Those Arm-based Macs slay Intel, and more tech news today

Your Tech News Digest via the DGiT Daily Tech Newsletter for Wednesday, November 18, 2020

1. Apple M1 Mac Reviews: Wow

Apple’s new M1 Macs are available today and have undergone initial tests and reviews. And you are monster. There’s so much excitement in the technology world for what we’re seeing. Just like Yossarian, you just have to respectfully whistle what Apple has achieved here.

M1 Macs:

• It is not straight This performance exceeds the expectations of the new M1 Macs. What we see is a leap forward.
• The M1 SoC is significantly powerful, making even passively cooled 13-inch devices like the MacBook Air as sharp and snappy as much taller (and much more expensive) laptops.
• When you increase this performance, you have much better efficiency and make big leaps in battery life.

What to read:

• Om Malik has a deep insight into the M1 and how it can change our lives. It’s great and includes interviews with Apple’s Greg “Joz” Joswiak, Johny Srouji, and Craig Federighi, as well as a perspective on how the computing experience is changing, with quotes like, “The M1 chip can’t be viewed in isolation. It’s a silicon-level manifestation of what’s happening throughout the computer, especially the software layer … The desktop environments are the last dominance to fall. “
• And: “… all of this means that you will see your system as soon as you open the screen. Your computer won’t burn your lap when you make zoom calls. And the battery doesn’t drain during a call … It’s amazing what makes these small changes change our lives without many of us even noticing. “
• On the more technical side, Anandtech has released its first version of the M1-based Mac Mini. While it won’t be able to open it in a short amount of time before the part is dropped, the details and benchmarks show that the M1 SoC has the incredible leaps you just can’t get in year-to-year improvements with Intel get and AMD.
• There’s a lot out there, but the M1 in the Mac Mini has fewer limitations than the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, and it’s still a low-power device that draws 20-24W. However, it works on a CPU level with twice the thermal load. That makes it pretty ridiculous. Quote: “The M1 undisputedly surpasses the core performance of anything Intel has to offer and battles with AMD’s new Zen3, winning some, losing some.” (Again, the point is that these are low-power chips with great battery life and only the best and newest Zen3 from AMD will compete and use far more power.)
• The edge has useful reviews that aren’t into the depths of benchmarks and numbers, but rather what it means for your computing. Review: Dieter Bohn with the MacBook Air.
• Wired: “Spend a day with the new MacBook Air and you can feel the improvements immediately. … The M1 is not a Mac evolution, but a Mac revolution. “
• TechCrunch: “I personally tested the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro. After extensive testing, it is clear that this device outperforms some of the most powerful Mac portable devices ever made while delivering at least 2 to 3 times the battery life. “
• That will also help: Google is launching a native version of Chrome for Apple’s Arm Macs on Wednesday (The edge).

What’s not good

• It depends on the M1. But it’s funny that the new Macs still have some of the tired old problems: a terrible 720p webcam, iOS and iPadOS apps are mostly junk, the 13-inch MacBook Pro still has a TouchBar that is unusable is.
• Also, the lack of external GPU support is limiting for some use cases.
• Apple completely nails the toughest parts: SoC hardware, software integrations, emulation, and so on. And then a webcam sticks that was already inferior to an iPhone camera in 2014. Strange.

What now? What next?

• Should You Buy a New M1 Mac? If you need a 13-inch MacBook, the main reason not to buy the Intel option isn’t because all apps are supported on Apple Silicon. Yet. However, the improvement in battery life is significant.
• The battle between Intel and M1 Mac Mini is closer. The Intel option has more features like external GPU support, more ports, and upgradeable RAM.
• For larger Macs, we recommend waiting for Apple Silicon models to hit the market.
• The larger 16-inch MacBook Pros and desktop Macs (iMac / Mac Pro) will likely both be equipped with more powerful Apple Silicon – maybe an M1X? Two M1 chips? – Sometime in 2021?
• For Intel? Seek soul. Will Intel and AMD or even Samsung consider arm-based chips? Will Qualcomm be Apple’s only competitor?

Messages only in: Apple announced a small business program on the iOS App Store: Apple will only take 15 percent of 30 for small businesses that “make up to $ 1 million a year.” Perhaps people like Hey and Epic’s energetic lawsuit really shook Apple’s tree. More about what that means tomorrow.

2.Oppo Find X3 will be released in 2021 with novel color accuracy technology, real 10-bit color (Android Authority).

3. What’s next for smartphone screens? More about Oppos rollable smartphone technology (Android Authority).

4. Leak: Google’s next Chromebook will apparently contain AMD chips. (Shame it’s not Apple silicon?) (Android Authority).

5. OnePlus will incorporate 7 crowdsourced feature ideas into its smartphones, including “Separate volume for each app and enable dual media playback” and “Customize the lock screen” (Android Authority).

6. The much-needed update from Google Fit includes new sleep tracking details and more (Android Authority).

7. According to Google, Chrome 87 has its biggest performance boost in years. Many promised improvements, including better battery life for phones and laptops through the browser (Engadget)

8. 🕊️ Fleets: Twitter launches the tool for disappearing tweets worldwide after tests in Brazil and India. These tweets last 24 hours (Reuters).

9. Apple’s MagSafe Duo is somehow less powerful than the regular MagSafe charger. Man, this $ 129 product is not a good product (The edge).

10. The FBI is hiring 140 robots to physically retrieve sensitive information – operational by 2022 (ZDNet).

11. Once again, Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey faced a Senate that grilled over moderation practices (CNN).

12. Microsoft expects an Xbox Series X shortage by April 2021 (IGN).

13.Potential signs of life on Venus fade as astronomers downgrade their original claims (they are never aliens) (science)

14. “Why do the two COVID-19 vaccine candidates need different storage conditions?” Absolutely fascinating. (r / askcience).

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