by Taking a look back at another week of news and headlines from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop includes the latest MacBook Pro reviews, testing the M2 Pro chips, Mac Mini reviews, Apple updates older iPhones, the iPhone 15 milestone, a guide to Apple’s mixed reality headset, and iPhone’s missing apps.
The Apple Loop is here to remind you of some of the many discussions happening around Apple over the past seven days (and you can read my weekly roundup of Android news here on Forbes).
Mac Mini (early 2023)
MacBook Pro review
As the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops go on sale to the public, those with early access to the hardware have been busy benchmarking the systems, trying out the software and giving them solid reviews. And they all carry the same caution:
“Does the bump in specs between the M1 and M2 family justify moving up to these laptops? For the vast majority of early reviews, the answer is no; wait for a more substantial release before upgrading.”
(Forbes).
M2 gives, M2 takes away
The raw performance of the M2 chipset has been reflected in much of the coverage of the new MacBook Pro laptops launched last week. With review units under the microscope, this increase in performance was found in other areas, such as the significant increase in SSD read/write speeds:
“Testing a 16-inch MacBook Pro, running the M2 chipset on a machine with 2TV of storage, using Blackmagic disk benchmarking software, found that write speeds are improved, although there is a slight drop in read speeds.”
(Forbes).
The same cannot be said about entry-level performance machines. Just as with the cheapest M2 MacBook Air from 2022, a slower configuration of SSD storage is used:
“With the noticeably lower SSD performance in my M2 Pro MacBook Pro, I wanted to take a look inside to confirm why. Sure enough, where the 512GB M1 Pro MacBook Pro had two NAND chips visible on the front of the motherboard and another two on the back, the M2 Pro MacBook Pro only had one visible on the front of the board. There’s probably a second NAND chip directly against this, like the M1 had.”
(9to5Mac).
Mini reviews
With the added option of an M2 and M2 Pro version of the Mac Mini, Apple finally has a “desktop” machine that sits at a consumer-oriented price point well below the price of an iMac or Mac Studio machine. The team at Ars Technica has taken a closer look at this desktop machine that has finally found a place in the portfolio for consumers to understand:
“The $599 M2 version can use more than 8GB of memory, but even with those specs, it’s a capable computer for people who mostly browse and edit documents and occasionally do photo and video editing from iPhones. The M2 Pro- the $1,299 version has enough extra processing power and memory to satisfy seasoned hobbyists or price-conscious freelancers, and it’s fast enough to play a game or two (for the few running macOS).
(Ars Technica).
Software updates for your older iPhone
In the latest wave of updates to the core operating systems, the latest version of iOS has been updated to version 15.7.3. There is also an update to iOS 12.5.7; provides the latest security updates to older Apple devices that cannot run the latest software:
“Apple previously said it would stop offering iOS and iPadOS updates to all iOS 16 and iPadOS 16-compatible devices, but it has made an exception this time — presumably due to the severity of these new security vulnerabilities.”
(Forbes).
iPhone 15 production milestone
Apple’s Chinese partner Foxconn has begun the next step in the production of the iPhone 15 family. This is actually the test run of the assembly before everything is turned up to 11 later this year. Curiously, the Indian production line is expected to come online just a few weeks after China, compared to last year’s two-three month gap; Apple is clearly making sure it has alternatives to China after production issues and ongoing delays to the iPhone 14:
“This phase of the iPhone 15 production process is commonly known as new product introduction, or NPI. It will precede the mass production phase later in the year, ahead of the phone’s almost inevitable fall launch.
(Trusted reviews).
How to use Apple’s Mixed Reality Headset
How will Apple’s mixed reality headset actually work? While no details have been confirmed publicly, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has a comprehensive look at how hand and eye tracking will be integrated into a headset that will move between AR and VR:
“The headset will have several external cameras that can analyze a user’s hands, as well as sensors inside the gadget’s casing to read the eyes. It will allow the user to control the device by looking at an object on the screen – whether it’s a button or app icon or list entry – to select it.
“Users will then pinch their thumb and index finger together to activate the task – without having to hold anything. The approach differs from other headsets, which typically rely on a hand controller.”
(Bloomberg).
And finally…
Innovation will always drive technology forward, but what are we leaving behind? Here’s a fun discussion on Reddit’s r/Apple group this week as the community looks back at apps featured in ads and online for the early iPhone and iPod models. These historic apps are now nowhere to be seen and nearly impossible to run on today’s hardware:
“Many of the apps featured in early iPhone and iPod touch commercials no longer exist. I’m thinking of apps like Urbanspoon or the multiplayer soccer game Finger Foos. Undoubtedly, many of the features of those apps were never replicated in newer apps either, since I don’t finds a 3-player multiplayer soccer game on the App Store, 14 years after the app came out.
(Reddit).
The Apple Loop brings you seven days of highlights every weekend here at Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future. Last week’s Apple Loop can be read here, or this week’s edition of Loop’s sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes.
