Tech News By Techkle

Hey everyone, this is Sanjeev from Techkle. Welcome to this week’s episode of TNBT where we will cover the latest Tech news and updates.

TNBT Episode Summary

Usually, this quarter is remarkably busy for the companies as they try to launch final product lines of the year. Last month was no different with Apple, Google, Facebook producing big announcements. We will talk about all those new releases in this month episode of TNBT.

Last month was only the start with the launch of iPhone 13 and new iPhone 13 Accessories. This month we not only have the new product announcement, but we also have some software releases including Windows 11 and macOS Monterey which brings many new features to the latest devices.

Apple New MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max

So, let's start with one of the biggest releases of the year. After a wait for almost a year for the MacBook Pro’s with M1 chip, Apple finally unveiled them in the October event.

They have produced two different chips in addition to already released M1 chip - M1 Pro and M1 Max. Along with the two new chips, we now have new MacBook 14-inch and MacBook 16-inch models which utilizes those new chips. Both machines configuration starts with M1 Pro chip and can be customized to use M1 Max at the higher end models.

Both chips are powerful with the System-on-a-Chip (SOC) architecture similar to M1 chip and build with industry leading 5-nanometer process. They introduce this architecture first time to the pro models with M1 Pro and M1 Max Chip.

M1 Pro and M1 Max Specifications

One of the best parts of moving to new architecture is faster memory access which means CPU and GPU can access the same memory. This will remove the need to duplicate the data when shifting process between CPU and GPU. It will result in faster process execution and overall performance improvement of the machine.

Another important aspect which we have seen from the M1 chip is increased battery life. Even with increased CPU performance the overall consumption of power is much less. Apple has provided a chart which talks about CPU performance versus raw power uses. You can look at the chart in the show notes to understand the performance output.

M1 Pro is available with up to 32GB integrated memory while M1 Max can be configured up to 64GB of unified memory. Since the unified memory will be shared between CPU and GPU, it can even compete with the graphics performance of external GPU cards.

You can check the GPU performance chart in the show notes.

RIP Touch Bar

One of the major changes in the MacBook Pro design is missing Touch Bar. Apple has launched the Touch Bar in 2016 with MacBook Pro and after being available for almost 5 years it has decided to sunset this feature.

Personally, I am using MacBook Pro 16-inch 2019 model and very rarely I have used the Touch Bar available on the MacBook. So, if I have not noticed the available feature so much, I don’t think I am going to miss it much.

It has some nice use cases but for most part you need to keep an eye on the Touch Bar to keep checking the changing suggestions. Most of the pro users like me use keyboard to type while keeping the eyes on the screen, which means I miss many of the suggestions unless, I am aware that there will be a setting on the Touch Bar which I am looking for.

This means most of the time spelling suggestions are...

Hey Everyone, this is Sanjeev from Techkle. Welcome to this week’s episode of TNBT where we will cover the latest Tech news and updates.

TNBT Episode Summary

There is a lot happening in the Tech world this October. Usually, we see this much activity in September with the launch of new iPhones and accessories. But this time the launch of the iPhones was delayed till mid of October due to COVID-19 and Apple has just started shipping latest devices.

They have also announced the new iPhone Accessories standard called MegSafe which means we have a lot of new accessories coming into the market. We will talk about all these along with other latest news in this episode.

iPhone 12 and MegSafe Accessories

Apple has started shipping the new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro model this week. The initial review of the device is positive and its selling like hotcakes. The current shipping estimates on Apple site are already down to 2-3 weeks if you order today.

Though only two out of four models are available for sale currently. iPhone Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available to pre-order on November 6th with availability from November 13th onwards.

Along with iPhones, Apple also launched a new set of accessories with new standard called MegSafe. Now, MegSafe is something that we use to see on older generation Mac’s before Apple shifted to USB-C standard. The good thing about the Mac MegSafe chargers was how easy it was to place it on charging pins. You just bring it close and it snaps on!

Now, with the new line of accessories Apple wants the similar experience for iPhone users. You can just snap on different kind of accessories including chargers, wallet to use with your iPhone. Now no more fight to figure out if your wireless charger is aligned properly.

MegSafe Accessories

Apple has launched cases which will support MegSafe accessories that means you can snap chargers while keeping the case on. Now, we are seeing third party cases with the support of MegSafe standard hitting the market.

OtterBox has announced MegSafe supported cases for all its lineup including Symmetry, Aneu, or Figura Series. You can pre-order those cases from the OtterBox site.

Belkin has also announced some of the new accessories for iPhone 12 including new 3-in-1 MegSafe Wireless charger which will snap on your iPhone, charge it along with Apple Watch and AirPods.

So, go ahead and take your pick for the MegSafe Accessories with the new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro.

iPhone 12 Reverse Charging

One of the expected features for iPhone 12 was reverse charging but Apple decided to not announce it in the iPhone 12 launch. Initially everyone though that iPhone 12 was not capable of reverse charging but with a new FTC filing, it looks other way round.

Based on iPhone 12 FTC filing looks like iPhone 12 is capable enough to do reverse charging, just that Apple decided to not activate the functionality. One of the reasons might be lack of accessories which they would like iPhone to support. They might activate it when they will announce next generation AirPods that can take advantage of the reverse charging.

Hopefully, we will see more and more accessories which can take advantage of this feature in future.

iPad Air 4th Generation

Apple not only started shipping the iPhone but also started shippin...

In this episode, we will not only cover the latest Samsung flagship smartphone Galaxy Note 20 but will also talk about Pixel 4a and other devices launched recently. Apple has also prepared for the release of new devices including the iPhone 12.

Hey everyone, this is Sanjeev from Techkle. In this episode of TNBT, let's cover some of the latest technology news from the big companies.

Episode Summary

Apple has just concluded its yearly development conference (Apple WWDC). First time ever they have executed this conference in a virtual mode and all sessions are live-streamed across the world.

Apple WWDC Updates

Apple has given a glimpse of the latest changes coming to all their products this fall. So let's check what you can expect to come your way on iPhones, iPad, and MacBooks.

iOS 14

iOS 14 will bring many changes which will make it more user friendly. We will discuss some of those changes mentioned below in this episode.

* Home Screen Widgets - Provide easy access to information.* Widget Stacking* Smart Widget Stack* App Clips* Nonintrusive Call and Facetime Notifications* Privacy Notifications on Data Access* Third-Party Apps as Default Apps* Apple Translate App* Picture in Picture

iPadOS 14

We are getting most of the updates mentioned in the iOS update but also some iPad specific updates. These updates will make it easy to use apps with Apple Pencil.

Here are some of the updates covered in this episode:

* Sidebar access in Applications* Scribbles

macOS Big Sur

macOS is heading towards one of the biggest overhauls in recent years. From the design of each element to Safari Privacy updates, a big changes coming to our ways.

Here are the items discussed in this episode.

* System-Wide Redesign* Safari Updates* Start Page Customisations * Extensions Portability and App Store Section* Privacy Report* Messages Updates* Pin Conversations* Inline Replies* People Mentions* Memoji's on Mac* Control Center* Widgets In Notifications

watchOS 7 & tvOS 14

There are a lot of big updates coming to watchOS and tvOS. Many of the changes coming towards integrating more health functionality to Apple TV and Apple Watch.

Here are the updates discussed in this episode.

* watchOS 7* Shareable Watch Faces* Sleep Tracking* Wind Down and Wake Up Routine* Dancing as a workout* hand Wash Countdown* tvOS 14* Integration with Apple Watch For health activities* Home Kit enhancement for viewing security cam feeds* addition game controller compatibility to enjoy games with controllers on Apple TV

AirPods Updates

There is a big update coming to AirPods and AirPods Pro which will make them one of the best Bluetooth headphones for iPhones.

* Spatial Audio (AirPods Pro)* Automatic Audio Switching

So these are some of the updates from Apple WWDC which we can expect to receive in this fall.

Microsoft Retail Store Closing

In a surprise announcement, Microsoft announced that they are closing all of their stores worldwide. They are planning to only four store from 85 store worldwide and convert they into experience zone...