Apple's ongoing pursuit of leading performance in custom silicon packages continues with each new generation of Apple Silicon. Today, we have alleged Geekbench performance figures of the upcoming M2 Max chip, designed for the upcoming Mac devices. Featuring the same configuration with two E-cores and eight P-cores, the chip is rumored to utilize TSMC's 3 nm design. However, that is yet to be confirmed by Apple, so we don't have the exact information. In the GB5 single-thread test, the CPU set a single-core performance target of 1899 points, while the multi-core score was 8737. While last year's M1 Max chips can reach 1787 single-core and 12826 multi-core scores, these configurations are benchmarked in a Mac Studio, which has better cooling and allows for higher clocks to be achieved.

Apples to apples (pun intended) comparison with the M1 Max chip inside of a MacBook Pro version with presumably the same cooling capacity, which gets 1497 single-core and 11506 multi-core score, the new M2 Max chip is 19.4% faster in single-core results. Multi-core improvements should follow, and this M2 Max result should be different from the final product. We await more benchmarks to confirm this performance increase and the correct semiconductor manufacturing node.

Today, Logitech announced a new "Designed for Mac" collection of products, crafted to be seamlessly compatible and reliable with Mac setups across a variety of use cases. The new collection includes the MX Mechanical Mini for Mac keyboard, MX Master 3S for Mac mouse, Lift for Mac mouse and the K380 Bluetooth Keyboard for Mac in a new Blueberry color.

"We know that Apple users value a consistent design aesthetic for their entire setup—work or home—and that they need mice and keyboards that work across their ecosystems," said Delphine Donné, vice president and general manager of Creativity and Productivity at Logitech. "We've created a suite of stylish tools that elevates how you work by adding more functionality, customization and comfort. And because we know that one size doesn't fit all, this collection was designed, developed and engineered to meet the diverse needs of Apple users."

Belkin, a global consumer electronics leader, today introduces two new multiport solutions, adding to its impressive connectivity category. The CONNECT USB-C 5-in-1 adapter and CONNECT 6-in-1 hub make it easy to share content between devices, connect multiple components for enhanced productivity, and connect people safely and securely to the things they love. Both products are available to order now.

Designed with the growing number of Chromebook users in mind, the multiport adapter offers robust capabilities with a simple design, allowing for data, video, Ethernet and power all to pass through a single cable connection. This docking station is WWCB certified, featuring Chromebook optimized features and providing automatic firmware updates directly through Chrome OS for an enhanced connectivity experience. Additionally, the adapter provides Power Delivery up to 86 W to charge connected devices, ensuring a more reliable and fast charge.

Apple has removed the final remaining Intel components from its latest M2 MacBooks with the Intel JHL8040R USB4 timer chips being replaced with a pair of custom U09PY3 chips. This change was discovered by iFixIt during a recent teardown and documented by Twitter user SkyJuice with the exact reason for the change unknown. This move towards alternative USB4 chips is also present with AMD's latest Rembrandt laptops switching to retimers such as the KB8001 'Matterhorn' from Swiss startup Kandou who claim to supply five of the six largest PC OEMs with such chips.

In May, Huntkey launched three new products in the United States. Two of them are 100 W GaN chargers, and the main target group is people who travel frequently. The other is a surge protector, which is mainly used in kitchens, televisions, offices and other occasions that require multiple outlets for power supply. When people travel for business or vacation, they need to bring a lot of chargers, which take up space and make luggage heavier. Huntkey 100 W GaN charger solves this problem, with a smaller size, lighter weight, and faster charging speed, meeting the needs of charging multiple devices at the same time.

"It's only about half the size of a dollar bill, but I've been able to get 65 watts to charge my laptop from it". This is feedback from an Amazon customer. This 100 GaN fast charger boosts charging efficiency to over 90% with its Power Delivery 3.0 standard, fully charging a 16-inch MacBook Pro in 1.9 hours and charging an iPhone 13 to 50% in 0.5 hours. GaN technology improves charging efficiency while reducing the size of the charger to 40% smaller than Apple's original 96w charger, making it ideal for travel.

Apple today introduced a completely redesigned MacBook Air and an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro, both powered by the new M2 chip—which takes the breakthrough performance and capabilities of M1 even further. MacBook Air takes everything users love about the world's best-selling laptop to the next level. With an all-new, strikingly thin design and even more performance, MacBook Air also features a larger 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, four-speaker sound system, up to 18 hours of battery life, and MagSafe charging. It is now available in four finishes—silver, space gray, midnight, and starlight. M2 also comes to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the world's second best-selling laptop—delivering incredible performance, up to 24 GB of unified memory, ProRes acceleration, and up to 20 hours of battery life, all in a compact design. The new MacBook Air and updated 13-inch MacBook Pro join the even more powerful 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max to round out the strongest lineup of Mac notebooks ever offered. Both laptops will be available next month.

"We're so excited to bring our new M2 chip to the world's two most popular laptops—the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "Completely redesigned around M2, MacBook Air is thinner, lighter, and faster with a bigger display, better camera, and all-day battery life, in four beautiful finishes. Only with Apple silicon can you build such a thin and light notebook with a fanless design, and this combination of performance and capabilities. M2 also comes to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, featuring incredible performance, ProRes acceleration, up to 24 GB of memory, and up to 20 hours of battery life—making our most portable pro notebook even better."

Apple today announced M2, beginning the next generation of Apple silicon designed specifically for the Mac. Built using second-generation 5-nanometer technology, M2 takes the industry-leading performance per watt of M1 even further with an 18 percent faster CPU, a 35 percent more powerful GPU, and a 40 percent faster Neural Engine. It also delivers 50 percent more memory bandwidth compared to M1, and up to 24 GB of fast unified memory. M2 brings all of this—plus new custom technologies and greater efficiency—to the completely redesigned MacBook Air and updated 13-inch MacBook Pro.
"M2 starts the second generation of M-series chips and goes beyond the remarkable features of M1," said Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Technologies. "With our relentless focus on power-efficient performance, M2 delivers a faster CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine. And along with higher memory bandwidth and new capabilities like ProRes acceleration, M2 continues the tremendous pace of innovation in Apple silicon for the Mac."

The system-on-a-chip (SoC) design of M2 is built using enhanced, second-generation 5-nanometer technology, and consists of 20 billion transistors—25 percent more than M1. The additional transistors improve features across the entire chip, including the memory controller that delivers 100 GB/s of unified memory bandwidth—50 percent more than M1. And with up to 24 GB of fast unified memory, M2 can handle even larger and more complex workloads.

Transcend, a leading brand of digital storage and multimedia products, released a 1 TB JetDrive Lite 330 expansion card which is exclusively designed for MacBook Pro 2021. Its tiny design and high capacity expands the storage space of the MacBook Pro in a snap, increasing users' efficiency by backing up digital files.

The latest MacBook Pro models released in 2021 are equipped with an SD card slot, fulfilling the wishes of consumers out there. Transcend's JetDrive Lite 330 expansion card seamlessly integrates with the MacBook, offering consumers another affordable option to expand their Mac internal storage capacity. Built with high-quality NAND flash, the JetDrive Lite 330 delivers impeccable R/W speeds of up to 95/75 MB/s. Multiple capacities from 128 GB to 1 TB are available for consumers to choose from based on their needs, ideal for Time Machine backups and iTunes libraries. More space can be saved from the internal drive to allow 3D rendering, graphic design, or software development.

Apple today unveiled the completely reimagined MacBook Pro powered by the all-new M1 Pro and M1 Max—the first pro chips designed for the Mac. Available in 14- and 16-inch models, MacBook Pro delivers groundbreaking processing, graphics, and machine learning (ML) performance whether running on battery or plugged in, as well as amazing battery life—enabling workflows previously unimaginable on a notebook. The new MacBook Pro also features a stunning Liquid Retina XDR display, a wide range of ports for advanced connectivity, a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, and the best audio system in a notebook. Combined with macOS Monterey, which is engineered down to its core to take full advantage of M1 Pro and M1 Max, the user experience is simply unrivaled. Shattering the limits of what a notebook can do, MacBook Pro is designed for developers, photographers, filmmakers, 3D artists, scientists, music producers, and anyone who wants the world's best notebook. The new MacBook Pro joins the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 to form the strongest lineup of pro notebooks ever. Customers can order the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models today, and they will be available beginning Tuesday, October 26.

"We set out to create the world's best pro notebook, and today we're excited to introduce the all-new MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max—a game-changing combination of phenomenal performance, unrivaled battery life, and groundbreaking features," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "The all-new MacBook Pro adds a breathtaking XDR display, more ports like MagSafe 3, an advanced 1080p camera, and a sensational six-speaker sound system, all in a stunning new design. The new MacBook Pro simply has no equal and is by far the best pro notebook we've ever built."

Apple today announced M1 Pro and M1 Max, the next breakthrough chips for the Mac. Scaling up M1's transformational architecture, M1 Pro offers amazing performance with industry-leading power efficiency, while M1 Max takes these capabilities to new heights. The CPU in M1 Pro and M1 Max delivers up to 70 percent faster CPU performance than M1, so tasks like compiling projects in Xcode are faster than ever. The GPU in M1 Pro is up to 2x faster than M1, while M1 Max is up to an astonishing 4x faster than M1, allowing pro users to fly through the most demanding graphics workflows.

M1 Pro and M1 Max introduce a system-on-a-chip (SoC) architecture to pro systems for the first time. The chips feature fast unified memory, industry-leading performance per watt, and incredible power efficiency, along with increased memory bandwidth and capacity. M1 Pro offers up to 200 GB/s of memory bandwidth with support for up to 32 GB of unified memory. M1 Max delivers up to 400 GB/s of memory bandwidth—2x that of M1 Pro and nearly 6x that of M1—and support for up to 64 GB of unified memory. And while the latest PC laptops top out at 16 GB of graphics memory, having this huge amount of memory enables graphics-intensive workflows previously unimaginable on a notebook. The efficient architecture of M1 Pro and M1 Max means they deliver the same level of performance whether MacBook Pro is plugged in or using the battery. M1 Pro and M1 Max also feature enhanced media engines with dedicated ProRes accelerators specifically for pro video processing. M1 Pro and M1 Max are by far the most powerful chips Apple has ever built.

Epomaker announces the Epomaker NT68, a wireless 65% compact mechanical keyboard designed with versatility, which comes with a foldable carrying case which can be used as a movable stand. This is a slim, sleek, and smart keyboard designed for creators, developers, gamers, and anyone who seeks performance, portability, and comfort anywhere they need to work and game.

Type and play games efficiently and comfortably on your familiar keyboard layout - the NT68 can directly sit on the top of your laptop's built-in keyboard while preserving the laptop's trackpad at your most familiar position for more precision and control. No matter you are using windows system or macOS, the media keys you need can be easily accessed by designated shortcuts. By pressing FN+W/E, you can effortlessly switch the keyboard layout between Windows and macOS. If there are any specific preferences, NT68's software allows you to customize the layout and remap the keys based on any personal needs. Your customized layout can be stored as a layer in the keyboard, and you can save up to 3 customized layers， which refers to three different layouts to fit your various devices.

While the stay-at-home economy generated high demand for notebook computers from distance learning and WFH applications last year, global notebook shipment for 2020 underwent a nearly 26% YoY increase, which represented a significant departure from the cyclical 3% YoY increase/decrease that had historically taken place each year, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. The uptrend in notebook demand is expected to persist in 2021, during which notebook shipment will likely reach 236 million units, a 15% YoY increase. In particular, thanks to the surging demand for education notebooks, Chromebooks will become the primary growth driver in the notebook market. Regarding the shipment performance of various brands, Samsung and Apple will register the highest growths, with the former having Chromebooks account for nearly 50% of its total notebook shipment this year and the latter continuing to release MacBooks equipped with the M1 chip.

According to Bloomberg, which first predicted the arrival of Apple custom processors in MacBooks, we have another piece of information regarding Apple's upcoming MacBook Pro lineup, set to arrive this summer. As you are aware, MacBook Pro right now comes in two different variants. The first is a smaller 13-inch design that is powered by Apple's M1 chip, while the second is a 16-inch design powered by an Intel Core processor. However, it seems like that will no longer be the case when the next-generation lineup arrives. Starting this summer, all of the MacBook Pro models will have Apple's custom silicon powering these devices, which bring Intel's presence to an end.

And the successor to the now-famous M1 chip seems to be very good. As per the report, Apple is upgrading the architecture and the total core count. There are two different chips, codenamed Jade C-Chop and Jade C-Die. Both are 10-core designs, equipped with two small and eight big cores. The difference between the two is the total number of graphics cores enabled. The smaller version will have 16 graphics cores, while the bigger one will have 32 graphics cores. On the SoC, there will be an updated Neural Engine, for better AI processing. These new processors will come with up to 64 GB of RAM in selected configurations as well. The report also notes the arrival of HDMI port, SD card slot, and MagSafe for charging.

Apple's M1 processors are a big success. When Apple introduced the M1 processors in the MacBook lineup, everyone was impressed by the processor performance and the power efficiency it offered. Just a few days ago, Apple updated its Mac lineup to feature these M1 processors and made it obvious that custom silicon is the way to go in the future. Today, we have information coming from Nikkei Asia, that Apple's next-generation M2 chip has entered mass production and that it could be on the way for as early as July when Apple will reportedly refresh its products. The M2 chip is made inside TSMC's facilities on a 5 nm+ N5P node. While there is no more information coming from the report about the SoC, we can expect it to be a good generational improvement.

Apple impressed everyone with the launch of their M1 processor last year and it would appear they are preparing to do it again with an upgraded version named the M1X for the 2021 Mac lineup. The Apple M1X will reportedly include an upgraded 12-core CPU consisting of eight Firestorm performance cores and four Icestorm power-efficiency cores compared to the 8-core 4+4 configuration of the M1. The M1X GPU is rumored to include an even greater upgrade with 16 cores and 256 execution units which is exactly double then found on the M1 CPU. The chip will also include an increased TDP of 35 W - 45 W and will double the maximum RAM configuration to 32 GB. This information is not official so take it with a heavy dose of skepticism, the Apple M1X is expected to be announced by Apple in the coming months and will likely power the 2021 MacBook Pro 14, MacBook Pro 16, and 27" iMac.

Apple's silicon design team has recently launched its "fastest" CPU core ever, found inside the company's M1 processor designed for laptops and mini-PCs. Featuring an eight-core processor, where four cores are represented by low power small configurations, and four big, high-performance design cores, the M1 processor proved to be extremely fast. However, the Apple Silicon processor doesn't seem to cover anything higher than the 13-inch MacBook Pro. And that is about to change. When it comes to higher-end models like the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which provides more cooling area, it is logical that the processor for those designs is a higher performance design.

Enter the world of the Apple M1X processor. Designed for high-end laptops and the most demanding workloads, the new processor aims to create a new performance level. Featuring a 12-core CPU with eight big and four small cores, the M1X processor is going to deliver much better performance than M1. The graphics and memory configuration are currently unknown, so we have to wait and see how it will look like. The M1X is set to arrive sometime in Q1 of 2021, according to the source of the leak, so be patient and remember to take this information with a grain of salt.

OWC, the premier zero-emissions Mac and PC technology company, and a respected provider of Memory, External Drives, SSDs, Mac & PC docking solutions, and performance upgrade kits announced today that its current line of Thunderbolt (USB-C) external storage and docks are compatible with Apple's new M1 Macs shipping next week. OWC has the Thunderbolt storage solutions you need to move large amounts of data in seconds or add multiple ports to your laptop with award-winning docks.

Whether you're building your own drive with the OWC Envoy Express, need the rugged protection of the Envoy Pro EX SSD or the peace of mind of having all your data backed up to a ThunderBay RAID, OWC storage solutions harness the speed of Thunderbolt with capacities up to 128 TB. Need more ports? OWC provides the solutions you need to get the job done. On the go and need something that slips into your pocket? The OWC Thunderbolt 3 mini Dock lets you connect up to two 4K displays, two USB-A devices, and Ethernet. Want to build a workstation for your new MacBook Pro? With a single cable, the Thunderbolt 14-port dock lets you connect displays, drives, audio, mics, and headphones - all while charging your laptop.

When Apple announced that they are going to switch their Mac lineup from Intel-based x86 processors to the custom "Apple Silicon," everyone was wondering how the new processors will look and perform. To everyone's luck, Apple has just a few days ago announced its first Apple Silicon custom processor for MacBook. The M1, as the company calls it, is their first processor designed for higher-power and performance tasks The M1 features eight CPU cores (four high-performance and four-high efficiency) paired with eight cores dedicated to the graphics. On the die, there is also a 16-core neural engine made to accelerate machine learning tasks found in the new applications.

Today, we are getting the first GeekBench 5 CPU benchmarks that showcase just how far Apple has come with its custom design. What we have is the M1 processor found in MacBook Air. This Mac model features a passive cooling system, cooling a CPU with a base frequency of 3.2 GHz. The system scored 1719 points in the single-core result, and 6967 points in the multi-core result. The single-threaded results measure itself with some of the highest-end offerings from Intel and AMD, while the multi-threaded results are very good given the mix and match of small and big cores.

Apple late Monday sent out a public invite to an online launch event dated November 10, without revealing what it is. With new generation iPhones and Watches and iPads already announced it's likely that the November 10 event could deal with Macs, specifically, the company's very first MacBooks powered by a non-Intel processor since the company embraced x86 some decade-and-a-half ago.

Apple, having gained in-house expertise in designing powerful Arm-based SoCs, is likely to debut a new Arm-based processor with sufficient muscle to drive MacBooks, in what will be a "client-first" strategy of replacing x86 with Arm for Apple. This will likely see the most client-segment products, such as MacBooks and Mac Mini, get the processor, followed by MacBook Pros, iMacs, and lastly workstation-segment products such as the Mac Pro and iMac Pro. The November 10 event will likely only cover the very first Arm-powered MacBooks. Apple has been selling Arm-powered Mac Minis to ISVs along with a special version of macOS "Big Sur," so they could port their Mac software to the new platform. Arm-powered Macs could also see some form of unification between the iOS and macOS software ecosystems.

Apple announced plans to transition their Mac lineup to in-house ARM-based processors earlier this year. This decision came as a result of Apple's dependence on Intel for new processors each year and their recent underwhelming improvements. The upcoming 12 core chip is expected to be manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm node which should deliver significant power savings and performance. Apple has been working to optimize macOS and first party applications for the new processors along with sending out developer transition kits to hopefully ensure major software is supported at launch. The processor is rumored to debut in an upcoming 13-inch MacBook Pro or a new MacBook Air and should launch at a dedicated event in November according to a recent report by Bloomberg.

For years, MacBooks have been the de facto standard for digital DJ setups. Apple's recent product iterations, however, have left much to be desired in terms of professional connectivity - using industry standard DJ equipment with a MacBook requires the purchase of expensive and impractical adapters or hubs. XMG responds to the DJ community's growing demand for a functional, reliable alternative by releasing the DJ 15 - the first ever laptop designed, optimised and tested specifically to meet the needs of professional DJs. Weighing in at a mere 1.6 kg, this machine features a 15" non-glare Full HD IPS display and a wide array of standard ports. An entirely bloatware-free Windows 10 Pro installation, perfectly tuned to the DJ 15's hardware components, ensures ultra-low, stable DPC latency out of the box, even running off battery with WiFi and Bluetooth activated. On top of that, XMG offers unique and highly specialised support - by DJs, for DJs.

TSMC has hit a jackpot with its newer nodes like 7 nm and now 5 nm, as the company is working with quite good yields. To boast, TSMC has seen all of its capacity of 7 nm being fully booked by customers like AMD, Apple, and NVIDIA. However, it seems like the company's next-generation 5 nm node is also getting high demand. According to the latest report from DigiTimes, TSMC's N5 5 nm node is fully booked to the end of 2020. And the biggest reason for that is the biggest company in the world - Apple. Since Apple plans to launch the next-generation iPhone, iPad, and Arm-based MacBook, the company has reportedly booked most of the 5 nm capacity for 2020, meaning that there are lots of chips that Apple will consume. TSMC can't be dependent only on one company like Apple, so the smaller portion of capacity went to other customers as well.

When Apple announced their transition form Intel processors to Apple Silicon, we were left wondering how the silicon will perform and what characteristics will it bring with it. According to the latest report from The China Times, the Apple custom GPU found inside the new Apple Silicon will bring better performance and energy efficiency compared to Intel iGPU it replaces. The 5 nm GPU manufactured on TSMC's N5 semiconductor manufacturing node is supposedly codenamed "Lifuka" and it brings Apple's best to the table. Planned to power a 12-inch MacBook, the GPU will be paired with a custom CPU based on Arm ISA as well. The same chips powering iPhone and iPad devices will go into MacBook devices, with the TDP increased as MacBook will probably have much higher cooling capacity. The first Apple Silicon MacBook will come in H2 of 2021.Here is the copy of a full report from The China Times below:

AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) today announced revenue for the second quarter of 2020 of $1.93 billion, operating income of $173 million, net income of $157 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.13. On a non-GAAP basis, operating income was $233 million, net income was $216 million and diluted earnings per share was $0.18. "We delivered strong second quarter results, led by record notebook and server processor sales as Ryzen and EPYC revenue more than doubled from a year ago," said Dr. Lisa Su, AMD president and CEO. "Despite some macroeconomic uncertainty, we are raising our full-year revenue outlook as we enter our next phase of growth driven by the acceleration of our business in multiple markets."

Today Logitech announced the Logitech MX Master 3 for Mac and Logitech MX Keys for Mac, updates to the premium performance Master Series now optimized for Mac and Apple advanced users. The most popular Logitech performance mouse and keyboard, available in Space Gray, have been tuned to best complement the Apple ecosystem and help millions of advanced digital creators working on Macs and iPads. Logitech also announced Logitech K380 for Mac Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard with a layout specific for macOS, iOS and iPadOS.

"We want to empower creative Mac users to reach their full potential with our industry-leading mouse and keyboards that enhance every workspace," said Delphine Donne-Crock, general manager of creativity and productivity at Logitech. "Our newest additions to the Master Series and multi-device Bluetooth keyboard lineup have been re-imagined for advanced content creators who need the best tools for their craft and value Apple aesthetics, alongside increased productivity and performance. With MX Master 3 and MX Keys for Mac, as well as K380 for Mac, we wanted to provide the best possible experience on Mac and iPad."