苹果早餐：Notch争议
Apple generates a lot of news, and it can be hard to keep up. If your mind was on other things this week, our Saturday-morning roundup of Apple-related headlines will bring you up to date.
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Notch my problem
Last week we looked at the two violently opposed schools of thought regarding the notch on the new MacBook Pro:
You’ll be surprised to hear that Apple wants to convince us that theory number 1 is correct, and this week product line manager Shruti Haldea appeared on a podcast to defend the notch’s merits and argue that it’s a “really smart way to give you more space for your content”.
It’s a bit of a softball interview – the hosts suggest unprompted that it was “unused space” anyway, and offer no follow-up questions about visual distractions and the lack of Face ID – but it’s still good to see Apple fronting up and talking through its design decisions with the media. You can watch the whole conversation below.
The discussion above is fairly gentle, but a less forgiving take was provided later in the week by Quinn Nelson, who runs the Snazzy Labs YouTube channel. Nelson discovered a bug in the way certain menu bar items interact with the notch, sometimes avoiding it – as they are presumably supposed to – but sometimes hiding inconveniently behind it.
“A lot of people have been asking, with the notch in the way now, what happens if your app menus go too far to the right, or your status menus go too far to the left?” says Nelson. “Do they get smaller, or do they jump to the other side, or are they scrollable?
“The answer is, fricking nothing! Look at that: there is stuff behind the [notch] that I can’t see!”
WHO DESIGNED THIS?! pic.twitter.com/ADVqmfdqV2— Quinn Nelson (@SnazzyQ) October 26, 2021
It’s perhaps inevitable that some bugs would sneak through when such a major hardware change is made to the environment in which software runs – even if I’d agree with Nelson that this is a surprisingly big gaffe. But the timing is unfortunate: with so many people complaining about the notch’s very existence, the last thing Apple needs is a high-profile bug to go with it.
News in brief
Apple has posted earnings figures for the final quarter of its fiscal 2021, and inevitably shattered a load more records. Profit was up 62% year on year, while revenue was up 29%. And it could have been even better if it wasn’t for supply constraints, which could yet ruin the next quarter with Christmas shortages; Jason Snell can be relied upon to look on the dark side.
A teardown has revealed the inner workings of the new MacBook Pro. There are lots of revelations, but one of the most striking is that the M1 Max processor is huge.
As expensive as it is, the new MacBook Pro could actually be viewed as a bargain. Andy Sommerfeld, chief developer at Affinity Photo, calls the M1 Max “the fastest GPU we have ever measured” and says it beats the £6k graphics card in the Mac Pro.
“It has an awful lot to recommend it; but the things that put people off last year remain the case, and I can’t see this changing many minds.” The iPhone 13 mini is the last of a dying breed, reckons David Price.
Sorry Apple fans, the M1 Max is already doomed, says the Macalope.
We’ve reviewed the new AirPods. They are a little prone to falling out of your ears, which is a shame, but in other respects this is a massively impressive upgrade with major improvements to battery life and audio quality.
Is the MacBook Pro overkill, asks Jason Snell.
The Touch Bar was always doomed, says David Price in this week’s Different Think column, which doubles as an apology for an overenthusiastic review back in 2016.
Michael Simon, however, reckons he’s found a way for the Touch Bar to become the killer feature Apple wanted it to be.
Lewis Painter explains how to use Live Text, one of the handiest features in iOS 15.
Video of the week
Intel introduced its 12th-gen Alder Lake CPUs this week, with leaked benchmarks suggesting the Core i9-12900HK outperforms Apple’s new M1 Max. Google’s new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones (powered by the Tensor chip) also arrived. And the chip shortage rolls on.
In the video embedded below, Michael Simon, Ken Mingis and Juliet Beauchamp discuss chip innovation. It’s the hot topic on everyone’s lips!
Software, bugs & problems
Apple has rolled out the macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 update, which addresses 21 security vulnerabilities, ranging from Bluetooth (“a malicious application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges”) to SoftwareUpdate (“an unprivileged application may be able to edit NVRAM variables”). We recommend you update at your earliest convenience.
Apple Music is now available on the PlayStation 5. But they’ll all be too busy twerking their Fortnites, won’t they? (Apple Breakfast is not up to date with popular culture.)
The rumour mill
Patent activity suggests that the rumoured Apple Glass product could beam images directly on to your retinas. That’s right: no screens!
A new version of the iPhone SE, based on the chassis of the iPhone XR but souped up with an A15 processor, will launch in spring 2022, according to the latest report.
Hoping for Apple to make it three in three by announcing a November event to go with the September and October ones? Think again, buster: Bloomberg reckons Apple is done for the year, which means the wait will go on for a new MacBook Air, iMac, AirPods Pro and the rest.
We’ve whaled on the MacBook Pro’s notch pretty hard this week, so instead of sticking the boot in even more we will present the latest MacBook Air rumour without comment: here is What a MacBook Air could look like with a notch.
Image courtesy of Jon Prosser and Ian Zelbo.
Did Apple once plan to release an Apple Watch Pro? Leaked documents released this week suggest it did.
And finally, we round up all the new products Apple could conceivably launch in November, together with the chances of the company doing so. We’re feeling quite pessimistic, on the whole, although the Mac mini and iPod touch could happen.
Apple deals of the week
I’ve embedded a list of the best current Apple deals below, but other than that, we’re done for this week. See you next Saturday, enjoy your weekend, and stay Appley!
Top 10 Apple Deals
Apple 11in iPad Pro (2021, M1, 2TB) – Wi-Fi + Cellular
1
From: Amazon
Was: £1899
Now: £1,314.16 (£584.84 off)
We’re not sure if Amazon will bring back the £639 discount we saw in October on this iPad Pro M1 variant, but almost £600 off is still an excellent deal. See our review of the 11in iPad Pro with M1.
Adobe Creative Cloud – All Apps (1 Year)
2
From: Adobe
Was: £49.94 per month
Now: £39.95 per month (£119.88 off)
Adobe’s slashed 20% off its Creative Cloud subscription prices. The offer ends 14 April.
Apple AirPods 3
3
From: Amazon
Was: £189
Now: £159 (£30 off)
The AirPods 3 offer better battery performance, an updated design, and support for Spatial Audio and Adaptive EQ. Save £30 from Amazon.
Smarty 12GB data SIM-Only
4
From: Smarty
Was: £8 per month
Now: £4 per month (50% off for 3 months)
Grab three months of 12GB data for just £4 per month. If you’re after more data, you can see all its plans here. You can cancel anytime.
Apple iPad mini (2021, 6th gen, 64GB, Cellular)
5
From: Amazon
Was: £619
Now: £464 (£155 off)
This is the best deal we’ve seen on the iPad mini you can get the 64GB Cellular (RRP £619) for just £464 – which is less than the RRP for the Wi-Fi model!
Apple MacBook Air, M1, 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU, 256GB (2020)
6
From: John Lewis
Was: £999
Now: £887 (£112 off)
For some time a gang of retailers have been offering the entry level MacBook Air for £889, but this month John Lewis has dropped the price to £887, RRP £999. Very has the same deal.
You can also get the £999 MacBook Air with 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU in gold for £889 from Currys or Amazon, and AO.
Apple Watch Series 6 (40mm)
7
From: Amazon
Was: £319
Now: £229 (£90 off)
Bag the last gen Watch 6 for under £300 at Amazon’s Spring Sale!
Apple Watch Series 6 (44mm, Cellular)
8
From: Amazon
Was: £509
Now: £349 (£160 off)
Amazon’s just slashed £160 off the Watch Series 6 with Cellular connectivity as a part of its Spring Sale.
Apple 10.2in iPad (2021, 256GB, Wi-Fi)
9
From: Amazon
Was: $479
Now: $429 ($50 off)
Save $50 on the latest regular iPad. It’s a great affordable slate that’s perfect for web browsing or video calls.
Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard for iPad Pro 11
10
From: Amazon
Was: £189.99
Now: £115.99 (£74 off)
Save an excellent £74 on this Logitech keyboard for the iPad Pro 11 – this is currently the best discount we can see. The Combo Touch works with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen models.
Apple AirTags
11
From: Amazon
Was: £99
Now: £79.60 (£19.40 off)
Grab this set of Apple AirTags for just under £80 – that’s a saving of roughly £9 per AirTag, which costs £29 separately.
Apple Watch Series 7 (GPS, 41 mm)
12
From: Amazon
Was: $399
Now: $279 ($120 off)
The Apple Watch Series 7 has a solid $120 discount in Amazon’s Prime Day sale, making it one of the best prices around.
Beats Solo 3 Headphones
13
From: Amazon
Was: £179
Now: £99 (£80 off)
Get £80 off the Beats Solo3 Wireless on-ear headphones (which we gave four stars in our review). They’re available in a range of colours.
Apple AirPods Pro with MagSafe charging case
14
From: John Lewis
Was: £239
Now: £189 (£50 off)
Amazon’s excellent £64 saving on the AirPods Pro from March is no longer available. Multiple sites are selling for £189 (a £50 saving), including AO and Laptops Direct – but we’d go with John Lewis on account of its two-year guarantee.
Apple Watch SE 2021 (44mm, GPS)
15
From: Amazon
Was: £299
Now: £239 (£60 off)
Get a great saving on last year’s Apple Watch SE from Amazon.
Logitech Crayon
16
From: Amazon
Was: £64.99
Now: £53.99 (£11 off)
Want a more affordable alternative to the Apple Pencil? Check out the Logitech Crayon, which works with all iPads from 2018 and later.
Apple iPhone 12 mini (256GB)
17
From: Amazon
Was: £729
Now: £619.99 (£109.01 off)
The 256GB iPhone 12 mini has over £100 off from Amazon.
Apple iPad mini (2021, 6th gen)
18
From: Currys PC World
Was: £479
Now: £464 (£15 off)
A handy saving on Apple’s new iPad mini model for 2021, but note that this price applies to the Starlight colour finish only. eBuyer is matching the deal on certain colours.
Apple iPad Air (2022, 256GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular)
19
From: KRCS
Was: £569
Now: £557.62 (£11.38 off)
KRCS has knocked money off the 2022 iPad Air. You will find savings across the whole range.
Apple MacBook Air, M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 512GB (2020)
20
From: Very
Was: £1,249
Now: £1,099 (£150 off)
An excellent deal, this. Save money on the MacBook Air with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU from Very. The discount applies to the silver version only.
This deal is only slightly better than Currys who has the silver model for £1,099.97. John Lewis had the same deal, but it is currently out of stock there.