Just around the corner are likely Apple’s first (at least for consumers) in house Apple Silicon powered Macs. Over the past few years, with the exception of Mac Pro, Apple’s computers have been becoming less and less upgradable. And we probably a should expect that to continue, with Apple Silicon. But that might not be a bad thing, or at least, as bad as you’d expect. Thumbnail render by https://twitter.com/sismconcepts?s=21 Before we get too far into this, some ground rules. There is a like and a dislike button under this video. These are not for “should Apple do this” they are for whether you like my video. So, I don’t wanna get all the hate for Apple making stuff you have to spec out when you buy it. Of course, if you hate my face, then there’s a special button for you. When Apple was first founded, Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak certainly had different ideas about what a computer would be like. Woz was a famous tinkerer and loved getting his hands dirty while Jobs wanted things to just work and would talk in terms of ability over specifications. Going back to the beginning of the second Steve Jobs era at Apple, the computers were fairly serviceable and upgradable. You could certainly replace hard drives, batteries, ram in almost all of their products with relative ease. The PowerMac series for example actually attached the motherboard (or in Apple speak the Logic Board) to the side of the computer which folded down when opened to make it easier to work on. The PowerMac G5 had a beautiful handle that dropped one side away for easy access, and the G4 Cube was famous for its pop out handle to access everything inside. The iPod Generation But starting with the iPod, Jobs was working to make everything smaller, and there is an infamous story of engineers bringing him a prototype and saying there was no way to make it smaller. He dropped it into a fish tank and as bubbles emerged from it and made their way to the surface he pointed out that those bubbles were coming from the spaces inside where it could be condensed further. Mean, but very effective demo. Over the years they have got more and more tightly integrated, from soldered ram and cpus to glued in batteries and glued on displays. All in the pursuit of thin and light. There are exceptions, the Mac Pro has upgradable everything, and the iMac 27” has a handy hatch where you can pop in new RAM Sticks. The Mac mini can have some parts upgraded, but it’s not an easy process. In the past, when you bought a computer, it was a collection of components, assembled from multiple manufacturers that were interchangeable. Those days may be over for the vast majority of Apple computers. But Apple’s SOCs in iPads and iPhones are a very different story. When was the last time you popped o ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YIUelQb97k

If there’s one thing that the 2% of iPhone users who watch tech videos think ever iPhone user wants, it’s USB-C charging. And now, Ming Chi Kuo thinks they may be in luck. Oh, and all the Pod news, Air and I, but more on that later. Ming Chi Kuo now expects the iPhone to get USB-C charging in late 2023, which means the iPhone 15 release cycle. That means no change this year, but it does line up closely with when the EU’s regulations are set to come in. Whether it’s ACTUALLY what normal people want is another matter entirely - yes, if you ask people who follow tech channels on Twitter or YouTube, the overwhelming response is yes. But half of the point of the iPhone is that it’s simple to use and user friendly. You don’t need to be techy to have an iPhone. Android users either tout the power user function of their devices, being able to finely tweak settings or install new launchers, or tend to be there because of lower price points or the desire to be different. With Apple, people pay for the convenience of a device that’s pleasant and easy to use, which means the vast, vast majority probably don’t even know there’s a conversation happening in tech circles about alternative charging ports. They’re certainly not crying out for the faster transfer speeds to help get their ProRes vies files off the phone ready to colour grade. Are there some who would massively benefit from this, of course. Apple often lauds those making feature movies on their iPhones, showing off how close the camera in your pocket can get to professional camera results in the real world, and when those productions are shooting the highest resolution, highest bitrate footage they can to get every ounce of performance from the sensor, of course it will be an advantage. But the numbers of people who will be inconvenienced by not having a pile of cables at home ready to use will be far greater than those who will benefit from faster transfers. Now, will there be families who already have USB-C chargers on hand from iPads or family member’s Android Phones? Of course. It would be handy if you’re carrying an iPad and an iPhone to only need a single cable. I just don’t see it though - especially if Apple plans to move to a MagSafe world, away from wired connections at all in just a few years, then does it even make sense to introduce this. The EU Regulations are only relating to physical ports, wireless and inductive charging isn’t regulated, even though MagSafe is essentially the open Chi standard with the addition of magnets to better align and increase charging efficiency. So, is the Lighting cable on the brink of death? Let me know in the comments - and speaking of death, the iPod. Apple’s music player has been iconic for 20 years, putting 1000, then far more songs in your pocket in something that started the size of a deck of cards, and got much smaller and then a bit bigger again. But finally Apple is retiring the device, and once current stock is exhausted it will no longer be available via Apple, just third party retailers until it’s gone. The final iteration of the iPod touch was essentially an iPhone without the Phone, if a pretty old one. It made a great first device for kids, but given the huge amount of used iPhones on the market today, its very simple to get a more capable device with better specs on the used market for use without a SIM card. The iPhone XR for example has Apple’s more modern full screen design, an A12 inside, Face ID, better cameras and even all the cool colours, and you can pick one up for less than the $200 iPod. And speaking of colours, recent reports have mentioned that in addition to AirPods Pro being refreshed this year, Apple’s AirPods Max may also get an update, though the main thrust of this appears to be new colours. These could well be in line with the current iPhone and Apple Watch palettes, switching silver for Starlight, Space Grey for Midnight and possibly adding the more pastel purple shades, though I’d be down for the bolder iMac colours. The AirPods Pro however are set to keep a similar design to the current models with the only real change being the case adding FindMy Support as far as we’re hearing, though Apple could drop lossless support on both Pro and Max models if they have a codec up their sleeves, and perhaps the Pros could get some colour options too. You never know your luck. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e7H9Ky8Mmg

Touchscreen Macs. Apparently it’s a thing. Apple Reality in the Spring New Mac Pro… maybe this is why? Touchscreen MacBooks on the horizon… but for what? & Increased costs on 3nm chips? So Apple’s Spring event this year, and we’re probably looking at March most likely - but while a lot of Apple YouTubers are saying that it will be hyper focused on the AR/VR headset (which I maintain is likely to be called Apple Reality, would we really need the PRO on V1?), and there have been new rumours about what the device will feature. Beyond the already reported triple displays giving focused and peripheral vision, the device is expected to feature 120 degrees of vision for full immersion, an H1 style chip to give extremely low latency connection to AirPods and an M2 level chip for processing. Maybe even two of those. Recent reports have stated that Apple Reality could well feature carbon fibre construction to keep the weight on your head extremely light Inside the headset, magnetic mounts will allow custom made prescription lenses to be added for anyone who needs assistive eyewear, and that these, or the regular lenses will adjust automatically to your eyes when you place the headset on. Even the straps will apparently be interchangeable easily, presumably using a similar system to the Apple Watch straps. Nice. Of course, the thing that’s still up in the air is what on earth Apple is doing with the software. I don’t imagine that there will be the Nightmareverse that Meta has created, but right now we know more about technology than function, and that is likely to be where Apple absolutely excels here. Let me know in the comments what you’re expecting. Now the Mac Pro. The system that ruined Apple’s plan for a 2 year transition, as it’s still not arrived. And latest rumours that we’ve touched on before say that it’s going to look just like the Intel Xeon version from 2019 - but with an Ultra level chip inside, not the Extreme we hoped for and without user upgradable RAM. So what’s the point? Marcin Kowalczyk @icavedave #icaveanswers Max Tech in their video "M2 Ultra Mac Pro - The wait was WORTHLESS!?" said that Mac studio is going to be put on hiatus in terms of chip upgrades because of it being "too similar" to the "non-extreme" Mac Pro. I find this hard to agree with. What are Your thoughts? The expandability otherwise will be in terms of IO and storage on those cards, but I have another theory about the probable timing of the Mac Pro which is apparently being tested on the 13.3 version of MacOS Ventura, meaning somewhere around the spring is likely for release. I wonder though if the headset and Mac Pro being announced together is really for developers though, perhaps there’s some kind of specific IO cards for connecting Reality Development kits to Mac Pros for those creating software for these. I do also think there’s a decent chance of seeing the M2 Pro and Max MacBook Pros at the event, as I can’t see Apple press releasing these even if its a simple spec bump given that we’ve not seen either of these chips before. The Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro however could get press release launched soon after the event or given a brief nod too. And speaking of MacBooks, we’re now hearing Apple is actively developing touchscreens for their portable Macs, but don’t hold your breath is it sounds like 2025 is the earliest we’re likely to see them on sale. MacOS would need some serious overhaul in terms of interface to make touch practical in terms of touch targets, so things like the minimise, maximise and close traffic lights would need modification, perhaps a long press could pop out a larger version for fine control. While Steve Jobs himself said that touch screens on Laptops didn’t make sense ergonomically, I think there are some good use cases. I’d personally though find Apple Pencil support more useful I think, and still have the dream of a pencil enabled iMac that can fold down to a drawing board slant like Microsofts Surface Studio - as much as it pains me to say it that’s something Microsoft nailed in terms of design. Just a shame it runs Windows. Team Kinetix #iCaveAnswers as TSMC have suggested that a 3nm wafer will cost up to 20% more than a 5nm wafer, do you think Apple might put a binned A17 in the iPhone 15 Pro, and an unbinned A17 in the iPhone 15 Ultra? This could further differentiate them, justify an extra premium, and minimise waste on a more expensive production process. Or will they just charge more for everything because; Apple? Join the conversation http://iCaveDave.com/twitter​ http://iCaveDave.com/facebook​ http://iCaveDave.com/instagram​ http://iCaveDave.com/youtube​ http://iCaveDave.com/merch​ http://iCaveDave.com/discord​ ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WfMNKmfxVg

We’re exactly a month away from Apple’s March event, Probably. So here’s what we’re going to see at it. Probably. Let’s start with the safest bets, and we’ll get more interesting and less certain as we go. First of all, the iPhone SE 3. As time has gone on, this has evolved from being basically an iPhone XR with an A15 inside and touchID in the button to being basically the same exact phone as the last iPhone SE from 2 years ago, but with the faster chip and 5g. Even what could have been shoe in features like adding Magsafe seems to be looking less likely at this point. One thing that is slightly unexpected that now looks to be coming is a better main camera, though it remains to be seen if this is an actual hardware upgrade in the sensor or lens tech, or if there’s just going to be better pictures out because of the SOC upgrade, but better pictures are better pictures regardless of how they’re achieved. What would I do differently? I’d be tempted to do the updated XR option, that left the range last year at $100 more than the last SE, and had real faceID, no home button and more. Stick in the latest chip and MagSafe, and you know what, make it the first portless iPhone to boot, with MagSafe being the only charge option. It would drive adoption, as the cheapest people would likely be less forgiving and include a puck in the box. My thoughts, not what I expect from Apple. Next up, the iPad Air 5. Is this behind the pack, being the only iPad now without centre stage, yes. Am I slightly salty that I have the last version, and I still don’t understand why Apple would intentionally update these every 18 months, not 12 monthly, even when the chips are there and ready to go. Beyond a chip bump and centre stage, and PERHAPS 5G, it’ll be pretty minor, though maybe Apple will offer some bolder colours too, as the one I have from last year is supposedly blue, though you’d never really see it and not thing it was between Apple’s Space Grey and Silver. Third, there are more iPads that have been registered. These could be country specific, but it seems that these are likely to be an update to the base level iPad. It may simply be Apple realigning their release schedule to place these in an annual spring release going forward - moving up to an A14 perhaps so that they lag 18 months behind the iPhone rather than 2 full years, but having a newer iPad chip available at this time of year may also be a boon for Apple’s education sector sales, as well as the back to school season that kicks in around May-June. This one’s less certain, but the EEC filings point to this being on the way. Now we’re getting less certain, but the more pro-er Mac mini is also expected here - reportedly this was in boxes and ready to ship in October at th ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO-guW1noiQ