When the new M1 Macs came out in November, we were impressed with their performance specs but also worried that the new ARM-based processors would have compatibility issues with many older, x86 based apps that users have come to love on MacOS. We thankfully saw many companies (such as Google, Adobe, and Blizzard) rushing to release M1 versions of their software right at launch, and native support has only gotten better since. For the stragglers still running on x86 architecture, Apple's new Rosetta2 emulator does a fantastic job of providing a seamless experience for users--most people won't even notice that apps like Steam aren't running natively on the M1 Macs. The M1 MacBook Pro 13 is undoubtedly the best MacBook Pro 13 we've seen in a long time. Apart from its blazing speeds in single and multi-core performance, its integrated graphics are actually a bit ahead of both AMD- and Intel-based machines (although the graphics performance is still a far cry from that seen from discrete GPUs like the AMD Radeon and Nvidia GeForce RTX cards).

Apple today released a forked version of TensorFlow, Google's AI and machine learning development environment, optimized for Intel Macs and Macs powered by Apple's new M1 chip. By taking advantage of the ML Compute framework on macOS Big Sur, Apple says, the Mac-optimized release of TensorFlow 2.4 allows developers to take leverage accelerated processor (CPU) and graphics card (GPU) training on hardware like the M1's 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU. Training sophisticated AI models can be prohibitively expensive for developers. For instance, Google spent an estimated $6,912 training BERT, a bidirectional transformer model that redefined the state of the art for 11 natural language processing tasks. While training models like BERT likely remains beyond the reach of commodity hardware like MacBooks, the new Mac-optimized TensorFlow package promises to lower the barrier to entry, enabling enterprises to train and deploy models more easily and cheaply than before.

Yesterday was all about Apple and its new family of Macs. Regardless of whether you're a Windows or macOS user, you should probably pay attention -- these are the first computers powered by silicon made by Apple itself. The first chip now has a name: the M1. It's an interesting array of devices, probably meant to trumpet the flexibility, already, of Apple's first PC chip. The MacBook Air, with claims of 18 hours' battery life, is the showcase for mobility (it's called the M1, after all), while a new MacBook Pro is a pitch to creatives that demand more power.

I really wanted it to work. A couple of weeks ago I closed my MacBook on a Friday afternoon with no plans to open it for a week. I wasn't going on vacation--rather, I was testing the theory that the iPad could actually be "a computer." My setup was as high-end as you could get: a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 1TB of storage and cellular connectivity, a Magic Keyboard, and Apple Pencil--a setup that's more expensive than the 13-inch MacBook Pro I got it in 2016. It looked great on my desk and felt every bit like the future Apple sells.

I really wanted it to work. A couple of weeks ago I closed my MacBook on a Friday afternoon with no plans to open it for a week. I wasn't going on vacation--rather, I was testing the theory that the iPad could actually be "a computer." My setup was as high-end as you could get: a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 1TB of storage and cellular connectivity, a Magic Keyboard, and Apple Pencil--a setup that's more expensive than the 13-inch MacBook Pro I got it in 2016. It looked great on my desk and felt every bit like the future Apple sells.

It's long been rumored that Apple may be planning to kill off the MacBook Air, but it looks like the laptop's death may be more imminent than we thought. Apple could soon release a brand new, 13-inch laptop to replace the aging MacBook Air, according to Digitimes. Taiwanese touch screen supplier General Interface Solution is expected to receive a big order from Apple for LCD displays. Apple may use the displays to introduce a totally new 13-inch MacBook toward the end of 2018, Digitimes noted. Now that Apple's MacBook Air is ten years old, the iPhone maker may be preparing to kill off the 13-inch model entirely.