Amazon is currently offering the Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro Core i9 2.3GHz/16GB/1TB for $2,499 shipped in both Space Gray and Silver. Also available for the same pice at B&H. Saving you $300 compared to the going rate, today’s offer matches our previous mention for the Amazon low. Centered around Apple’s refreshed Magic keyboard and a larger Retina display, the 16-inch MacBook Pro comes outfitted with 1TB of SSD storage and 16GB of RAM, as well as an enhanced AMD Radeon Pro GPU. As accustomed for the Pro line these days, you’ll find four Thunderbolt 3 ports plus the Touch Bar, which has been upgraded this time around to add physical escape and power buttons. Check out our hands-on review for additional details. Head below for more.
Use some of your savings to outfit your new MacBook Pro in Apple’s official 16-inch Leather Sleeve. It’s comprised of high-quality European Leather and filled with an interior soft microfiber lining for keeping your machine protected on-the-go. Dive into our hands-on review for a closer look.
The Apple 16″ MacBook Pro features a 16″ Retina Display, a Magic Keyboard with a redesigned scissor mechanism, a six-speaker high-fidelity sound system, and an advanced thermal design. This MacBook Pro also features an AMD Radeon Pro 5500M graphics card, a 7nm mobile discrete GPU designed for pro users. With 4GB of GDDR6 VRAM, pro users will be able to tackle GPU-intensive tasks with this MacBook Pro.
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Apple recently announced that it would be eventually transitioning the entire product lineup to ARM right from the iPhone all the way to the Mac Pro. Since then, the internet has been abuzz with the kind of interoperability benefits that this unified architecture model would entail. Apple has been able to somewhat bridge the gap between iPad OS and Mac via Catalyst, but what if there is just a single codebase that can adapt according to the usage scenario?
According to known leaker Mauri QHD, Apple is working on a prototype iPhone running macOS that will offer Project Linda/Samsung Dex-like functionality. Mauri QHD seems to be pretty confident about this insider info and is sure that Apple would choose either of the implementation for the final product, which apparently is not too far away.
While we have no way of verifying this particular info, come to think of it, an iPhone running full-fledged macOS is not a far-fetched concept anymore assuming that Apple is also trying to make macOS touch-friendly. That being said, this is not be first of its kind. There have been several attempts to provide a seamless transition between mobile and laptop/desktop experiences but none have been really successful so far.
Windows 10 Mobile offered the Continuum feature wherein a compatible phone such as the HP Elite x3 can connect wirelessly or via USB-C to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse and run supported UWP apps on a larger canvas. However, Continuum was just a glorified phone screen and though the desktop looked familiar, it’s functionality was far from it. Eventually, Microsoft pulled the plug on Windows 10 Mobile and shifted focus to porting Windows 10 for ARM processors.
Samsung has been offering DeX Mode on Galaxy devices for quite some time now, and it has become quite feature-rich over time including the ability to now run as an app within Windows or macOS. DeX, though very useful, does suffer from several limitations such as not all apps scaling properly to bigger screens, no real multi-tasking, and the inability to run heavier apps.
Samsung DeX does support VMware and also briefly offered Linux on DeX, which allowed users to download and run a full Ubuntu distro from within DeX. Though Linux on DeX seemed fairly capable, Samsung terminated its development citing incompatibility with One UI 2.0 and a general lack of developer interest.
Razer too showed off its Project Linda prototype at CES 2018 that essentially allowed users to dock-in a Razer Phone into a Blade Stealth-like laptop chassis and enjoy a bigger screen Android experience.
Apple is known for letting technologies mature and the company takes its own time to perfect things. If Apple is indeed working on porting macOS to the iPhone, we may see, for perhaps the first time, a seamless transition between mobile and desktop. Just dock the iPhone to a display and behold, a fully functional macOS desktop without too much of a compromise.
Of course, this feature may not appear on the upcoming iPhone 12 or even the one after that. That being said, Apple’s SoCs are among the fastest out there and by the time this project comes to fruition, we would be seeing very capable Apple Silicon that can easily take on some of the 15W processors of today. Apple would also have to develop frameworks that allow apps to utilize the capabilities of both macOS and iOS/iPad OS in a way that would efficiently blur the line between devices.
While it is only natural that Apple would look towards eventually developing this synergy between mobile and desktop, this particular news still needs to be taken with a pinch of the proverbial salt.
13-inch 2020 MacBook Pro. At the very least, you might want to put your MacBook purchase on hold.
Credit: Apple
This week Apple killed the MacBook until further notice.
Apple couched it as a “transition” away from Intel but the net effect is the same: any Intel-based MacBook Pro or MacBook Air you buy from here on out is ultimately dead in the water.
Here’s some simple advice: don’t buy a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.
People who know a lot about Mac hardware are offering that advice too.
“There’s a practical, real reason why you shouldn’t drop $1,500 or $4,500 on a new Mac: You’ll be abandoned.” —PC World, June 22, 2020
I would offer this as a rough analogy: would you buy a Windows phone? Yeah, it’ll work and run some apps but it’s a dead platform — and good luck getting any support. That kind of scenario may be in the not-too-distant-future for Intel-based Macs.
I asked PC World’s Ung about Apple’s transition to its A Series processors.
“I would be concerned that longer term—even if Apple doesn’t dump Intel-based Macs overboard as quickly as it did PowerPC Macs—optimizations won’t flow as fast since it will be a legacy platform,” he told me in an email.
That bothers me too. There is little incentive for Apple to optimize going forward, i.e., less need to ensure Intel processors run smoothly, efficiently on macOS.
If I bought*, for instance, a 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro, there would always be that nagging feeling that a glitch or overheating or slow performance or buggy software would be due to a lack of support and/or focus from Apple.
I could wrong. But, then again, I could be right. That doubt alone kills the deal.
Barring unexpected snafus in the transition of the Mac to Apple’s processors, buying an Intel-based MacBook doesn’t make any sense.
“Intel Macs will soon be those curiosities sitting at the corner Mac Repair shop yellowing in the sun with the PowerPC macs,” Ung told me.
——
*Until Apple’s announcement, I was planning to buy the high-end 2020 Core i7 MacBook Pro 13. I’ll wait for the ARM Macs.
One of the most intriguing stories in laptops in recent years is the emergence of Microsoft as a legitimate rival to Apple. Microsoft, the software giant, has begun making some very nice hardware for those who appreciate a high-performance, portable and well-designed laptop–with one recent example being the Surface Laptop 3. The notebook is clearly meant to serve as a challenger to Apple’s MacBook lineup, and in many ways it stacks up favorably, including with Apple’s refreshed MacBook Pro for 2020.
Both Microsoft and Apple, of course, have the advantage of being the operating system creators for their respective laptops–in this case the Surface Laptop 3 and the MacBook Pro.
But which of the two laptops is a better match for you? In the following slides, CRN compares the latest Apple MacBook Pro vs Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 3 on price and specs.
Amazon-owned Woot has just slashed $410 to $500 off Apple’s 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro, bringing refurbished units down to as low as $889.99 for the rest of today.
Flash MacBook Pro deals end today
The flash sale hosted by Woot is valid today only, and features a $410 to $500 instant discount on Apple’s Mid 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro. Considering the standard model originally retailed for $1,299, the $889 discounted price offers significant savings in addition to free standard shipping for Amazon Prime members.
According to Woot, these models are refurbished by Apple, but do not come with an Apple warranty. Instead, the 2019 configs are backed by a 1-year Woot limited warranty and packaged in a generic white box. This allows for aggressive savings of up to $500 off original MSRP.
2019 13″ MacBook Pro discounts
2019 13″ MacBook Pro (1.4GHz, 8GB, 128GB, refurb): $889.99($410 off)
2019 13″ MacBook Pro (1.4GHz, 8GB, 256GB, refurb): $999.99($500 off)
Exclusive deal on 2019 MacBook Pro in new condition
Additional Apple deals
AppleInsider and Apple Authorized Resellers are also running additional exclusive deals on hardware that will not only deliver the best prices on many of the items, but also throw in bonus discounts on AppleCare, Office 365 and more. These offers are as follows:
Last year at WWDC MacStadium announced the beta of its new Orka platform, and just in time for this year’s event they are announcing the release of Orka clouds built on the latest Mac mini hardware. MacStadium is also offering 9to5Mac readers a special 50% off the first six months of an individual Gen3 Mac mini subscription with code WWDC2020.
Head below for more info on the Mac mini subscriptions and a live demo of MacStadium’s new Orka platform.
With work-from-home trends creating an increase in remote server demand, MacStadium’s cloud-hosted Mac mini subscriptions have become necessary for many looking for a solution to offer access to apps and servers for students and staff stuck at home.
Dedicated entirely to Macs in the cloud, MacStadium offers a number of different Mac private cloud options that can be used for iOS/Mac development, remote servers, and other workloads that require macOS. MacStadium’s private clouds are always built on genuine Apple Mac hardware and are trusted by iOS developers and mobile testing teams around the globe, including the hosts of the popular developer-focused Stacktrace podcast here on 9to5Mac.
ORKA
Orka is MacStadium’s new virtualization platform based on standard cloud orchestration tools like Docker and Kubernetes but built specifically for Apple hardware. That means a reliable, software-driven, and high-performance experience for devs testing iOS and Mac apps that require a large pool of Macs to run CI-driven development.
“Everyone who has to deal with macOS automation would love a Google Cloud or AWS for macOS,” said Mike McQuaid of Homebrew. “I feel like Orka is the closest thing that you can get to that. You’re able to, spin up, spin down VMs using an easy-to-use CLI or API.”
Orka clouds can be built on Mac Pros or on the latest T2 Mac minis and come with plugins for CI tools including Jenkins, GitHub, GitLab, Buildkite, and TeamCity.
You can try an Orka demo now, including a two-hour Orka playground environment for free at tryorka.com.
HP ENVY 13 Intel 10th Gen Core i7-1065G7 Quad-core 13.3″ 4K Touch Laptop with 512GB SSD for $699.99 at Best Buy (list price $999.99)
Dell New XPS 13 9300 Intel 10th Gen Core i5-1035G1 Quad-core 13.3″ 1920×1200 Laptop for $944.99 at Dell (use code: SAVE10 – list price $1099.99)
Dell New Vostro 15 7500 Intel 10th Gen Core i5-10300H Quad-core 15.6″ 1080p Laptop for $764.09 at Dell (use code: STAND4SMALL – list price $1498.57)
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Intel 10th Gen Core i7-1065G7 Quad-core 15.6″ 1080p Laptop with 512GB SSD for $674.99 at Dell (use code: STAND4SMALL – list price $799.99)
Dell Vostro 13 5000 Intel 10th Gen Core i7-10510U Quad-core 13.3″ 1080p Laptop for $899.09 at Dell (use code: STAND4SMALL – list price $1427.14)
Dell Latitude 15 3500 Intel Core i3-8145U 15.6″ 1080p Win10 Pro Laptop for $498.84 at Dell (use code: STAND4SMALL – list price $1034.85)
Alienware m15 R2 Intel Core i7-9750H 6-core 15.6″ 1080p Gaming Laptop with RTX 2070, 512GB SSD for $1619.99 at Dell (use code: SAVE10 – list price $2113.98)
Alienware m17 R1 Intel Core i7-9750H 6-core 17.3″ 1080p Gaming Laptop with RTX 2070 Max-Q, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD for $1607.39 at Dell (use code: SAVE10 – list price $2044.99)
Dell G7 15 Intel Core i7-9750H 6-core 15.6″ 4K OLED Gaming Laptop with RTX 2080 Max-Q, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD for $1799.99 at Dell (list price $2784.98)
Lenovo ThinkPad X390 Intel Core i5-10210U Quad-core 13.3″ 1080p IPS Laptop for $749 at Lenovo (use code: SECRETDEAL – list price $1369)
Lenovo ThinkPad X280 Intel Core i5-8350U Quad-core 12.5″ 1080p Touch Laptop for $769 at Lenovo (use code: CLEARMORE – list price $2079)
Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Intel Core i5-10210U Quad-core 14″ 1080p IPS Laptop for $999.99 at Lenovo (use code: WEBSPECIAL – list price $1469)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 Intel Core i5-10210U Quad-core 14″ 1080p Laptop for $999.99 at Lenovo (use code: CLEARMORE – list price $2629)
HP Pavilion 15z Touch AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Quad-core 15.6″ Laptop for $559.99 (+$60 for 1080p Display) at HP (list price $679.99)
HP 15t Intel Core i7-10510U Quad-core 15.6″ Laptop for $599.99 (+$50 for 1080p Display) at HP (list price $799.99)
HP Pavilion 15t Intel 10th Gen Core i7-1065G7 Quad-core 15.6″ Laptop with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD for $779.99 (+$130 for 1080p Touch Display) at HP (list price $1129.99)
HP ENVY x360 Intel Core i5-1035G1 Quad-core 15.6″ 1080p Touch Laptop for $799.99 at HP (list price $849.99)
HP Pavilion x360 15t Touch Intel Core i7-10510U Quad-core 15.6″ 1080p Touch Laptop with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD for $929.99 at HP (list price $1249.99)
HP OMEN 15 Intel Core i7-9750H 6-core 15.6″ 1080p 144Hz Gaming Laptop with RTX 2070, 16GB RAM for $1286.99 at HP (Select “Core i7 9750H + NVIDIA RTX 2070” (+$160) and “15.6” 144Hz IPS 1080p Display” (+$70) and use code: 10GAMERSPRING – list price $1669.99)
ASUS VivoBook 15 AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Quad-Core 15.6″ 1080p Laptop for $299 at Walmart (list price $349)
ASUS VivoBook 17 AMD Ryzen 7 3700U 17.3″ 1080p Laptop with Radeon RX Vega 10, 12GB RAM, 512GB SSD for $549.99 at Best Buy (list price $599.99)
ASUS TUF A15 AMD Ryzen 7 4800H 8-Core 15.6″ 1080p Gaming Laptop with RTX 2060, 512GB SSD for $899.99 at Best Buy (list price $999.99)
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS 14″ 1080p Laptop with RTX 2060 Max-Q, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD for $1349.99 at Best Buy (list price $1449.99)
Razer Blade 15 Intel Core i7-9750H 6-core 15.6″ 1080p 144Hz Gaming Laptop with GTX 1660 Ti, 16GB RAM for $1099.99 at Amazon (list price $1599.99)
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM Bluetooth Wireless Speaker for $74.99 at Dell (list price $249.99)
Sony WF-SP700N Wireless Noise Cancelling Sport Earbuds for $90.99 at Amazon (list price $179.99)
Klipsch T5 True Wireless Earphones for $89.99 at Amazon (list price $199.95)
TaoTronics TT-BH090 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Wireless Headphones for $39.99 at Amazon (Clip $10 Coupon and use code: AEDZL2QY – list price $69.99)
If you’ve never heard of neumorphism, you’re not alone.
One of the visual changes in macOS Big Sur to have attracted a lot of comment is what some have suggested is a partial return to skeuomorphism: icons designed to look like real-world objects. It is, some have argued, Apple coming full circle: from 3D to flat and now back to 3D.
But Jack Koloskus, lead designer for Input and The Outline, says that Apple is moving forwards, not backward…
In an interesting piece, Koloskus says that what Apple is doing in the upcoming version of macOS is not skeuomorphism, but rather ‘the next wave’ in UI design: neumorphism.
macOS 11 (known as Big Sur) boasts loads of new features that bring it closer to parity with its iOS counterparts on iPhones and iPads, but one area where there seems to be a divergent path is… its icon and user interface design. You can blame that on a little something called Neumorphism, and like or hate it, it’s the next wave in UI design […]
When you boil it down, neumorphism is a focus on how light moves in three-dimensional space. Its predecessor, skeumorphism, created realism in digital interfaces by simulating textures on surfaces like felt on a poker table or the brushed metal of a tape recorder. An ancillary — though under-developed — aspect of this design style was lighting that interacted realistically with the materials that were being represented; this is why shadows and darkness were so prevalent in those early interfaces.
But the lighting and texture simulations being done for those designs were still relatively simple: which objects are shiny and which are rough? Which objects are transparent and which opaque? These were ultimately utilitarian and somewhat arbitrary choices. What sets neumorphism apart from its progenitor is that the focus is on the light itself and how it interacts with a variety of objects in a purely digital space. The light simulations in neumorphism are more complex, and are focused on how light from one object could affect another, or the function of the object itself.
There are, he suggests, two key differences between skeuomorphism and neumorphism.
First, neumorphic elements don’t have to represent real-world objects. They are simply three-dimensional shapes which can have arbitrary designs.
Second, while a skeuomorphic icon exists in isolation – the shadow patterns might vary from its neighbouring icons – neumorphism is all about a consistent light pattern across the entire screen. If the light is coming from top left for one icon, it must be coming from top left for all the other icons on the screen.
Some criticize change for change’s sake, but Koloskus disagrees.
There is one undeniable feature to neumorphism that makes it so appealing. It looks new. Flat design’s core “digitally native” look, and its implementation of ideas like stacks, pages, and layers have become familiar to the point of ubiquity over the last 8+ years. Neumorphism is far enough away from what users have become accustomed to that it genuinely does feel like a new language. That differentiation is valuable, especially to a company like Apple trying to move its operating system to a new numbered version for the first time in 19 years.
Personally, I’m with him on this. I do generally like change to have a purpose, and I am a minimalist who was a great enthusiast of flat design back in 2017, but I’m bored with it now. It’s time for a change.
Not all designers have been impressed by what we see in the macOS Big Sur beta, however. Koloskus says that’s partly just the shock of the new. It’s human nature to dislike change until we have a chance to get used to it. And it’s partly that Apple has to deal with usability as well as aesthetic appeal.
So why does Apple’s take on it look… kinda bad? As mentioned earlier, the conceptual framework of neumorphism is relatively new, and there has been a resistance to it in much of the design world. UI design has been plagued for the longest time by designers who love to create hypothetical designs untethered to actual usability or user experience needs as a purely formal exercise, and this has led to infighting […]
Experimentation with form will always be difficult to balance with usability in the field of interface design, but it doesn’t mean it should be dismissed outright.
Apple is still feeling its way with this new design language.
B&H is currently taking up to $300 off Apple’s 2018 Mac mini with some configurations being matched at Amazon. One standout is the entry-level i3/8GB/128GB model at $648 shipped. Good for a $151 discount from its original going rate, today’s offer is $1 under our previous mention and a new Amazon all-time low. Apple’s compact Mac delivers desktop performance with four Thunderbolt 3 ports, as well as two USB 3.1 Type A slots, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, and more. It’s a more than capable workstation machine for creative tasks and the like, or versatile enough to leverage as a Plex server. For a more in-depth look, swing by our hands-on review.
Elevate your Mac mini’s functionality by using some of your savings towards the Satechi USB-C Stand and Hub at $80. Adding this accessory into your setup supplements the machine’s already impressive list of I/O with even more connectivity. There’s four extra USB 3.0 slots alongside memory card readers and a front-facing USB-C port. Plus, a matching space gray finish completes the package.
Apple has re-engineered the Mac mini (Late 2018) to drive tasks ranging from home automation to giant render farms, Xcode servers, industrial-grade operations, live concert sound engines, digital art and signage, testing iOS apps, and more. Upgraded with an 8th Generation Intel Core processor, the Mac mini features a more efficient thermal architecture, all-flash storage, a bigger fan, expanded vents, a redesigned power supply, and Apple’s T2 security chip.
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Apple on Tuesday began the approval process for its Developer Transition Kit, a Mac mini with specialized software that stands ready to usher in a new era of Macs powered by the tech giant’s own custom-designed silicon.
Select developers who submitted applications to take part in the Universal App Quick Start Program were on Tuesday notified of acceptance via email. Those chosen by Apple were also charged the $500 fee for access to the company’s Developer Transition Kit, which consists of a Mac mini outfitted with an A12Z Bionic SoC similar to ARM-based chips expected to launch with future Macs.
The Mac mini testbed also includes 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and modernized input/output hardware in two USB-C ports, two USB 3 ports, HDMI 2.0 and Gigabit Ethernet. That compares to current generation Intel-powered Mac mini models, which feature four Thunderbolt 3 ports instead of the USB-C pair on the development kit.
Along with an ARM heart, the Mac mini comes complete with Apple’s new macOS Big Sur development beta and Xcode 12.
As usual, developers must submit to a confidentiality agreement that states program participants cannot “publicly write about or review” the Developer Transition Kit, or share or display the unit without Apple’s prior written approval.
Developers are required to return the Developer Transition Kit one year after accepting the Universal App Quick Start Program’s terms and conditions. Apple can elect to end the test period at any time.
The Universal App Quick Start Program is the beginnings of Apple’s push to migrate away from Intel processors in Mac. Revealed by CEO Tim Cook on Monday, the effort is heralded as the fourth major transition for Mac after a move to PowerPC, the introduction of OS X and, most recently, a switch to Intel processors. The upcoming shift will see Mac move to “Apple silicon” in about two years.
