Main stories: iPhone 12 rumors, Apple A12Z-based Mac mini, leaked iMac, and more!

With WWDC now behind us, our attention this week turned largely to the rumors, led by growing claims that Apple will controversially not include a power adapter in the box with the iPhone 12. We also saw some other rumors, signs of iPhone 12 for an upcoming iMac update, and more information on the update schedule for smaller Apple iPads.

The other big topic this week was Apple’s Developer Transition Kit, a Mac mini equipped with the iPad Pro’s Bionic A12Z chip. App developers have signed up for the kits to help them transition their apps to Apple Silicon. for future Macs, and we got our first glimpse of how these machines work, though they will be vastly outnumbered by machines that will eventually ship to consumers.

Read below for details on these stories and more!

According to reports, iPhone 12 models will not include the charger in the box, the 20W power adapter will be sold separately

Following a similar report last week, trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also weighed in to claim that Apple does not plan to include a power adapter in the box with the launch of its iPhone 12 models later this year. Apple is also said to be removing the EarPods headphones that have traditionally been included with new iPhone purchases.

Apparently, Apple will offer a new 20-watt fast charge power adapter as a separate accessory, and removing the current adapter from the iPhone case will save Apple money, reduce electronic waste, and allow for more shipping efficiency thanks to cases. smaller. Apple is even surveying recent iPhone buyers in Brazil about what they have done with the power adapters that came with their previous iPhones, so the company definitely seems to be investigating on the matter.

In other iPhone 12 news, rumors continue to be divided over whether or not some models will include ProMotion 120Hz displays for a smoother on-screen experience. And finally, the high-end iPhone 12 Pro models are rumored to be able to record 4K videos at 120 and 240 frames per second, which would allow for great slow-motion images.

Rosetta 2 Benchmarks Surface for Mac Mini with A12Z chip

Apple Developer Transition Kits to help app builders prepare for Mac’s transition from Intel to Apple Silicon processors have begun to come into the hands of developers, and although Apple’s terms limit the sharing of Information on these Mac mini units equipped with A12Z Bionic chips from iPad Pro, that hasn’t stopped some people from sharing performance benchmarks.

The A12Z-based Mac mini runs programs designed for the Intel Macs using a Rosetta 2 translation layer that affects performance, but the Geekbench benchmarks still offer an interesting insight into how these systems work. In fact, these systems run Geekbench through Rosetta 2 faster than Microsoft’s Arm-based Surface Pro X runs a native version of Geekbench.

Of course, these developer transition kits bear little resemblance to what Apple will eventually ship to consumers, as those future machines will be equipped with much faster chips based on the A14 chip that will hit this year’s iPhones, and as developers upgrade their apps to Apple Silicon compatible natively, fewer apps will be subject to Rosetta 2 translation success.

Unpublished iMac with Comet Lake-S 10-core chip and Radeon Pro 5300 GPU shown on Geekbench

While we didn’t get an expected update for the iMac at WWDC last week, we continue to see evidence that an update is in progress.

MacRumors concept mockup based on redesign rumors
The latest evidence comes from a Geekbench benchmark that appears to come from an unreleased iMac. In particular, the machine appears to be equipped with an Intel 10-core Comet Lake-S processor and AMD Radeon Pro 5300 graphics processor, which have not yet been officially released.

The iMac is rumored to be one of the first machines to move to Apple Silicon, but it looks like we could be getting a further generation on Intel chips, and may include a significant redesign.

Apple officially outdated first MacBook Pro with a Retina display

Eight years have passed since Apple first introduced the MacBook Pro with a Retina display, and Apple finally officially declares that model is outdated.

Owners of the iconic 15-inch laptop will discover that Apple no longer provides service on machines for any reason, so if you need a new battery or other repair, you’ll need to look for an unofficial repair option or go the DIY route.

Kuo: Apple to launch 10.8-inch iPad later this year, 8.5-inch iPad Mini in 2021

In addition to his predictions for the iPhone 12, Ming-Chi Kuo this week also shared a bit more information about his predictions for Apple’s iPad line.

Kuo says Apple plans to launch a new 10.8-inch iPad in the second half of 2020, followed by a new 8.5-inch iPad in the first half of 2021. He previously indicated that the new 8.5-inch model will be a larger iPad mini, if Well there has been some confusion over whether the 10.8-inch model will be a replacement for the entry-level 10.2-inch iPad or the 10.5-inch iPad Air.

New ransomware for Mac found in hacked applications for Mac

There is a new variant of Mac ransomware ‘OSX.ThiefQuest’ that is spreading through hacked Mac applications, according to a report shared this week by Malwarebytes. The new ransomware was found in hacked downloads for the Little Snitch app found on a Russian forum.

Along with the rescue activity, the malware may also install a keylogger to monitor keystrokes, but what the malware does with the functionality is unknown. Malware in general and ransomware in particular are relatively rare on the Mac platform, so it’s interesting to see this example appear and get an idea of ​​what it does.

The New York Times ends Apple News partnership and removes all articles

The New York Times This week he announced that he will withdraw from Apple News, as the service does not “align with his strategy of building direct relationships with paying readers.”

While The New York Times has never been part of the Apple News + subscription program, newspaper articles will no longer appear in the ‌Apple News‌ app. The news site says Apple has given it “little in terms of direct relationships with readers” and “little control over the business.” Instead of allowing your articles on ‌Apple News‌, The New York Times you want to bring readers to your own website and app.

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