New Retina MacBooks, WWDC Announced, Minor MacBook Air Upgrade, iPhone and Apple Car Rumors - MacRumors

Apple Updates 12-Inch MacBook With Skylake Processors, Faster Graphics, Longer Battery Life, and Rose Gold Apple this week updated its 12-inch Retina MacBook for the first time since its debut almost exactly a year ago. The new update brings a number of improvements including Intel's latest Skylake processors with improved graphics capabilities, faster RAM and flash storage, an extra hour of battery life, and a new Rose Gold color option. Apple's retail stores and third-party resellers are just getting stock of the new MacBooks, so check around before you run out to try to buy one. While some potential customers were disappointed at the lack of Thunderbolt 3 support and had held out hope for a second USB-C port that did not come to fruition, the upgrade is a solid one for Apple's ultraportable notebook. Check out our tidbits post for a roundup of some of the lesser-known changes, and if you've already bought one, you should know there's already a software update for it. And for those MacBook users who miss the handy MagSafe charging solution Apple got rid of in favor of the all-in-one USB-C port, Griffin has impeccable timing and will begin shipping its BreakSafe magnetic USB-C charging cable on Monday.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Apr 21, 2016 WWDC to Be Held June 13 to June 17 in San Francisco Less than two months ahead of time, Apple has officially confirmed this year's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco will take place June 13–17. That week had long been presumed to be the WWDC window based on the Moscone West convention center's event calendar, but interestingly it was Siri that first officially confirmed Apple's plans this week. Just a few hours later, Apple opened the lottery for registered developers to apply for tickets to the conference. For the first time, Apple will be holding the opening keynote and other first-day events at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, which offers a larger space than the main room at Moscone West. The auditorium, located about a mile away from Moscone West, was the site of Apple's September 2015 "Hey Siri" event that saw the introduction of the iPhone 6s, iPad Pro, and new Apple TV.   Read Full Article 13-Inch MacBook Air Models Now Have 8GB RAM Standard Alongside the updated MacBook, Apple this week also made a minor update to its 13-inch MacBook Air models, upgrading them to 8 GB of RAM standard. The machines had previously shipped with 4 GB of RAM standard, with 8 GB available as a $100 upgrade. The 11-inch MacBook Air continues to ship with 4 GB standard. The slight tweak suggests a full update for the MacBook Air is unlikely at WWDC just two months from now, and it's unclear what Apple's plans are for the line with the Retina MacBook now playing the role of Apple's ultraportable notebook. The MacBook Air continues to be a budget alternative, but as pricing on the Retina MacBook comes down over time and Apple perhaps launches thinner Retina MacBook Pro models, the MacBook Air will likely be discontinued.   Read Full Article Apple to Release iPhone With Glass Casing and AMOLED Screen in 2017 Following up on his report last month claiming Apple is looking to launch a new OLED iPhone with a glass casing in 2017, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo this past weekend released a clarifying report sharing a few more thoughts on the rumored shift. Kuo believes a glass casing will "enhance the competitiveness" of the 2017 iPhone, and concerns over fragility of the material are overblown. In other iPhone rumors, Samsung is said to be preparing to re-enter Apple's supply chain for flash memory used in the iPhone and other iOS devices. Apple stopped using Samsung's flash memory back in 2013, but new technologies mean Samsung will reportedly rejoin the list of suppliers in 2017. Meanwhile, in the nearer term, recent comments from Qualcomm's CEO appear to support rumors that Apple will be shifting to Intel to supply at least some of the LTE modems for the upcoming iPhone 7.   Read Full Article AMD's New 400-Series 'Polaris' Graphics Chips Headed for 2016 Macs With graphics firms Nvidia and AMD both launching vastly improved chips this year, we've been expecting to see some nice improvements for the high-end 27-inch iMac, 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, and Mac Pro models that use these discrete graphics processors. A new report indeed claims Apple will be using AMD's new "Polaris" chips that could in some situations offer nearly double the performance of their predecessors. Almost all of Apple's Mac lineup is sorely in need of an update, and we're hoping to see some of those announcements at WWDC in June.   Read Full Article Apple Car Talks With Daimler and BMW Fell Apart Over Leadership Issues, iCloud Rumors about Apple's car project have died down a bit in recent months, but they saw a brief flurry of attention this week, led by a report claiming negotiations between Apple and both Daimler and BMW fell apart amid disputes over leadership and how data would be managed. Given a lack of expertise in car manufacturing, Apple is reportedly looking to partner with an established car manufacturer for the project, but Apple's strict demands for control are proving difficult for the negotiations. Other news about the "Apple Car" has included word that Apple has a small team of engineers working in a "secret lab" in Berlin, while a leadership vacuum left by the departure of Steve Zadesky last year may have been quickly filled when Apple hired Tesla's engineering vice president Chris Porritt away, presumably for a key role on Apple's car project.   Read Full Article

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