Here’s everything Apple announced at the “One More Thing” event today

Ready for more Apple news? Because it’s time for more Apple news.

This morning the company hosted its third event in as many months, where they finally detailed how and why they’ll be shifting Macs to chips designed and built by Apple and showed off the first Macs that’ll make the jump. New MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini!

Didn’t have time to catch it live? We get it. We’ve wrapped up everything announced this morning into one quick digest — find it below, and click through the links for more details on any topic that catches your eye.

Apple Silicon for Macs

Image Credits: Apple

Apple has been building its own chips for its iPads, iPhones, and Apple Watches for years. Now they’ll be doing the same for Macs, promising better performance with greater power efficiency.

Apple calls its first Mac chip the “M1”. Some of the specs they shared:

• 8-core CPU (4 high performance, 4 high efficiency)
• Up to 8-core GPU
• 16 billion transistors
• Apple’s Secure Enclave system built in
• Thunderbolt/USB 4 support

iOS Apps on Mac

As Apple touched upon back in June at WWDC, iOS apps will now be able to run on the Mac. Apple showed the HBO Max and Among Us iOS apps running in macOS as examples.

New MacBook Air

The first M1-powered Mac Apple announced was the new, fanless (!) MacBook Air.

Apple says the new MacBook Air is up to 3.5x faster than the previous generation and, thanks to the absence of any fans, runs fully silent. They’re promising up to 15 hours of battery life while browsing the web, or 18 hours while watching video. It’s got a 13.3″ display, SSD support up to 2TB, Touch ID, Thunderbolt/USB 4, WiFi 6. It’ll start at $999, or $899 for education customers.

New Mac Mini

The Mac Mini is also getting overhauled for the M1, and its base price is dropping $100 down to $699. It’ll support up to 2TB SSD and up to 16GB of memory. Port-wise, it’s got two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports (with Thunderbolt/USB 4 support), a 3.5mm headphone jack, HDMI 2.0, and gigabit ethernet.

New MacBook Pro

Next up: the MacBook Pro. Apple says the M1 chip bumps the MacBook Pro’s battery life up to 17 hours while browsing the web, or 20 hours of video playback. Like the Air, it’s got a 13.3″ display, and support SSDs up to 2TB and up to 16GB of memory. Its got TouchID, WiFi 6, support for Thunderbolt/USB4, and, perhaps to the disappointment of some, a TouchBar. It’ll start at $1299, or $1199 for education users.

Big Sur Coming Soon

The next major update to macOS — version 11.0, otherwise known as Big Sur — was first announced back in June at WWDC. Apple now says that it’ll ship this Thursday, November 12th.

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iOS apps can run on Apple’s new Apple Silicon Macs

Apple detailed today how its new Apple Silicon Macs would be capable of running a wider range of apps than before, even in the case where an iOS developer hasn’t released a Mac-compatible version of their mobile experience. The company said macOS Big Sur on its new Macs would support universal apps — which include the native binary version built for the Apple Silicon and the one for Intel Macs — as well as other apps that hadn’t yet upgraded to universal.

That means the new Macs can, for the first time ever, run users’ iPhone and iPad apps, Apple said. This change will expand the selection of apps available for Mac devices.

Apple explained how this this is all possible during its event. It said a new technology called Rosetta 2 would help M1 — the first member of the company’s Apple Silicon family — to run apps built for Intel-based Macs. Apple even noted that some apps would run better using Rosetta 2 than they did on Intel.

Also during its event today, Apple showed off iPhone and iPad apps like HBO Max and Among Us running on its new Silicon Macs.

However, as a report from 9to5Mac pointed out earlier, Apple appeared to be allowing developers to opt out of its new unified app store. Among the developers it found who were not offering their apps on the new Mac App Store for Apple Silicon Macs, were Google (Gmail, Drive, Maps), Facebook (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp), Amazon (Prime Video), Snapchat, and Disney+.

But these opt-outs may be a temporary measure.

Apple additionally talked about universal apps — meaning those built for both Apple Silicon and Intel processors — in more detail. Among the first to launch universal apps are companies like Omni Group and Adobe. In Adobe’s case, it will offer a universal version of Lightroom next month, and Photoshop early next year.

Universal apps can be downloaded both from the App Store and the web, Apple noted.

Of course, Apple has optimized all its apps for M1, as well, including every app that comes with macOS, to all the other apps it publishes like Pages, Numbers, Keynote, GarageBand, iMovie, LogicPro, and Final Cut Pro.

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Apple brings back its ‘I’m a PC’ spokesman for ARM-based Mac launch event

Apple brought back actor John Hodgman for a brief cameo in today’s ARM-based Mac launch event, reprising his role as the dorky “I’m a PC” character, now tasked with poking fun at Intel-based PCs in the face of an Apple silicon future for the company.

The short slot aired following the end of Tuesday’s “One More Thing” event where they showed off their new M1 chip and new designs for their upcoming MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini. Hodgman’s character appeared in a white room amid the vintage ad campaign’s signature tune, while touching on some of the new machines’ advances in power management.

There was notably no cameo from Justin Long and it’s unclear whether Hodgman’s appearance will only grace today’s event or whether Apple has plans for a throwback ad campaign. Nevertheless, it was a fun nod to a popular campaign from Apple.

You can catch the appearance below at the 47:39 mark.

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Apple updates Mac Mini with Apple-designed M1 chip

In addition to the MacBook Air, Apple also introduced a new Mac Mini. It runs Apple’s first custom chipset specifically designed for Mac computers, the M1. It still features the same familiar design, but it now uses an Arm-based chip.

“If you compare a Mac mini to the top-selling desktop in this price range, the Mini is one-tenth its size and yet it’s up to five times faster,” Hardware Engineering Senior Manager Julie Broms said.

The M1 features four high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores. It uses a 5nm process. There are eight GPU cores with 128 execution units, which should lead to peak performance of 2.6 teraflops. There is also Apple’s neural engine for machine learning tasks.

According to Apple, the new Mac Mini is up to three times faster than the previous model when it comes to CPU performance. As for GPU performance, it is up to six times faster. ML acceleration is also up to 15 times faster.

At the back of the device, you’ll find an Ethernet port, two Thunderbolt/USB4 ports that support a 6K display, an HDMI 2.0 port, two USB A ports and a 3.5mm headphone port.

Pricing starts at $699 and the new Mac Mini will be available next week.

Image Credits: Apple

Apple announces the M1, the first chip in its Apple Silicon family

This is the new $999 MacBook Air, powered by Apple silicon

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Apple will release macOS Big Sur on November 12

Apple’s upcoming desktop and laptop operating system, macOS Big Sur, will be released on November 12, the company announced today.

macOS Big Sur — which stays with the company’s California-themed naming scheme — will arrive with a new and refreshed user interface, new features, and performance improvements.

Much of the features in iOS 14 are porting over — including improved Message threading and in-line replies and a redesigned Maps app. The new Apple software also comes with a new Control Center, with quick access to brightness, volume, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.

Safari also gets a much needed lick of paint. It comes with new privacy and security features, including an in-built intelligence tracking prevention that stops trackers following you across the web, and password monitoring to save you from using previously breached passwords.

If you’re wondering what macOS Big Sir is like to work on, TechCrunch’s Brian Heater took the new software for a spin in August.

macOS Big Sur will be supported on Macs and MacBooks dating back to 2013.

Read more:

• Apple is building its own processors for future Macs
• What we expect from Apple’s ‘One More Thing’ Mac event
• macOS 11.0 Big Sur preview
• More from Apple’s November Mac Event

macOS 11.0 Big Sur preview

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This is the new $999 MacBook Air, powered by Apple silicon

It’s official. The first MacBook to sport Apple’s own silicon is here. The perennial favorite thin and light is on the way, featuring the company’s new M1 chip — it’s first desktop CPU built in-house. The system looks to be largely identical to the last several generations of Air, with most of the big changes happening under the hood.

Per Apple’s numbers, the system should be 3.5x faster than earlier models and faster than 98% of the PC laptops sold in the last year. Even more notable, the new ARM-based chip means it can operate without a fan. The company has long claimed that battery efficiency is one of the biggest benefits to its new chip, and that certainly seems to be came here, with a claimed 15 hours of web browsing and 18 hours of video playback on a charge. Huge if true, and a big bump from the 12 hour claims for earlier models.

Apple claims the system is powerful enough for users to edit multiple streams of 4K ProRes video in Final Cut Pro, courtesy of its new specs. That’s definitely a claim I’d like to put the test and see how the fanless system holds up.

There’s no TouchBar here — which, fine. But the best part of the setup — TouchID — is present, which it also was in the latest Intel Air. Unfortunately, the webcam hardware appears to be the same. That would be a nice upgrade, given the fact that we’re all teleconferencing now, but Apple does claim some software improvements to the 720p camera. There are two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports. It starts with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, upgradable to 16GB and 2TB, respectively.

Per Apple,

When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered MacBook Air can:

• Export a project for the web with iMovie up to 3x faster. 

• Integrate 3D effects into video in Final Cut Pro up to 5x faster. 

• For the first time, play back and edit multiple streams of full-quality, 4K ProRes video in Final Cut Pro without dropping a frame.

• Export photos from Lightroom up to twice as fast.

• Use ML-based features like Smart Conform in Final Cut Pro to intelligently frame a clip up to 4.3x faster.

• Watch more movies and TV shows with up to 18 hours of battery life, the longest ever on MacBook Air.

• Extend FaceTime and other video calls for up to twice as long on a single charge.

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The system starts at $999 — or $899 for students. As with the new MacBook Pro and Mac Mini, it’s up for preorder today and starts shipping next week.

 

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Watch Apple unveil the first ARM-based Mac live right here

Apple is organizing its third event in three months today. The company is holding a (virtual) keynote at 10 AM PT (1 PM in New York, 6 PM in London, 7 PM in Paris). And you’ll be able to watch the event right here as the company is streaming it live.

Apple has already announced at its developer conference that there would be a new Mac with an ARM-based processor this year. So today’s event seems like the perfect opportunity to introduce a new computer with Apple’s own processor.

Similarly, we’ll likely find out when macOS Big Sur is going to be released. The new major update is likely to ship with the new Apple computer. Apple could also use this opportunity for other, smaller announcements. Let’s see if the company has some new accessories to show off.

You can watch the live stream directly on this page, as Apple is streaming its conference on YouTube.

If you have an Apple TV, you don’t need to download a new app. You can open the Apple TV app and find the Apple Events section. It lets you stream today’s event and rewatch old ones.

And if you don’t have an Apple TV and don’t want to use YouTube, the company also lets you live stream the event from the Apple Events section on its website. This video feed now works in all major browsers — Safari, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.

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