An iPhone 12 sales surprise, prospects for next year’s model and Apple Silicon Mac glimpses lead this week’s Particle Debris.
The Week’s News Debris
• The iPhone 12 family looks to be hot sellers thanks to the cameras and 5G, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks the 2021 model will do even better. See 9to5Mac’s “Three reasons 2021 iPhone is likely to outsell iPhone 12 – Kuo.”
Will Apple dare to call it the iPhone 13?
• Speaking of iPhone 12, Investor’s Business Daily reports that “Apple iPhone Shoppers Choosing Pricier Models, Survey Shows.”
A new consumer survey indicates that iPhone shoppers are more likely to choose premium models over base handsets.
“Demand for new models has increased relative to last year, which is providing a solid ASP (average selling price) benefit,” Evercore analyst Amit Daryanani said in a note to clients Thursday.
Who would have guessed that in the middle of a pandemic?
• Other World Computing’s technical blog is called Rocket Yard. Back in July (I missed it), the subject, mindful of imminent Thunderbolt 4 was “Are Your Thunderbolt 3 Products Obsolete? Not So Fast…”
As we mentioned in an earlier Rocket Yard post, “Intel Introduces Thunderbolt 4: What Is It and Does It Matter?” Intel released the specifications and expectations of Thunderbolt 4 last week. This has caused quite a stir, initiated a lot of conversation, and even created a bit of fear in those who are heavily invested in Thunderbolt 3.
This essential reading — if you didn’t see it previously.
Apple Silicon Mac Glimpses
• Apple engineers quietly do Geekbench benchmarking on near-release versions of Mac hardware. But it always gets noticed, and that’s probably intentional on Apple’s part. Thus, from Tech Radar we have: “Leaked Apple ARM CPU benchmark beats Intel Core i9 16-inch MacBook Pro.”
A newly leaked benchmark shows Apple’s ARM-based A14X Bionic processor outperforming an Intel i9-powered MacBook Pro by a healthy margin. The new chip is expected to debut on November 10 during Apple’s “One More Thing” event.
See the article for actual numbers.
• Over at Forbes Ewan Spence insists that with the introduction of Apple Silicon in Macs that the MacBook Air is going to be dropped from the Mac product line. The pricing and power of the A14X may suggest a new kind of low end MacBook. See: “Will Apple Kill The MacBook Air Next Week?”
I like the way author Spence thinks, and yet … Apple engineers have a habit of surprising us.
For a different perspective, see Apple Insider’s “Apple reportedly orders 2.5 million Apple Silicon MacBooks.”
Despite using the term “MacBook,” most recent rumors suggest that the initial Apple Silicon Mac will be a 13-inch MacBook Pro. It may launch alongside, or soon be followed, by a new 16-inch MacBook Pro, and a MacBook Air.
We’ll know a lot more on November 10.
• Finally, there’s a school of thought that Apple will make some dramatic design changes to Apple Silicon Macs to set them apart from their Intel predecessors. (A good marketing idea.) For a cool look at how this might go with the iMac, check this out and salivate. From Cult of Mac : “iMac 2021 concept will have you drooling for Apple Silicon.”
Apple hasn’t redesigned the iMac since 2012, leaving even the 2020 model with large screen bezels. [And the ‘chin’.] A proposed design from Svetapple.sk gets rid of them almost completely. And, like Apple’s tablets, there are rounded corners on the displays …
A key advantage would be physically larger displays with out increasing the frame size. For example, a 27-inch display grows to 32 inches.
All together now.
OMG
Finally, finally. If Apple TV+ had done this, I woulda been in Earth orbit.
Particle Debris is generally a mix of John Martellaro’s observations and opinions about a standout event or article(s) of the week followed by a discussion of articles that didn’t make the TMO headlines, the technical news debris. The column is published most every Friday.