MACMYND

Apple is widely expected to launch two new MacBooks during October. They will be the first hardware available to the public using the new ARM-based processors instead of the current Intel chips. This is part of a planned two-year transition towards Apple using its own silicon over all of the Mac platform.

The laptops are very much on the bleeding edge of technology, but not much is expected to change on the outside – those who are looking for new design ideas and up to date technology outside of the move to ARM are going to have to wait until the back half of 2021.

Apple CEO Tim Cook presents new products, including new Macbook laptops, during a special event at … [+] the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Howard Gilman Opera House October 30, 2018, in New York. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

AFP/Getty Images

One area where Apple is behind the competition has been the screen. Windows 10 laptops, especially in the high-end markets where the MacBook Pro lives, have featured innovations such as edge to edge screens and increased brightness. They have already started to move to the next level of screen technology… the use of mini LED to create a more responsive screen with a wider and more accurate range of colours.

Apple’s move to mini LED on its laptop range has been discussed by many, but the latest details from analysts looking at the supply chain suggest that consumers looking for the best screen possible on their Mac will have to wait until the second half of next year. Tim Hardwick reports:

“[Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo] has said a mini-LED version of a 16-inch MacBook Pro is in the works for a possible late 2020 release, and that Apple is also working on a mini-LED 14.1-inch MacBook Pro, although he hasn’t provided launch information for the latter beyond suggesting there are several mini-LED devices in the works for 2021. According to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce, Apple suppliers won’t begin competing to win manufacturing orders for new 14-inch and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models with mini-LED displays until the first quarter of 2021.”

Apple’s two suppliers for miniLED screens are presumed to be Epistar and Sana Optoelectronics. With two companies in the supply chain Apple can expect to see both resilience in production, and the two companies ensuring their screens are competitively priced. But it’s the impact on this year’s two MacBook machines that will be most noticeable.

Both the MacBook Pro and thew newly mono-monikered MacBook will be running the latest hardware inside the chassis, but with older technology on the outside. For machines that are going to be highly prized by the geekerati, these machines may have game-changing internals, but they’re going to look tired and boring on the outside if they come with older screens and lumbering bezels,

Perhaps that’s the plan. The Intel-powered MacBooks will not suddenly disappear overnight, and while Apple still has to confirm just how much support the computers will have over the next few years they will remain the more dependable and stable choice for business critical environments.

Assuming the geekerati discover all the flaws, bugs, and gotchas in macOS for ARM over the next twelve months, when the ARM machines are ready ‘for wider public consumption’, the new technology such as mini LED will give the MacBook platform a much needed refresh.

It’s just that waiting another 12 months for Apple to catch up to the innovations in Windows 10 powered laptops feels out of character, especially as the innovations continue to appear on the various iPhones and iPads.

Now read more about Apple’s futuristic MacBook hinge… that looks rather like Microsoft’s Surface Book…

Apple today seeded the Ninth beta of an upcoming macOS Big Sur update to developers for testing purposes, a week after releasing the eighth beta and more than two months after the new update was unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

The macOS Big Sur beta can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center and once the appropriate profile is installed, subsequent betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.

macOS Big Sur introduces a refreshed design to the Mac operating system, overhauling the entire look from the curvature of the window corners to the dock icons to the system sounds. Everything feels fresh but familiar, with a lighter and more modern appearance. There’s a new customizable Control Center that mirrors the Control Center on iOS devices, putting key system controls right at your fingertips.

The Notification Center has been redesigned with iOS-style widgets that are available in multiple sizes, plus there are more interactive notifications that are now grouped by app to make it easier to see what’s going on. Safari is faster and more battery efficient, plus there’s a new start page that can be customized with wallpapers and sections that include Reading List and iCloud Tabs, which makes Safari more tailored to your individual usage needs.

Tabs have been redesigned, there’s a built-in language translation feature, Chrome and Firefox Extensions can be ported to Safari, and YouTube supports 4K video playback. There’s also an option to choose which sites an extension works with for greater privacy. Speaking of privacy, a new Privacy Report feature lets users know the trackers Safari is blocking when you visit websites.

Messages is more similar to the Messages app on iOS with support for pinned conversations, mentions, inline replies, and Memoji creation, plus the built-in search feature has been overhauled to make it easier to find links, photos, and conversations in the app.

Apple redesigned the Maps app to add support for Look Around, indoor maps, and Guides, which are lists of notable attractions, restaurants, and more created by trusted sources. Maps can also be used to generate directions for cycling routes and electric vehicle trips that can be sent to iPhone, and shared ETA updates are now viewable on the Mac.

Photos includes a better Retouch tool, Apple Music‘s For You section has been replaced with a Listen Now section, HomeKit Secure Video cameras support Face Recognition and Activity zones, and Siri can answer a wider range of questions than before.

In the future, the macOS Big Sur App Store will help users better understand privacy practices with clear info on the information that an app collects, and after installing macOS Big Sur, you’ll see faster updates that begin in the background and then finish more quickly to make it easier to keep your Mac up to date.

For more on everything that’s new in macOS Big Sur, make sure to check out our roundup.

Apple has released iOS 14.2 beta 2 to registered developers, coming two weeks after the release of the first iOS 14.2 beta. Other new releases from Apple today include macOS 11 Big Sur beta 9 and watchOS 7.1 beta 2.

iOS 14.2 beta 2 is available to developers via an over-the-air update in the Settings app. As usual, if the update does not immediately appear for download, keep checking as it sometimes takes a few minutes to roll out to all registered developers. The update features the build number 18B5061e for iPhone users and comes in at just over 1GB.

In iOS 14.2, there are revamped now playing controls on the lock screen alongside redesigned AirPlay 2 controls in Control Center. Another one of the new changes in iOS 14.2 is a brand new Shazam toggle that can be added to Control Center.

To add the new Shazam music recognition toggle to Control Center, first make sure you’re running the developer beta of iOS 14.2, which is rolling out today. Then, open the Settings app, choose “Control Center,” then look for Shazam beneath the “More Controls” header. You can then add the Shazam toggle and rearrange it as you see fit.

Apple has also released macOS 11 Big Sur beta 9, iPadOS 14.2 beta 2, watchOS 7.1 beta 2, and tvOS 14.2 beta 2 to developers today. One of the complaints with iOS 14.2 beta 1 was that it excluded some of the new Apple Watch Series 6 functionality and new watch faces, so ideally that has been fixed with today’s release of beta 2.

As for iOS 14.1, it’s likely that Apple skipping straight to 14.2 for beta testing indicates that iOS 14.1 will be coming soon to the general public — or Apple could be saving it for the new iPhone 12 launch next month. 

If you spot any changes in iOS 14.2 beta 2, or the other new betas from Apple today, let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @9to5Mac. Stay tuned for our full hands-on coverage with the new releases right here at 9to5Mac today.

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