new MacBook Air may come in different colors, much like the recently launched 24-inch iMac.

The embargo has lifted on reviews of Apple's new 24-inch iMac, powered by the same M1 chip that debuted in the 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini last year. We've gathered up impressions of the colorful new computer below.

The most striking aspect of the new iMac is its long-awaited redesign, with an ultra-thin 11.5mm chassis that comes in up to seven vibrant colors, including green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. The Verge's Monica Chin said the new colors have generated lots of interest on TikTok and are "clearly a hit with certain crowds":

I'm not quite convinced that the jazzier models will fit in outside of especially stylish homes and offices. But I will say: I've never seen so many of my friends, or so many people on TikTok, as excited about a tech product as they seem to be about the colored iMacs. The hues are a nice change, aren't obnoxious, and are clearly a hit with certain crowds.

As seen in benchmark results last week, the new iMac benefits from the impressive performance of the M1 chip, with Chin noting that there has never been a better iMac to buy for simple everyday tasks:

This iMac model achieved a higher score on the Geekbench 5 single-core benchmark than any Mac we've ever seen before — even the iMac Pro. That means if you're looking for a device for simpler everyday tasks that don't scale to every available CPU core (and that largely seems to be the demographic that Apple is trying to sell this machine to), there has literally never been a better iMac for you to buy.

Benchmark results revealed the new iMac is up to 56% faster than the previous high-end 21.5-inch iMac with an Intel Core i7 processor.

The Verge's video review:

The bezels around the display itself are a neutral gray. It's effectively a gradient, with your peripheral vision noticing the bright color, but that accent fading away until you're left with whatever is on the display itself. It works really well, though I imagine that if you're someone who prefers using Dark Mode in brightly lit rooms, it will be a pretty dramatic contrast. (I'm a Light Mode person myself, and I found the overall effect quite harmonious. But then, my office wall is orange.)

The Guardian's Samuel Gibbs said the new iMac is the best 24-inch all-in-one-computer available:

There's no doubt this is the best 24in all-in-one computer available and one of the very best Macs you can buy. But it is not perfect. The lack of USB-A ports and an SD card slot will mean users require adapters for older gear, but it is the fact that Apple still hasn't made the iMac height adjustable that is the most irritating. You can buy the 24in iMac with a universal VESA mount so you can add your own adjustable stand. iMacs balanced on third-party height risers, books or reams of paper will remain a common sight for years to come.

The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern:

• Rene Ritchie at iMore
• Devindra Hardawar at Engadget
• Joanna Stern at The Wall Street Journal
• Dan Ackerman at CNET
• Tom Brant at PCMag

We also have a roundup of iMac unboxing videos, including new color-matching Apple logo stickers included in the box.

A look at the color-matching Apple logo sticker from Dave Lee's review video:

The new iMac became available to pre-order starting April 30 and will begin arriving to customers on May 21. The new iMac will also be on display in all seven colors at most Apple Store locations starting May 21.

The 24-inch iMac with the M1 chip is now available to order and set to begin arriving with customers starting on Friday, May 21.

The iMac features a 24-inch 4.5K Retina Display, Apple's custom silicon ‌M1‌ chip for improved performance, a new, ultra-slim design, and is available in a range of color options.

Ahead of the arrival of orders this Friday, Apple has provided some YouTube channels and media outlets with an early look at its new Apple silicon-powered desktop computer. We've rounded up some unboxing videos and first impressions below.

Videos

For more in-depth impressions, see our 24-inch iMac review roundup.

Apple is working on an updated model of its Mac Pro that may feature an Apple silicon chip with as many as 32 high performance cores, and a 128 core option for graphics, according to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Bloomberg has reported in the past that Apple is working on an updated Mac Pro that will feature an Apple silicon chip rather than an Intel processor. Today's new report echoes a similar story but offers more details on the performance of this upcoming high-end Mac.

Bloomberg says there are two new ‌Mac Pro‌ models in the works, both featuring a redesign and are planned to "come in 20 or 40 computing core variations, made up of 16 high-performance or 32 high-performance cores and four or eight high-efficiency cores."

Codenamed Jade 2C-Die and Jade 4C-Die, a redesigned Mac Pro is planned to come in 20 or 40 computing core variations, made up of 16 high-performance or 32 high-performance cores and four or eight high-efficiency cores. The chips would also include either 64 core or 128 core options for graphics. The computing core counts top the 28 core maximum offered by today’s Intel Mac Pro chips, while the higher-end graphics chips would replace parts now made by Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

Alongside the faster, more powerful processor, the new ‌Mac Pro‌ will feature a smaller design that "could invoke nostalgia for the Power Mac G4 Cube," according to a previous Bloomberg report. Apple is also working on a successor to the current ‌Mac Pro‌ design that may use Intel processors rather than its own Apple silicon.

Apple plans to launch new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with an improved iteration of the M1 chip as early as this summer, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The new chip is said to include a 10-core CPU with eight high-performance cores and two energy-efficient cores, with 16-core or 32-core GPU options.

Gurman said the next-generation Apple silicon chip will also support up to 64GB of memory compared to the current maximum of 16GB. This would be in line with the current Intel-based 16-inch MacBook Pro, which is available with up to 64GB of RAM. The new chip is also said to support additional Thunderbolt ports for expanded connectivity.

As mentioned in his previous reporting, Gurman said the new MacBook Pro models will feature a redesigned chassis with the return of more ports, including an HDMI port, SD card slot, and a MagSafe magnetic charging cable.

Gurman said Apple is also working on a revamped MacBook Air for as early as the end of the year, in addition to an all-new Mac Pro, a higher-end Mac mini with four Thunderbolt ports, and a replacement for the Intel-based 27-inch iMac.

Spotify in February announced plans to introduce a new "HiFi" premium tier sometime in 2021, and while the company declined to offer a date, there's reason to believe a launch could be imminent, especially in the wake of Apple Music's lossless tier announcement on Monday.

In a timely discovery, hints of Spotify's lossless HiFi audio streaming service have again been spotted this week by Reddit user themonarc, who shared their finding with the accompanying image above.

According to the Reddit poster, a hidden HiFi menu was accessed in the Spotify app by "quickly tapping the glitched icon" that briefly appeared on the Now Playing screen upon launch.

Doing so brought up a separate screen explaining that the HiFi option supports 16-bit 44.1kHz streaming over wired earphones. The selected track didn't play in Hi-Fi quality, however, indicating that the server-side functionality isn't yet finalized.

First reports that Spotify was working on a lossless audio version of its streaming service actually appeared over three years ago, when the company started testing the option with a small group of users.

Back then, promotional screens pitched the "Spotify Hi-Fi" tier as a $5-$10 upgrade to a standard Spotify subscription. However, Spotify will likely be hard pressed to justify a paid-for upgrade, now that Apple Music has announced that its lossless offering, set to drop in June, will be free to existing subscribers.

Notably, Amazon Music has already acted to stem a potential audiophile exodus by offering its own Hi-Fi plan as an option for existing subscribers at no extra cost. We've reached out to Spotify for any update on their own HiFi launch plans.

Apple today confirmed that the new 24-inch iMac, iPad Pro, and updated Apple TV 4K will be available for customers in Apple Stores and retail locations around the world on Friday, May 21. Pre-orders for the products began earlier last month, and Apple previously said the new products will be available in the second half of May.

The new ‌iPad Pro‌ features the M1 Apple silicon chip, first introduced in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini last November. The larger 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ also features an all-new mini-LED display. The new 24-inch ‌iMac‌ also sports the ‌M1‌ chip, alongside a whole new design. The ‌Apple TV‌ 4K features an updated processor and a newly designed remote.

Apple Music on Android devices will not include Dolby Atmos support when Apple launches Spatial Audio on the streaming service in June. That's the claim from MySmartPrice, which says it received confirmation from Apple India that the sound technology would not be crossing the divide between Apple and Android ecosystems.

For anyone confused by all the audio nomenclature that's been bandied about since the ‌Apple Music‌ announcement on Monday, Dolby Atmos is based on surround sound technology that first appeared in cinemas but is now found in many home cinema setups.

It improves on standard 5.1 and 7.1 channel setups by adding extra channels that sound as if they're coming from overhead, resulting in a more immersive experience. The virtualized technology has since been used by sound engineers to enrich the recordings of both original and remixed music tracks.

Spatial Audio, based on Dolby Atmos, is basically Apple's way of delivering a similar immersive three-dimensional audio to listeners through Apple hardware. Spatial Audio takes Dolby Atmos signals and applies its own directional audio filters to make sounds appear to be coming from all around you. However, as mentioned, it only works on Apple devices and Apple headphones like AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, and there's no dynamic head tracking for Spatial Audio music like there is for movie soundtracks.

It's not clear exactly why Dolby Atmos won't be available for ‌Apple Music‌ users on Android when it launches, but it could be due to the lack of control Apple has over the handset and tablet hardware used, or perhaps rollout could come later. On the flip side, however, the higher quality Lossless audio streaming tier that Apple announced this week will be available on Apple Music for Android.

As part of the iOS and iPadOS 14.6 RC update that was released yesterday, Apple has introduced a new Shazam App Clip, which now allows users to find and identify a song using the new iOS 14 feature, instead of being redirected to the Shazam website or app.

Apple introduced App Clips with iOS 14 in June of last year as a small, mini-app that can run on a device, without a user needing to download an app from the App Store. There are multiple ways to activate an App Clip, including a specially designed App Clip QR code, an NFC tag, or even websites. Developers must, however, support the feature first.

As 9to5mac reports, Apple is now beginning to implement the feature with its own apps. With iOS 14.2, Apple added a direct Shazam toggle into Control Center, allowing users to not only identify a song playing from their device but be able to identify any song playing around them without having to download the Shazam app. Apple is now extending functionality even further, not requiring users to have the Shazam app at all, or even visit the website thanks to App Clips.

The process works the same; tap the Shazam toggle in Control Center, which can be added in Settings, wait a few moments for your iPhone or iPad to identify a song, and then the App Clip appears. From the App Clip, users can choose to share the song, hear a short preview, and open it in Apple Music to be saved for later.

Volume production of the redesigned 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple silicon and a mini-LED display is set to begin in the first quarter of 2022, while mass production of the smaller and new 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ will begin in the fourth quarter of this year, according to industry sources cited in a paywalled DigiTimes report.

Yesterday, DigiTimes posted a preview of a story reporting that the launch of the redesigned MacBook Pros could be delayed until next year. Now, the full report offers more context, including the fact that Apple suppliers are feeling constrained by the launch of the new mini-LED 12.9-inch iPad Pro, hindering production for the Mac.

Volume production of Apple's miniLED-backlit MacBook Pro series may have to be postponed to fourth-quarter of 2021 or first-quarter 2022 if the sudden surge in the number of COVID infections in Taiwan continues to worsen, according to industry sources.

Having launched its miniLED-backlit 12.9-inch iPad Pro in late April, Apple plans to release two miniLED-backlit MacBook Pro products - one having a 14-inch display and the other a 16-inch display - in the second half of 2021, said the sources.

‌DigiTimes‌ still reports that Apple plans to release the new MacBook Pros in the second half of this year, but implies that much like the new M1 ‌iPad Pro‌ and iMac, they may not be widely available for purchase until a few weeks after their initial announcement. Apple announced the new ‌iPad Pro‌ and ‌iMac‌ at an event on April 20, yet neither product officially ships and launches to customers until the second half of May, most likely this week on May 21.

Apple may opt to take a similar approach with the new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros, announcing them to the public but not make them available until sufficient production is underway. However, ‌DigiTimes‌ also notes that a minimal number of 14-inch MacBook Pros will be produced in the third quarter of this year, likely hinting that supply will be tight, despite reasonably high demand.

These new MacBook Pros will offer the biggest redesign to Apple's Pro portable Mac lineup since 2016. According to Bloomberg and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple plans to abandon the Touch Bar with the new MacBook Pros, bring back MagSafe charging technology, and more ports, including an HDMI port. These new MacBook Pros will also feature an all-new mini-LED display and a more powerful Apple silicon chip.

Update: The early unboxing video was taken down, but other unboxing and first impression videos are now available.

The new 24-inch iMac doesn't officially launch until this Friday, May 21, but an early unboxing of the machine has been shared on YouTube.

Additional topics include a look at using the Globe key to change between keyboard languages, installing iOS apps on the M1-powered ‌iMac‌, the side-oriented headphone jack, some quick benchmarks using Geekbench and Cinebench that show essentially the same performance as other M1 Macs, disk speed tests approaching 3000 MB/s for both read and write, and more.

Customers who placed early ‌M1‌ ‌iMac‌ orders have seen their orders begin shipping ahead of Friday's targeted launch date, but we should be seeing press reviews hitting as soon as Tuesday morning.

(Thanks, aaronchow!)

Update: Video has been made private but has been mirrored here.

Update 2: The mirror has now also been made private.

Earlier today, we confirmed that AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max will not support lossless audio over Bluetooth because of Bluetooth limitations, and it turns out there's no direct wired lossless option for the ‌AirPods Max‌ either.

Apple's ‌AirPods Max‌ headphones are equipped with a Lightning port, but it is limited to analog sources and will not natively support digital audio formats in wired mode.

Apple told The Verge that when a 24-bit/48 kHz Apple Music lossless track is played to an iPhone into the ‌AirPods Max‌ using a Lightning cable and a Lightning-to-3.5mm dongle, the audio is converted to analog and then re-digitized to 24-bit/48 kHz. The re-digitization is not an identical match to the source and Apple is not able to say that it's lossless audio.

Apple has confirmed that lossless audio can be listened to on an ‌iPhone‌, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV, but the higher quality audio is not available on AirPods, ‌AirPods Pro‌, or ‌AirPods Max‌. Apple lossless is also not available on the HomePod.

Listening to lossless audio on an iOS device will require wired headphones compatible with the ALAC format, and possibly a digital to analog converter. That the $549 ‌AirPods Max‌ do not work with Apple lossless is sure to upset some fans, but there is debate about whether most people can even tell the difference between standard and lossless audio formats.

Though the ‌AirPods Max‌ headphones do not support lossless audio, they are compatible with Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, another new feature that Apple is bringing to ‌Apple Music‌. Spatial Audio will allow artists to create multidimensional music that sounds like it's coming from all around you, and this feature is available on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip.

Apple has been making concessions on privacy and security in order to continue building and selling its devices in China, according to an in-depth report from The New York Times.

The focal point of the report is Apple's decision to comply with a 2016 law that requires all personal information and data collected in China to be kept in China, which has led Apple to build a China data center and relocate Chinese customers' iCloud data to China, managed by a Chinese company.

Apple fought against China's efforts to gain more control over customer data, but given China's leverage over Apple, Apple had no choice but to comply. There were initially disagreements over the digital keys that can unlock iCloud encryption. Apple wanted to keep them in the United States, while Chinese officials wanted them in China.

Ultimately, the encryption keys ended up in China, a decision that "surprised" two unnamed Apple executives who worked on the negotiations and who said that the decision could potentially endanger customer data. There is no evidence that the Chinese government has access to the data, but security experts have said that China could demand data or simply take it without asking Apple, especially given compromises in encryption key storage and the fact that a third-party company manages customer data on Apple's behalf.

"The Chinese are serial iPhone breakers," said Ross J. Anderson, a University of Cambridge cybersecurity researcher who reviewed the documents. "I'm convinced that they will have the ability to break into the servers."

In a statement, Apple told The New York Times that it "never compromised" the security of users or user data in China "or anywhere we operate." Apple says that it still controls the keys that protect the data of Chinese customers, and the China data center is using the most advanced encryption technology available, which is more advanced than what Apple uses in other countries.

Apple has also been removing apps from the App Store in China at the request of the Chinese government after China began requiring an official license to release an app. Apple told The New York Times that it has done so to comply with Chinese laws.

"These decisions are not always easy, and we may not agree with the laws that shape them," the company said. "But our priority remains creating the best user experience without violating the rules we are obligated to follow."

The New York Times' report goes into much more detail on the compromises that Apple has made in China, and it is well worth reading in full.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.