mfryd

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mfryd
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  • iPad Pro & MacBook Air get mashed up into the MacBook Apple won't make

    mfrydmfryd
    An easier implementation would be to put the M4 iPad on Apple's Magic Keyboard.  That gets you a keyboard and trackpad.   That's basically the same hardware as a MacBook Air, but with the addition of the touchscreen.

    The trick is to jailbreak the iPad, or to get Apple to allow us to run Mac OSX on it.   OS-X already supports running iPad apps.  A lot of people would really love the option of running OS-X on a suitably configured iPad.

    Ofermuthuk_vanalingamwilliamlondon

  • Apple plans low-cost MacBook based on iPhone processor

    mfrydmfryd
    opinion said:
    Apple makes an OS adapted to each hardware platform, it’s brilliant. To mash it together would be a disaster.
    It's the other way around.  Apple markets their hardware platforms based on the OS they allow it to run.

    The iPad Pro with magic keyboard is essentially the same hardware as a MacBook Air.  The major difference is that the iPad is only allowed to run iPad OS, and the MacBook Air runs Mac OSX.

    Keep in mind that under the hood, all of these (iOS, iPad OS, tvOS, Mac OSX, ...)  are essentially the same operating system.  The primary difference is the user interface layer.
    williamlondonwatto_cobra

  • Apple plans low-cost MacBook based on iPhone processor

    mfrydmfryd
    Rogue01 said:

    "The A-series have fewer CPU and GPU cores, and are not really built for the same heavy workload as a Mac."

    "That would immediately mean that the low-cost Mac would not be suitable for power users, which then implies it would be much more of a casual or consumer device."

    Apple can re-work the A18 Pro.  They have done it before, just like they have binned M chips with less cores.  And they lowered the performance of the M chip in the iPad Air.  So they could easily change the cores in the A18 Pro and still call it an A18 Pro.  The performance of the A18 Pro is already between the M2 and M3.  If Apple wanted to make a lower cost Mac, just use an M1 or M2 and lower the cost.  When Apple introduced the 15" Air, they called it 'new', but it had the year and a half old M2 chip.   The Mac mini dev kit had an A12Z, and the M chip is based off the A chip.  All this would do is confuse consumers.

    Funny second quote.  The iPad is a casual or consumer device with the limitations of iPadOS, yet Apple puts overpowered M chips in it to jack up the price.  iPads should be using A chips and Macs should stick with M chips.  That is what the M is for. That is what they said at 2020 WWDC, we developed a desktop chip for Macs, the M1.

    If this is true, maybe an A-based Mac will be as awful as that 12" MacBook that was painfully slow, and slower than an iPad.

    The names of chips is mostly a marketing issue.  There is no Apple could use an A18 Pro and simply name it "M4 lite" when it's in a Mac.   The naming of the chips is marketing, not technology.

    Fewer cores does not necessarily rule out a chip for use in a low end Mac.  In fact, fewer cores helps differentiate the low end make from more expensive models.

    Today's A18 Pro chip is faster in single core than the M1 Mac of 4 years ago.   There are still many people happily using an M1 Mac.  

    Apple likely will sell more iPhone Pros than low end Macs.  It makes sense to repurpose an iPhone chip already being made, then to have a production line doing a small run of low end M series chips.

    My understanding is that the iPhone chips are more power efficient than the M series.  This would allow Apple to use smaller lower cost batteries, while still keeping a long run time.

    Obviously, this kind of Mac would not be for power users, but most people are not power users.
    thtnubuswilliamlondonwatto_cobra

  • Apple plans low-cost MacBook based on iPhone processor

    mfrydmfryd
    CheeseFreeze said:
    mfryd said:
    I don’t find this very plausible. 
    They could perhaps create a better “iPad + keyboard” combo that offers an attractive package.  But Apple already sells three kinds of laptops and three kinds of iPads. Why confuse the consumer with another one that overlaps both classes?
    The difference is that it would be a Mac.  At this point the defining attribute that differentiates a Mac from an iPad is that the Mac runs Mac OSX.

    Mac OSX allows a greater flexibility in available software.  With additional software, OSX can even run Windows in a virtual machine.

    OSX is a platform that can be used to teach programming.   To my knowledge, Apple doesn't allow users to write traditional software under iPad OS.  I have a C compiler for my Mac, I have not been able to find one for my iPad.

    Similarly, OSX allows one to drop into the command line and explore a bit to see how the machine works under the hood.  I don't think the iPad allows this.

    You can even run iPad apps on a Mac.

    All of these make OSX a better choice for many educational situations.


    Sure, I get the differentiation. And for exactly the reasons you mentioned I am a macOS user primarily. But why another product? The target audience you are describing are MacBook Air or even Pro users. 

    Apple could simply stick a M1 in the same form factor and sell it for $100 less and provide at least some parity with the CPU class they offer (easier to develop for), but what do they gain from that? They won’t unlock a new audience segment. 

    The majority of their profits don’t come from marginally cheaper products. It’s the extra memory, the bumped up CPU. That is where they make the big bucks at scale. It’s not an interesting proposition for them to sell us a cheaper laptop. In fact, it’s not their brand strategy. They would have to offer a cheaper screen, cheaper internals, etc to drop $200-$350 and that is ‘un-Apple’. That’s why I find this rumor not plausible. 
    A low cost, entry level Mac is a way of bringing new users into the Apple ecosystem.  This is especially helpful if those users are students.   If the student learned on a Mac in school, he is more likely to buy a Mac as an adult.   Furthermore, someone who uses a Mac, is more likely to buy an iPhone instead of Android.

    A parent buying a first computer for a child may want an inexpensive one.  Whatever that child gets, they are more likely to stay with that platform rather than switch.  Apple doesn't currently offer a product to fit this need.

    There are benefits to having products in all market segments.

    There are economies of scale.  Apple sells more iPhones than Macs.  Using an iPhone chip in a Mac will cost Apple less than maintaining production of old model M1 processors.
    muthuk_vanalingamthtwatto_cobra

  • Apple plans low-cost MacBook based on iPhone processor

    mfrydmfryd
    macxpress said:
    Seems like they could just put an M1 in it if they wanted a cheaper Mac....What I don't want to see if Apple start this race to the bottom with "cheap" devices. Apple is a premium brand and should be treated as such. They may be pricing some people out but that's just how it goes. I can't afford a BMW or Mercedes Benz but that doesn't mean they should be making $25,000 BMW's or Mercedes Benz's. It just cheapens the brand in the end. 

    That being said if they can keep quality up and use some older SoC's such as the M1 then why not? They make a $500 Mac mini that seems to be good quality however making a $500 Mac mini is a lot different than making a $500-600 MacBook as it has a keyboard/mouse, and screen. 

    I could see this being popular in K-12/College education. Sorta like the eMac of its time, only a laptop instead of a desktop. 
    "Premium" is not the same as "Powerful".
    entropys