Tag: Apple Silicon

Apple started its annual developer conference with Keynote and Platform State of the Union. First day of WWDC is packed with announcements.

Mac hardware

Apple unveils MacBook Air 15" with M2, and M2 Ultra powered Mac Studio and Mac Pro. The new ‌MacBook Air‌ starts at $1,299. Prices for the second generation Mac Studio start at $1,999. Mac Pro starts at $6999.

MacBook Air 13" with M2 chip is now starting at $999.

iOS / iPadOS 17

iOS 17 gets new features focusing on communications and sharing. Contacts app is revamped with emphasis on photos and typography. Standby view is added for iPhone.

iPadOS has more customization for Lock Screen. Widgets now could be interacted with.

Also, AirDrop now has new experience when users hold their phones close to each other.

macOS 14 Sonoma

macOS 14 Sonoma now has "Game Mode" which improves performance for games, minimizes delays. macOS also gets interactive widgets that could be placed everywhere.

Safari gets a lot of privacy and security improvements. Improved support for web apps is announced.

watchOS 10

watchOS 10 brings support for widgets. New design language is introduced.

tvOS 17

tvOS 17 gets support for Continuity Camera hinting on new tvOS-powered devices with camera hardware.

Vision Pro and visionOS

Apple unveils Vision Pro mixed reality headset. Price is starting with $3,499, US sales are expected to start early next year. Other countries to follow later.

Device has 12 cameras, 6 microphone and many other sensors. Also, device has external display that could show user’s eyes (feature is called EyeSight). During FaceTime calls device will show face by using trained ML model and device cameras.

Vision Pro will be able to run iOS and iPadOS apps in windowed mode. Also, headset supports direct 3D experiences built using RealityKit, ARKit. Unity is also supported as development framework.

Windowed apps could be powered by SwiftUI which is updated to better support depth.

Apple to host labs in multiple cities for developers to try their apps on real device before public launch. Simulator is available as a part of development tools.

visionOS SDK is to be available later this month.

Agreements update

The App Store Review Guidelines, the Apple Developer Program License Agreement, and the Apple Developer Agreement have been updated to support updated policies and upcoming features, and to provide clarification. Please review the changes below and accept the updated terms as needed.

App Store Review Guidelines

• Added to 2.5.18: “Apps that contain ads must also include the ability for users to report any inappropriate or age-inappropriate ads.”
• Revised bullet point 11 of 3.1.2(a): “Cellular carrier apps may include auto-renewing music and video subscriptions when purchased in bundles with new cellular data plans, with prior approval by Apple. Other auto-renewing subscriptions may also be included in bundles when purchased with new cellular data plans, with prior approval by Apple, if the cellular carrier apps support in-app purchase for users. Such subscriptions cannot include access to or discounts on consumable items, and the subscriptions must terminate coincident with the cellular data plan.”
• Added to 4.1: “Submitting apps which impersonate other apps or services is considered a violation of the Developer Code of Conduct and may result in removal from the Apple Developer Program.”
• Revised 4.4: “Apps hosting or containing extensions must comply with the App Extension Programming Guide, the Safari App Extensions Guide, or the Safari Web Extensions documentation and should include some functionality, such as help screens and settings interfaces where possible.”
• Revised 4.4.2: “Safari extensions must run on the current version of Safari on the relevant Apple operating system.”

Developer Program License Agreement

• Purpose; Definitions; Sections 2.6, 3.2, 3.3.4, 3.3.38, 3.3.63, 5.1, 6.3, 6.6, 7, 7.3, 7.5, 7.6, 14.2; Attachment 7: Specified requirements and functionality for apps on visionOS.
• Definitions: Updated requirements for Corresponding Products.
• Definitions; Section 3.1: Specified requirements for universities and their Authorized Student Developers.
• Definitions; Section 3.3.62: Specified requirements for use of the Tap to Present ID API.
• Definitions; Sections 3.3.40, 3.3.64, 5.1, 10; Attachment 10: Specified requirements for use of mobile device management (MDM).
• Definitions; Section 3.3.65: Specified requirements for use of the iWork Document Exporting API.
• Definitions; Section 3.3.67: Specified requirements for use of the Sensitive Content Analysis Framework.
• Definitions; Attachment 3: Updated requirements for development of Passes.
• Section 3.3.9: Added requirements for use of third-party SDKs and certain APIs, clarified restrictions on use of data derived from a device.
• Section 3.3.42: Added requirements for use of certain Apple Pay APIs.
• Section 3.3.63: Specified requirements for providing a partially immersive experience in an app.
• Section 3.3.66: Specified requirements for the use of the Shallow Depth and Pressure feature.
• Section 6.7: Added information on App Analytics.
• Attachment 2: Clarified requirements for use of the In-App Purchase API.

Apple Developer Agreement

• Sections 4, 6: Updated requirements for access to and use of pre-release materials.

Beta download: Operating Systems

Apple Developer:

• WWDC23 schedule and lab requests now available Systems
• Xcode 15 beta now available
• What’s new in privacy on the App Store
• Updated agreements and guidelines now available
• WWDC23 Overview
• Updated agreements and guidelines now available
• Introducing Apple Vision Pro and visionOS
• Spotlight on developing for visionOS

Apple Newsroom:

• Apple introduces the 15-inch MacBook Air
• Apple introduces M2 Ultra
• Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro
• AirPods redefine the personal audio experience
• Apple announces powerful new privacy and security features
• iOS 17 makes iPhone more personal and intuitive
• iPadOS 17 brings new levels of personalization and versatility to iPad
• Apple provides powerful insights into new areas of health
• macOS Sonoma brings new capabilities for elevating productivity and creativity
• Introducing watchOS 10, a milestone update for Apple Watch
• tvOS 17 brings FaceTime and video conferencing to Apple TV 4K
• Introducing Apple Vision Pro: Apple’s first spatial computer

References:

• Apple announces new Mac Pro powered by M2 Ultra: PCI expansion, $6999 starting price
• Apple Announces New 'NameDrop' Contact Sharing Feature Coming in iOS 17
• Apple announces macOS Sonoma with aerial screensavers, Game Mode, and more
• Apple Announces macOS Sonoma With Desktop Widgets and More
• Apple Announces watchOS 10 With Widgets, Redesigned Apps, and More
• Apple Announces New Intelligent AirPlay Features With Hotel Room Support
• This is Apple Vision Pro, the mixed reality headset for spatial computing
• Apple Reveals 'Vision Pro' Headset and visionOS

Linux 6.2 now adds support for M1 Macs. Support is not considered "finished" or "production-ready". M2 support is also in the works.

Some of the features are provided by Asahi Linux.

GitHub: Feature Support

References:

• M1 Mac Linux 6.2 support for MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Studio, Mac mini
• Linux 6.2 includes M1 Mac support, but it's not fully ready to use

Microsoft announces support for running Windows on Apple Silicon Macs with Parallels software.

Some limitations still apply – Microsoft does not support running Windows Subsystem for Android, Windows Subsystem for Linux, Windows Sandbox and Virtualization-based Security when Windows 11 is running in virtualized environment.

Microsoft Support: Options for using Windows 11 with Mac® computers with Apple® M1® and M2™ chips

Alludo: Parallels Desktop Now an Authorized Solution to Use With Windows 11 on Mac With Apple Silicon

Reference: Microsoft announces full support for virtualization of Windows on ARM through Parallels Desktop 18

Apple today announced new Mac mini, new MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips.

There were no special event, however, Apple still had a keynote video describing new hardware.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ij9PiehENA

M2 Pro chip comes with 19 GPU cores and M2 Max doubles than number. M2 Max could be equipped with 96GB of RAM.

New Mac mini comes with M2 and M2 Pro chips. Also Mac mini with M2 Pro provides 4 Thunderbolt ports. Intel-based Mac mini is no longer available.

MacBook Pro now supports WiFi 6E nearly doubling throughput. 16" model offers up to 22 hours of battery life.

Apple Newsroom:

• Apple unveils M2 Pro and M2 Max: next-generation chips for next-level workflows
• Apple introduces new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro — more powerful, capable, and versatile than ever
• Apple unveils MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max

References:

• New MacBook Pro now official: M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, 8K HDMI, Wi-Fi 6E
• Apple launches new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro chip, lower $599 starting price
• Apple Announces New MacBook Pros With M2 Pro and M2 Max Chips, Up to 96GB RAM, 8K HDMI, Wi-Fi 6E, and More
• Apple Announces New Mac Mini With M2 and M2 Pro Chips at Lower $599 Starting Price
• New 16-Inch MacBook Pro Offers Up to 22 Hours Battery Life – Longest Ever in a Mac
• New MacBook Pro Models Feature HDMI 2.1 Port Instead of HDMI 2.0
• Apple Updates the MacBook Pro and Mac mini with New Chipsets and Other Features
• M2 Pro Mac Mini Specs: Up to 32GB of RAM, Up to Three External Displays, 240Hz Support, and More
• New MacBook Pros come with color-matched MagSafe charging cables
• M2 Mac mini tidbits: External display support, how to save an extra $100, more
• 5 Things to Know About the New MacBook Pros
• M2 Mac mini vs M1 Mac mini - compared
• M2 Pro Mac mini vs Mac Studio - compared

VMWare adds support for Apple Silicon. Now Windows 11 could be a guest OS on Apple Silicon Macs.

On Apple Silicon, we’ve introduced our first round of features for Windows 11 on Arm. In this release VMware Tools provides virtual graphics and networking, and more is still to come. With certified and signed drivers Windows 11 looks fantastic, and adjust the resolution to 4K and beyond!  
Note that Fusion on Apple Silicon must run the Arm variant of Windows 11, and it does not support the x86/Intel version of Windows. 

VMWare Fusion Blog

VMWare Fusion Blog: VMware Fusion 13: Now available for Intel and Apple Silicon Macs

Reference: VMware Fusion 13 Now Available With Native Support for Apple Silicon Macs

Wow! It's 50th episode here. Let's get something interesting for today's good reads.

• Let's start with good explanation on how Rosetta 2 translates x86 code into ARM – Why is Rosetta 2 fast? by Dougall J;
  
  
• Swift Concurrency – Things They Don’t Tell You by Wojciech Kulik provides great deep dive into proper concurrent code development;
  
  
• And another article on proper concurrency practices – How Does Swift Concurrency Prevents Thread Explosions? by Lee Kah Seng;
  
  
• Brett Ohland goes into details on data formatting – You can stop writing date format strings like “yyyy-MMM-dd”;
  
  
• Apple Maps are getting better now, learn how to add those to your web site – Using MapKit JS to Embed Apple Maps in Websites by Moritz Philip Recke;
  
  
• Leonardo Maia Pugliese shares an article on making SwiftUI code modular with SwiftPM – Introduction to SwiftUI Modularisation with SPM;
  
  
• Core Data property mapping to Swift is suboptimal, learn how to better handle those with article by Natascha Fadeeva – How to handle non-optional Core Data properties in Swift;
  
  
• When .animation animates more (or less) than it’s supposed to by Ole Begemann covers interesting aspects of animation behavior in SwiftUI;
  
  
• Jordan Morgan explains how to make your collection or table view better compatible with keyboard – Basic Keyboard Navigation for Collection & Tableview.;
  
  
• Widgets and other extensions need access to shared files – Share files between your iOS app, Widget and WatchKit extensions by Marco Eidinger covers exactly that;
  
  
• Antoine van der Lee provides good guide on result builders in Swift – Result builders in Swift explained with code examples;
  
  
• Pin a view to the bottom of safe area in SwiftUI by Natalia Panferova solves one of simple things you might need in your app;
  
  
• Craig Hockenberry shares a hint on how to keep your storage free space under control – Managing Xcode Downloads.

Big list for this week. And, as always, more to come next time!

Apple made couple of hardware announcements today.

iPad

New iPad gets new form-factor, USB-C port and new color options. iPad is now powered by A14 Bionic chip. Touch ID is moved to Power button.

Interestingly front facing camera is using landscape placing.

Controversially new iPad supports first generation of Apple Pencil and will require dongle to pair and charge via USB-C.

New iPad supports WiFi 6 and 5G.

9th generation iPad is still on sale. 10th generation sees significant price increase comparing to previous model.

iPad Pro

New iPad Pro is powered by M2 chip. It now supports Apple Pencil hover which provides guidance on pencil position before it touches the screen which should provide better visual clues in various applications.

New iPad Pro supports WiFi 6E.

Pricing is unchanged for both iPad Pro models.

Apple TV 4K

Apple TV 4K refresh is now using A15 Bionic chip. Apple TV 4K now supports HDR10+. Storage is increased for both models, however, smaller storage model does not have Ethernet port anymore and also does not provide Thread support.

Apple TV Siri Remote now has USB-C port.

Apple shared video announcement of iPads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUKRkPKg5_U

Apple also announced that iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1 and macOS 13 Ventura will be released on October 24.

Apple Newsroom:

• Apple unveils completely redesigned iPad in four vibrant colors
• Apple introduces next-generation iPad Pro, supercharged by the M2 chip
• Apple introduces the powerful next-generation Apple TV 4K

References:

• Apple Unveils 10th-Gen iPad With Complete Redesign, 10.9-Inch Display, USB-C, and More
• Apple debuts all-new iPad 10: Larger display, four colors, landscape front camera, more
• New iPad Only Supports First-Gen Apple Pencil, Requires Adapter to Charge
• Apple announces new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro with M2 chip, Apple Pencil hover feature
• Apple Announces New iPad Pro With M2 Chip, Hovering Apple Pencil Feature, and More
• M2 iPad Pro Supports Wi-Fi 6E for the First Time
• M2 iPad Pro Wi-Fi + Cellular Models Drop GSM/EDGE Support
• M2 iPad Pro Features New Hover Mode for Apple Pencil
• M2 iPad Pro Seemingly Features Exact Same Display and Camera Hardware as 2021 Model
• M2 iPad Pro Tidbits: ProRes Video Support, RAM Configurations, and More
• Apple announces new Apple TV 4K with A15 Bionic chip and HDR10+ support
• $149 Apple TV 4K 128GB Model Includes Ethernet and Thread Support, 64GB Version Does Not
• Apple TV Remote Now Has a USB-C Port
• New Apple TV is Thinner and Weighs 50% Less With Fanless Design
• iPadOS 16 With Stage Manager, Weather App, and More to Be Available on October 24
• macOS Ventura With Stage Manager and More Launching October 24
• Apple Shares 9-Minute Keynote-Styled Video for New iPad and iPad Pro

VirtualBox 7.0 brings support for Apple Silicon Macs. VirtualBox is an open-source virtualization software available for various platforms. Now it could be used on Macs with Apple Silicon.

Download: Download VirtualBox

Release notes: VirtualBox 7.0.0 (released 2022-10-10)

Reference: Oracle VirtualBox brings Apple Silicon Mac support in version 7.0 beta

Apple starts providing genuine parts for M1 Macbooks as a part of Self Service Repair program. Now some MacBook repairs could be performed in-house.

Genuine Apple parts and tools can be purchased by US customers on August 23

Apple

Apple Newsroom: Apple expands Self Service Repair to Mac notebooks

References:

• Apple Expands Self Service Repair Program to MacBook Air and MacBook Pro
• Apple Self Service Repair program now extended to M1 MacBook models
• Self Service Repair for M1 Mac Notebooks
• Apple's Self Service Repair Store Now Taking Orders for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro
• Apple’s Self Service Repair store goes live with M1 MacBook replacement parts

Apple released beta 4 for macOS 12.5 Monterey. No significant changes are reported for this beta, but it adds support for M2 Macs which are now received by first buyers.

Beta download: Operating Systems

Reference: Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of macOS Monterey 12.5 to Developers, Adds Support for M2 Macs