Main stories: rumors about Apple cars, Windows on a Mac M1, AirPods Max compared

The holiday season is in full swing and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all our readers for accompanying us in another year full of Apple news and rumors.

Soon, the calendar will become 2021 and Apple has much more, as we saw in last week’s rumors about the so-called Apple Car, next year’s iPhone 13 line and a new Apple TV. . For highlights on these stories and more from last week, read below.

Car production is scheduled for 2024 with “Next Level” battery technology

Apple’s rumored plans for electric vehicles returned to headlines this week. Shortly after a questionable report from the Taiwanese supply chain stating that the so-called “Apple Car” will debut next year, Reuters reported that Apple aims for 2024 vehicle production.

The report stated that Apple’s autonomous vehicle will feature a unique “single-cell” battery design that “frees up space within the battery pack by removing bags and modules that contain battery materials,” which can result in a scope longer per load.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk reacted to the news on Twitter, claiming that a “single-cell” battery is “electrochemically impossible.” Musk also claimed that “during the darkest days” of Model 3 production, he contacted Apple CEO Tim Cook to discuss the possibility of Apple acquiring Tesla for a fraction of its current value, but apparently Cook rejected the meeting.

Meanwhile, in a post on LinkedIn, Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess said that “we expect new competitors that will certainly accelerate the change in our industry and bring new skills.”

IPhone 13 programming may support Wi-Fi 6E, unlikely to be the largest iPhone SE in early 2021

After discussions with several Apple vendors, Barclays analysts set out this week some expectations about future iPhones and iPads.

First, analysts said the iPhone 13 models may be compatible with the new Wi-Fi 6E standard, which offers the same features and capabilities as Wi-Fi 6 (higher performance, lower latency and data speeds faster) extended to the 6 GHz band. The additional spectrum will provide much more airspace beyond existing Wi-Fi at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, resulting in increased bandwidth and less interference for devices that support Wi-Fi 6E.

As for the iPhone SE, analysts believe that Apple has no plans to update the device in the foreseeable future. Although they had heard of a larger iPhone SE, which was rumored to feature a 5.5-inch or 6.1-inch screen, the device was not mentioned in any of its discussions with Apple vendors. . In April, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the largest iPhone SE was delayed until the second half of 2021.

Finally, analysts said an iPad with an OLED screen is unlikely to be launched until at least 2022. Apple is expected to launch at least one iPad Pro model with Mini-LED backlighting next year.

Video: Testing Windows on a Mac M1 with Parallels 16

Last week, Parallels released a previous version of its virtualization software with support for Apple Silicon. Combined with a preview version of Arm-based Windows available in the Windows Insider program, it is possible that Microsoft’s operating system will work and run on Macs M1.

In a recent YouTube video, we installed Parallels on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 chip and tested Windows, but it didn’t work exactly. Of course, there are some issues to be expected with the beta software that is still in development.

It is unclear whether Microsoft will make a licensed version of Windows based on Arm available to customers.

Comparison: AirPods Max Vs. Sony / Bose / Sennheiser options

It’s been a little over a week since the AirPods Max were launched, which marked Apple’s entry into the high-end headset market.

Priced at $ 549, the AirPods Max are hundreds of dollars more expensive than many high-end headphones that cancel out noise from other brands, which can be a tough buying decision.

In a recent YouTube video, we compared the irAirPods Max‌ with Sony’s WH-1000XM4s, Bose 700 noise canceling headphones, and Sennheiser Momentum Wireless to see if they’re worth the premium price. In a separate video, we’ve covered five reasons why you might want to consider buying AirPods Max despite its high price.

AirPods Max still faces long shipping estimates at Apple.com, although delivery times have improved slightly in mid-February for the Space Gray and Silver colors and 8 to 10 weeks for the Pink options , Green and Sky blue, compared to 12-14 weeks for all colors recently.

Apple’s A14 chip outperforms the new Snapdragon 888 chip that will hit future Android phones

This week, Qualcomm has shared benchmark results for its new Snapdragon 888 chip that will be used in the Android smartphones coming out in 2021, and not only can’t it keep pace with Apple’s A14 chip in the d ‘iPhone 12, however, is even slower than the latest-generation A13 chip used for the iPhone 11 line.

While the Snapdragon 888 offers significant performance improvements over the previous generation Snapdragon chip, this means that future Android smartphones, such as Samsung’s rumored Galaxy S21, will be slower than iPhone models already. released.

Apple’s mobile processors have been leading the industry for years and the company recently expanded that experience on the Mac with its new M1 chip, which also delivers industry-leading performance per watt.

New Apple TV with gaming focus, updated remote control and faster chip than expected next year

BloombergMark Gurman briefly reiterated this week that Apple plans to launch a new Apple TV with a stronger focus on gaming, an updated remote control and a new processor sometime next year.

Gurman has previously indicated that Apple is working on a new remote control with features similar to Find My, which will make it easier to search when out of place. As part of the gaming focus, there have also been rumors that Apple could introduce a dedicated game controller for the Apple TV.

Earlier this year, an anonymous leaker known as “Fudge” on Twitter indicated that Apple has prototyped new Apple TV models with variants of the A12 and A14 chips for faster performance; if true, it’s unclear whether Apple will end up settling on a chip or launching two different models. The new Apple TV may also have 64GB and 128GB larger storage options.

The current Apple TV 4K model was launched more than three years ago, so chances are good for an upgrade next year.

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