Technology - Google News

What to expect from Apple in 2022: ARM desktops, portless iPhones, and more - Ars Technica
Rumor: 4nm Mac ‘M2’ chip to arrive in second of half of 2022, followed by ‘M2 Pro’ in 2023 - 9to5Mac
Hades Is The First Game To Win A Hugo Award - Nintendo Life

What to expect from Apple in 2022: ARM desktops, portless iPhones, and more - Ars Technica

Posted: 20 Dec 2021 07:00 AM PST

Close-up photograph of the ports on the side of a notebook computer. — Enlarge / The 2021 MacBook Pro with MagSafe isn't the last Apple Silicon transition we'll see. The Mac Pro and 27-inch iMac will probably be updated in 2022.
Samuel Axon

2021 might have been the calm before the storm.

Except for the introduction of a few new Apple Silicon Macs, 2021 has been a quiet year for Apple. The new iPhones offered improved cameras and battery life but were otherwise nearly identical to 2020's models. And apart from a slight bump in screen size, the new Apple Watch is barely distinguishable from its predecessors.

As 2021 draws to a close and we look ahead to 2022, it's a safe bet that next year is going to be a lot more interesting. So we have some predictions to share.

We're not 100 percent certain of any of the upcoming predictions, of course—as you know, Apple is a secretive animal. But as cagey as the company can be, it has occasionally been quite predictable in the Tim Cook era. And there have been more leaks about Apple's plans over the past few years than ever before.

All that said, here is some of what we expect to see from Apple over the next 12 months.

The dramatic desktop denouement for the Mac chip transition

The central Apple story of 2021 was one of anticipation. Apple announced and launched the first Apple Silicon processors in 2020 and promised a two-year transition from Intel to Apple Silicon across the Mac product line.

We saw in late 2020 what the M1 chip did for Apple's lower-end Macs, and Apple shared bold claims with us about what we could expect from higher-end laptops like the MacBook Pro further down the line.

And then we waited... for months. Apple released an M1 replacement for the 21.5-inch iMac, but the MacBook Pro and the more powerful desktops like the larger iMac and the Mac Pro were what had everyone wondering what to expect.

Toward the end of this year, Apple delivered on its promise with massive performance in the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro notebooks. But the 27-inch iMac and the Mac Pro, traditionally Apple's most beastly, powerful machines, are still on Intel.

Per the two-year roadmap Apple previously laid out, that's going to change in 2022.

You've probably read rumors that Apple will introduce a 30-inch iMac to replace the current Apple Silicon-powered one. The iMac will likely have the MacBook Pro's M1 Pro or M1 Max inside or (less likely) a second-generation successor to those.

As for the Mac Pro, a recent report in The Information claimed that it will feature a processor that is in the M1 line (likely based on the M1 Max). It will have two dies instead of one, offering potentially double the cores.

Along with an M1 Pro/M1 Max spec bump to the high-end Mac mini, that would mostly finalize the transition from Intel to Apple Silicon. Only a few stragglers, like the 13-inch MacBook Pro, would remain on Intel.

Further, Apple is said to be working on a radical redesign for the MacBook Air with a second-generation entry-level chip, probably called the M2. The redesigned device might simply be named "MacBook."

All of these are expected in 2022, so it's going to be a huge year for the Mac.

A major iPhone redesign

New iPhones will come in 2022—no surprises there, right? Aside from the usual flagship refreshes, we might see an updated iPhone SE.

But the big news will probably be a major redesign to the flagship phones in the fall. Part of that redesign might be the elimination of the Lightning port.

If Apple hasn't made the move to USB-C on flagship iPhones already, I don't think it's going to. 2020's redesign would have been the time to do it.

That's because I believe (and I have no inside knowledge—this is just my instinct based on covering Apple for the past few years) that Apple hasn't moved from Lightning to USB-C because it's going to skip USB-C altogether and go straight to a port-free, wirelessly charging iPhone.

Otherwise, expect a continued emphasis on big screens and better cameras—two of the three big things (alongside battery life) consumers most often say they want when polled about their smartphone preferences.

It's also likely Apple will introduce an alternative to or replacement for Face ID, the face-scanning authentication system that has been in the flagship iPhone since late 2017. Face ID was a good idea, and despite a somewhat rocky start, it ended up being just as convenient and effective as Touch ID. But ultimately, a world of face masks made it look considerably less appealing compared to any number of alternatives.

The beginning of Apple's mixed reality ambitions

Tim Cook believes augmented reality (AR) is the next major computing platform, but let's be realistic: AR is going to take a while. While there are some great AR apps that run on phones and tablets, the real dream is in wearables, and true, mass-market consumer AR glasses are still many years away.

Major technological barriers stand in the way of making these devices a reality, and it's hard to say when they will be solved enough that AR becomes attractive for most people.

Nevertheless, Apple has been laying the groundwork for the past few years. It has built out APIs like ARKit or RealityKit to help developers make AR apps for the iPhone and iPad. Much of this foundation would translate to a future wearable when such a device is ready for primetime.

But what about 2022? Reports from generally reliable sources have claimed that Apple is on the cusp of launching a precursor to that future mass-market device. The sources claim it will be a mixed reality device—meaning it will do both augmented reality and virtual reality (VR).

The device will reportedly display 8K images to each eye and numerous cameras for tracking hand movement, providing a live video feed inside the headset and more—plus lidar for depth information.

If those claims are true, then the device will not be a mass-market consumer product. It will likely cost thousands of dollars and be oriented toward industry professionals and content creators, kind of like Apple's ultra-expensive Pro Display XDR monitor or the current iteration of the Mac Pro.

Apple's goal may be to provide developers with the hardware they need to start building the content, tools, and practices that could apply to a consumer device later. The device would then be followed by something more affordable down the line.

Other updates: AirPods, iPads, and more

There are surely going to be new products in other categories, like new headphones, tablets, and watches. But those launches will probably be like most of the ones in 2020: they'll iterate, add a feature here, bump a screen size there. But they won't reinvent the wheel or wow anyone who used 2020's or 2021's devices.

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Rumor: 4nm Mac ‘M2’ chip to arrive in second of half of 2022, followed by ‘M2 Pro’ in 2023 - 9to5Mac

Posted: 20 Dec 2021 03:58 AM PST

A new report from Chinese-language website Commercial Times floats some timelines for Apple's next-generation of Apple Silicon destined for future Macs.

In particular, the report notes that the M2 chip will debut in the second half of 2022 (codename Staten), and that higher-end M2 Pro / M2 Max variants will be in the first half of 2023 (codename Rhodes).

These chips will apparently be manufactured using TSMC's 4 nanometer fabrication process. Lower fabrication feature size typically yields better performance with higher efficiency, as there is simply less space between transistors on the die. In comparison, the current M1/M1 Pro/M1 Max lineup uses 5 nanometer process.

When it released the first handful of M1 Macs in October 2020, the company indicated that it will complete the Apple Silicon transition within two years. Outstanding Intel Macs left in the lineup comprise the higher-end Mac mini, 27-inch iMac, and the Mac Pro.

Therefore, this report from the Commercial Times somewhat conflicts with Apple's stated timeline. Assuming that the Mac Pro and high-end iMac would feature M2 Pro/M2 Max internals, but that would beyond the promised two year transition period, if Commercial Times is correct in that the chips won't be ready until 2023.

It is possible that COVID and ongoing global chip shortages have held up Apple's plans, or perhaps Apple will announce these products at the end of 2022 and available in small quantities, with a production ramp in 2023.

The Commercial Times report could also simply be inaccurate, as it has a mixed track record when it comes to Apple rumors. Bloomberg recently said new high-end iMac and Mac Pro models will arrive in 2022.

For what it is worth, The Commercial Times indicates Apple is planning for an 18-month lifetime of Mac chips, so the 'M3' generation would arrive about a year and a half after the M2 debut. This is a little bit slower than the annual upgrade cycle of iPhone chips, although it roughly matches what Apple has done in regard to the iPad Pro SoC update cycle as observed in products released over the last few years.

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

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Hades Is The First Game To Win A Hugo Award - Nintendo Life

Posted: 20 Dec 2021 05:00 AM PST

Slowly and surely, especially after a huge increase in attention in 2020, gaming is getting more attention in mainstream culture. In terms of sales and profits gaming has been at the forefront for many years, but the battle for acknowledgement as an artform has been a little slower, albeit the medium is starting to get similar critical attention as film, TV and literature.

The latest example came out of the 2021 Hugo Awards, which were hosted at 'Discon III' in Washington DC over the weekend. A new game award was a one-off for that event, as The Hugo Awards typically focuses on science fiction and fantasy works; its origins were in literary works, but over recent years the awards have been gradually expanded and added additional categories.

The winner this year was Hades from SuperGiant Games, which was a critical and commercial hit on Switch / PC in 2020, before achieving success this year on PlayStation and Xbox platforms. The award itself incorporated games from 2020 too, with the possibility of an annual gaming category apparently being under consideration. Below is the list of nominations that Hades ultimate led.

It's an interesting mix, and SuperGiant Games Creative Director Greg Kasavin shared a message on social media.

It's interesting to see The Hugo Awards join in with a game award, even if the one-off (at this stage) prize was perhaps a tad unfocused. No doubt in the coming years we'll see more awards ceremonies and organisations incorporating gaming into their events.

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