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What to expect from Apple's 'let us loop you in' event today
Thunderbolt 3 would be great as it would allow for external graphics solutions for devices like the Macbook.toddzrx said:I think all of Apple's computer lines, both desktop and laptop, are begging for significant changes. Given the advent of USB-C, TB3, and Skylake, it would be nice to see redesigns of the Macbook Pro, iMac, and at least updates to everything else.
For example, here's a video showing Acer's Thunderbolt 3 graphics dock, with a GTX 940M, boosting the performance of a Core m5 powered Acer tablet:
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What to expect from Apple's 'let us loop you in' event today
I'd be hesitant on the iPad Pro for school. This is where the Surface Pro 4 has it's appeal, it's still running Windows, so it will run any required software (or games) a student will need. That being said, a lower cost 9.7" iPad Pro might be a decent device for note taking to compliment a laptop. Although, the Surface 4 should be announced in the coming months, and unless you're in an art program, the Surface Pen is much better for note taking or general productivity.dick applebaum said:
Mmm ...
My 17yo grandson has a Mac, iPad 2, iPhone 6S and a PS4. But he wanted a laptop to do his homework (Straight A student) and college courses. Friends convinced him he needed a PC rather than a Mac (he could do some gaming too).
He wanted to withdraw money from his savings to do the evil deed. After several days of nagging, his Mom drove him 30 miles to the nearest Fry's and he got an Asus Laptop after several hours of comparison shopping.
After four days of usage, he decided he wanted a Mac laptop, instead.
His Mom round-tripped to Fry's to return the beast!
I mentioned to him the upcoming Apple Announcement, and suggested that he wait -- as there might be new MacBooks (longshot) or a 9.7" iPad Pro (likely). He agreed!
While he was at school, I setup my 12" iPad Pro on the kitchen table -- so he would see it when he got home. He saw it, but was not much interested -- he wanted a laptop!
I convinced him to try it, but he didn't like the Apple Keyboard -- too squishy. Originally, I purchased a Logitech case/keyboard (heavy/bulky) because the Apple kb was back-ordered.
He liked that!
I told him he could borrow it, run it through its paces to see if it would do the job for him ...
So far, so good!
Long story, longer ... I suspect that a 9.7" iPad Pro, with A9X power, an Apple Pen, a good kb will deliver on the promise of the iPad 1 -- capable of satisfying the computer needs of the majority of users..
An updated MacBook Pro 15" would be nice to see, something like the XPS 15, so Skylake-H, DDR4, GTX 960 (or better/equivalent) and Thunderbolt 3.
Never was a fan of the 12" Macbook, but I'm sure some users here might be interested in an updated model. Skylake Core m and a couple of Thunderbolt 3 ports might be a nice improvement. A better keyboard is also a must, the current one is terrible.
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LG, Samsung head to market with new Android flagship candidates
Metal is an API, I don't understand what you think Metal is.foggyhill said:
As long as the main game engines and API's support metai (which is the case) it doesn't really matter.
Metal was Apple choosing a different fork in the road, they pushed towards a low level API, while Android pushed towards expanding its feature set (as Vulkan was still a work in progress). Now Android has both a low level API and a modern feature set that has support from major game companies and industry in ways Metal does not.
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LG, Samsung head to market with new Android flagship candidates
Vulkan is essentially a low level successor to OpenGL/OpenGL ES, it's been built using AMD's Mantle as a foundation and supports many equivalent features to DirectX12, the same cannot be said about Metal. Vulkan is also backwards compatible with any OpenGL ES 3.1 Android device, of course, not all of these devices will not not be able to fully utilize Vulkan's extensive feature set. Devices with hardware such as Qualcomm's Snapdragon 805 (2014 Nexus 6) or after should offer support for the majority of those features.AppleInsider said:
It remains to be seen how quickly games developers and others will move to adopt Vulkan, given the shrinking size of Android's premium high end versus the standardization of Apple's iPhone among buyers of premium phones priced over $600. After Apple introduced Metal, a variety of iOS game developers worked to add support for Apple's new API before even starting on ports to Android or other platforms, a testament to Apple's platform leverage.
Only Apple's A9 and A9X have the hardware support for many of these features, but Apple, to my knowledge, has not incorporated these into Metal.
Outside of Android, Vulkan will also function on Steam OS, Linux, Windows XP or newer, and Tizen. AMD and nVidia have already started pushing beta drivers to their cards following the launch of Vulkan 1.0 only a number of days ago.
