M1

We already know that the new Macs powered by the M1 chip have impressive performance that beats nearly all current Macs with Intel processors, but what about Windows PCs? PCWorld compared Microsoft’s Surface Pro X with Apple’s new M1 MacBook Air and the results put the Surface tablet far behind the Mac.

Qualcomm and Apple were once engaged in a bitter legal battle over cellular modems and licensing, but now Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon has praise for Apple’s newest M1 chip. In an interview with The Verge, Amon said that the success of the M1 “validates” Qualcomm’s beliefs in the future of computing.

The M1 chip in the entry-level MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini lines already rivals high-end Intel CPUs. But a new report from Bloomberg indicates that Apple is confident it can fully leave Intel in the dust, as it works on next-generation Apple Silicon chips with higher power budgets.

Bloomberg says Apple is working on successors to the M1 with up to 20 CPU cores, made up of 16 high performance and 4-efficiency cores. In 2021, the company is expected to roll out ARM versions of the higher-end MacBook Pro, “both entry-level and high-end iMac desktops”. An ARM Mac Pro is scheduled to follow in 2022.

Last week we saw the first successful virtualization of ARM Windows 10 on an M1 Mac. The good news is that it even appeared to be “pretty snappy.” Now we’ve got a look at a helpful walkthrough and peek at real-world performance in a new video, including the M1 Mac mini blowing away Microsoft’s Surface Pro X.

Has the transition from Intel to Apple silicon on the Mac surpassed all expectations? Watch our hands-on video as we discuss what makes Apple’s M1 MacBooks so special in our MacBook Air and MacBook Pro review.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is now offering Mac instances to developers who want to speed up building and testing of Mac, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS and tvOS apps. The instances are based on physical Mac minis, and you get exclusive access to a machine while you are using it.

While relatively expensive compared to other Mac mini in the cloud services, AWS does offer a couple of significant benefits …

Apple recently introduced its first Macs with ARM processors and although they offer incredible performance, users cannot run Windows or Linux natively on these machines — at least for now. Popular developer Hector Martin today announced a Patreon funding to help him bring Linux to Apple Silicon Macs.

Last week we heard from Apple’s VP of software engineering Craig Federighi that the ARM version of Windows 10 could run natively on Apple Silicon M1 Macs but was “really up to Microsoft.” Now a developer has found a workaround enabling the first virtualization of ARM Windows running successfully on an M1 Mac and claims the performance is “pretty snappy.”

The new Mac mini with M1 chip has been available for some time and although the machine impresses with its amazing performance, it’s also causing problems for some users. More specifically, there are users complaining about Bluetooth connectivity issues with the new M1 Mac mini.

Sensei is a relatively new app that lets Mac users keep track of performance and other hardware details, such as battery health, RAM management, CPU usage, and more. The app was updated today with full support for the new Macs with M1 chip, so users can now monitor the temperature and fan of these Macs.

While almost all aspects of M1 Mac performance are greatly improved compared to the Intel Mac predecessors, one notable downside has been reduced support for external displays. In what looks like some exciting news, it appears Apple may be underselling the M1 Mac external display functionality.

Apple’s switch from Intel processors to Apple Silicon is the most significant change to the Mac lineup in many years, and yet the exterior design of M1 Macs has been left almost completely unchanged. A few function keys aside on the new MacBook Air, there is no clue that the new machines are radically different from the old ones.

Some believe this is a very deliberate move by the Cupertino company. I agree, but not for the reason that has mostly been suggested …

While the transition to Apple Silicon has been impressively smooth overall for the first M1 Macs, a big lingering question is what Windows support will look like as Boot Camp is not supported on the new generation of Macs. Now in a new in-depth interview, Apple’s VP of software engineering Craig Federighi has said that the ARM version of Windows could run natively on Apple Silicon Macs, but it will be up to Microsoft.

Yesterday we saw a useful detailed list of all the games that are compatible with Apple Silicon (and is being continually updated). Now we’ve got another valuable database for all of the M1 compatible apps available so far.

Apple has quietly included a 128GB M1 MacBook Air in the Apple Store for Education, priced at $799. This is $100 cheaper than the education deal on the standard entry-level 256GB model. It is not, however, available in the higher education store aimed at students.

Apple offers discounted prices to educational institutions like schools and colleges, but sometimes also adds in lower-specced models at even cheaper prices …

The Apple Silicon M1 Macs offer some seriously impressive performance across a variety of workflows. While gaming still isn’t necessarily a strong suit for macOS, the custom M1 SoC definitely brings improvements to offer a solid-enough experience for some titles, and through the lens of Apple’s entry-notebooks even an surprisingly good one. Here’s a look at all M1 Mac compatible games and associated details.

We already know that the new Macs with M1 chip can run both Intel and ARM apps made for macOS and iOS, but Mac users who rely on Windows for some specific software have lost Boot Camp support. However, CodeWeavers announced that CrossOver 20 now works on Apple Silicon Macs, which means that the new M1 Macs can run Windows software right on macOS.

As we detailed earlier today, it’s easy to download iPhone and iPad apps from the Mac App Store to run them on the new M1-powered MacBook Air, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro. However, Apple gives developers the ability to opt-out of having their application available on the Mac, and many have taken that option.

A user on Reddit has now discovered that it’s actually possible to install app files, or .IPA files, from your iPhone on an M1 Mac.