Top Stories: Apple Maps Adding Waze Features, Intel Downplays M1 Chip, MacBook Pro Charging Problem Fixed

This week there was another good mix of news and rumors, driven by the discovery that Apple Maps will gain Waze-like features for crowdsourcing crashes, hazards and speed checks.

Intel is also generating some headlines for a new ad campaign and questionable benchmarks targeting Apple’s latest M1 Macs, while rumored that Apple Car remains in the news, Hyundai / Kia seems to be shot in the foot recognizing previously talking to Apple to produce the vehicle. Read on for details on these stories and more from last week!

Apple Maps adds similar Waze features in iOS 14.5

iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, which are still in beta, are turning into major software updates for iPhone and iPad. We already highlighted some new features last week, such as the ability to unlock an iPhone with an Apple Watch while wearing a mask, support for 5G in Dual-SIM mode on iPhone 12 models and AirPlay 2 streaming for Apple Fitness + workouts and Since then we’ve learned that the update adds new Waze-like features to Apple Maps for accidents, speeding, and road hazards.

Starting with iOS 14.5, Siri also remembers which streaming music service a user chooses, allowing third-party services like Spotify to be set as defaults, rather than Apple Music – here’s how. This feature does not seem to work perfectly for all beta users yet.

Finally, it seems that the YouTube mobile website is working again with “Picture in Picture” mode on iOS 14.5 beta. Apple has indicated that iOS 14.5 should be released to the public in “early spring”, which probably means some time at the end of March.

Intel minimizes Apple M1 chip with “carefully crafted” benchmarks

Three months after the launch of Apple’s revised M1 Macs, Intel has rejected a new advertising campaign, but a few asterisks are involved.

First, Intel has chosen some very specific reference tasks to demonstrate that Windows laptops powered by the latest Core 11th Generation processors are superior to Apple M1 custom chip Macs, such as exporting a PowerPoint presentation as a PDF file.

Intel also used different processor SKUs depending on the test and went from the 13-inch MacBook Pro to the MacBook Air for the battery life test, so there are a lot of inconsistencies during the presentation.

“Inconsistent testing platforms, changing arguments, omitted data and the not-so-faint smell of despair,” Apple columnist Jason Snell wrote for Six Colors. “Today’s M1 processor is a low-end chip for low-end systems, so Intel only has a small window to compare favorably with these systems before shipping high-quality Apple Silicon Macs and to it makes the job much harder. ”

Apple offers free battery replacements for MacBook 2016-2017 professionals who can’t charge in the last 1%

This week, Apple released macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 to fix an issue that may prevent battery charging in some 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models.

Apple says that a “very small number of customers” have encountered a problem with the battery not charging more than 1% and offer these customers free battery replacement. Our article provides steps on how to identify your Mac to see if it’s eligible.

If your MacBook Pro did not have this problem, upgrading to macOS 11.2.1 as soon as possible is still highly recommended as a precaution. There is also an additional update to macOS Catalina 10.15.7 that addresses the issue.

Buyer’s Guide: Don’t buy a MacBook Pro now

If you’re thinking about buying a new MacBook Pro soon, let me remind you that now may not be the best time to do so.

In recent weeks, reputable sources such as Bloomberg analyst TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Mark Gurman have claimed that some significant changes are coming to the MacBook Pro this year, such as the return of MagSafe charging and more ports. , including an SD card reader.

Kuo and Gurman also said that Apple intends to replace the controversial Touch Bar with a physical row of Fn keys and expects a modest redesign, with flatter edges on the top and bottom of the MacBook Pro. Other expectations include a brighter display and next-generation Apple silicon.

If you are buying a MacBook Pro now, we recommend that you choose the 13-inch top model, which already uses Apple silicon. Otherwise, waiting for the rumored 14 and 16 inch models at the end of this year is a wise choice.

Mark MacRumors Buyer’s guide to more buying recommendations!

Hyundai and Kia now say they are not in talks to develop the Apple Car

After weeks of “Apple Car” rumors, Hyundai and its subsidiary Kia in regulatory filings this week said they are not (or at least no longer) in talks with Apple to cooperate in developing an electric vehicle with automatic driving.

Hyundai confirmed last month that Apple is in talks with a variety of global automakers, including Hyundai. However, the car manufacturer dropped the statement only a few hours later and said only that it had “received requests for potential cooperation from various companies regarding the development of autonomous electric vehicles”.

Bloomberg reported that talks between Apple and Hyundai had “recently been interrupted”, adding that Hyundai’s initial statement and subsequent reports “upset Apple”, a company known for its secret culture.

Apple is believed to be considering partnerships with other automakers, such as Nissan, Honda and Mazda. In any case, it is believed that the Apple Car is still a few years away from becoming a reality.

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