Top news: iPad Pro with Thunderbolt ?, Intel Mocks M1 Macs, iMac Pro officially discontinued

We have passed the middle of March with no sign of an Apple media event, but that does not mean that we will not see an event or simply some product launches via a press release in the coming weeks, as rumors of future products continue to circulate.

Perhaps the biggest news topic this week was Justin Long from Apple’s “Get a Mac” advertising campaign more than a decade ago, starring in a new Intel campaign promoting Windows machines based on the company’s processors as superior to new Macs based on Apple’s M1. Check out our video above and read below for details on these stories and more!

iPad Pro with Thunderbolt port and mini-LED screen, available ‘as early as April’

BloombergMark Gurman reported this week that Apple plans to announce new iPads “as early as April”, including new 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models.

Notably, Gurman stated that the new iPad Pro models may feature a Thunderbolt port. This rumor certainly seems plausible, as the new iPad Pro models are expected to be equipped with a faster A14X chip based on the M1 chip on the latest Macs, and the M1 chip supports Thunderbolt. And since Thunderbolt uses the USB-C connector design, the new iPad Pro models still work with existing USB-C chargers and accessories.

As widely publicized, Gurman said that Apple is trying to include the Mini-LED backlight in the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro at a minimum, suggesting that the display technology may be unique to the larger model.

Well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has credited this period, claiming that mass production of iPad Mini-LEDs will begin in mid-April. Kuo expects a new MacBook Air with a Mini-LED screen and, potentially, a new iPad Air with an OLED screen in 2022.

Apple event in April? To recap the latest rumors of the iPad Pro, AirPods and AirTags

It’s been a whirlwind of a month for Apple rumors. First, we heard from leaker Jon Prosser that an Apple event was planned for March 16, but was later discarded by Bloombergis Mark Gurman. After that date passed, Prosser and other leakers suggested that there would be an Apple event on March 23, which apparently isn’t happening either.

With attention now turned to April for possible Apple announcements, we’ve put together a recap of the latest rumors about iPad Pro, AirPods and AirTags from sources like Gurman and well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In addition to the new iPad models, new products that are supposed to be in Apple’s pipeline include its long-awaited AirTags item trackers, a new Apple TV with a stronger focus on games, new AirPods and AirPods Pro and more Apple silicone Macs, but some of these products are not expected until the second half of 2021.

Former ‘I’m a Mac’ actor Justin Long casts a shadow on M1 Macs in Intel’s new ad campaign

Justin Long, who starred in Apple’s iconic “Get a Mac” advertising campaign in the mid-2000s, turned against the Mac in a new Intel advertising campaign.

Intel’s ad campaign tries to open holes in Apple’s new M1 Macs, including its official support for just a single external monitor (DisplayLink adapters can be used as a workaround), support for a limited number of games, lack of full touchscreen, and more.

Intel’s campaign so far has included a series of videos starring Long, a website that compares the M1 chip to Intel processors, and social media content, including a photo of Long holding several dongles.

The first M1 Macs received rave reviews, with the M1 MacBook Air outperforming a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an Intel Core i9 processor in Geekbench benchmark scores.

iMac Pro officially discontinued, removed from the Apple website and no longer available for purchase

Two weeks after Apple announced that it was discontinuing the iMac Pro and noted that orders would only be available while supplies last, it appears that the next-generation multifunctional desktop has reached the end of the line. Apple this week stopped taking orders for the machine and removed it from the Mac section of the company’s website.

Apple recommends that users looking for a high-end Mac choose the 27-inch iMac, which was last updated in August 2020. The current 27-inch MiMac configurado configured with a 10-core Core i9 processor is faster and more affordable than the standard ‌iMac Pro‌ with a 10-core Xeon W processor was. Apple is also expected to launch a redesigned iMac based on Apple’s silicon chips later this year.

Practical: New $ 400 Kensington StudioDock for iPad Pro

Kensington in February began accepting pre-orders for the StudioDock docking station launched for the iPad Pro, and now StudioDock orders have started to reach customers. We chose one of the new StudioDocks to see if it is worth the high purchase price for an iPad workflow.

Available for 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, 12.9-inch iPadiPad Pro‌ and 10.9-inch iPad Air, the StudioDock has a magnetic base where a PiPad‌ can be connected and can be used in landscape or portrait mode. We have the version for the 12.9-inch PiPad Pro‌, which resembles Apple’s Pro Display XDR support. Watch our practical video for our complete impressions.

The iPhone 13 models will have ‘Probably’ ‘Touch ID’ under the screen

The iPhone 13 models scheduled for launch this year “probably” will feature a fingerprint scanner built into the screen for authentication, in addition to Face ID, according to Barclays Research analyst Andrew Gardiner and three of his colleagues.

The “Touch ID” sub-display for iPhones has been spread several times in recent years. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern also said that Apple is at least testing a fingerprint scanner under the screen for the iPhone 13 models, so time will tell if the feature will succeed. .

Apple has filed for several patent fingerprint scanner patents on display as part of its research and development of the feature.

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