At this point, WWDC 2018 is about a month away, and the Apple rumors are swirling around in full force. However, there isn’t much we’ve heard about macOS 10.14, which we assume is going to be the next version of Apple’s Mac operating system.
Other than the rumor that macOS will somehow incorporate iOS apps – which new speculation has thrown into doubt – there isn’t much concrete information to go off of. Still, this isn’t all that surprising, as Apple rumors usually revolve around hardware, not software.
So, we’re left with some room to speculate about what macOS 10.14 might look like, when it’ll be announced, but most importantly – what we want to see. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the deep dive you’ll find in this article. And, make sure you keep this page bookmarked, as we’ll keep it updated with every piece of macOS info that comes our way.
Cut to the chase
What is it? The 2018 edition of Apple’s Mac operating system, macOS
When is it out? Likely September or October 2018
What will it cost? macOS 10.14 will likely be free
macOS 10.14 release date
At the moment, when Apple will release macOS 10.14 is entirely unknown. However, we can attempt to triangulate a release date through looking back to releases of the past.
Since 2013 and the release of OS X 10.9 Mavericks, Apple has teased its latest version of the Mac OS during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote in early June, followed by a full release September or October of the same year. Apple has also done this completely free of charge since then.
There’s currently nothing to indicate that the macOS release cadence or pricing scheme will deviate from this trend.
So, that leaves us with the strong expectation that Apple will tease what macOS 10.14 has to offer in June at WWDC, release a public beta test around a month later and drop the final product in September or October for all to enjoy.
macOS 10.14 specifications
Knowing next to nothing about macOS 10.14, it’s tough to say exactly which Mac hardware will support the next version of Apple’s Mac interface. But, again, we can look to the previous year’s requirements for an idea of what to expect this year.
First off, prepare for macOS 10.14 to require at least 14.3GB of hard drive space for the installation, as that’s what was required last year. To keep it on the safe side, make it 20GB.
Next, Macs that received the 10.13 upgrade were required to be equipped with at least 2GB of memory (or RAM) and running OS X 10.8 or later. Last year, this is what that managed to cover product-wise:
MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
So, while these required model years rarely change year-over-year with new releases of macOS, if your Mac model is older than the minimum release year, you might have to buy a new Mac to enjoy this next version of the OS. However, wait until these hardware requirements are published before leaping onto a new Mac!
What we want to see in macOS 10.14
Every time Apple releases a new version of macOS is an opportunity for the company to improve on past shortcomings as well as fulfill the wildest computing dreams of its fans. But, mostly, we see Apple simply smooth out proverbial edges and increase quality-of-life in using the OS. With that in mind, here’s what we want to see in macOS 10.14.
iOS apps on Mac The idea of iPhone and iPad apps on macOS has been rumored about and reported on so long that it has grown on us. We’re hyped by the idea of continuing work from our iPhones straight away on our MacBooks – or polishing off that top score upon sitting down at the desk.
However, Apple needs to nail how this is going to happen if the odds of a Mac computer with a touchscreen remain slim to none. Will the mouse or touchpad simply stand in for our digits, or does Apple have something clever in its core? However Apple implements it, we just hope it actually happens.
More active Siri Honestly, Siri on Mac (much less, iPhone) is only about as useful as how often you remember to ask for its assistance – and even then your mileage may vary. So, we’d like to see Siri on Mac begin to act more like, say, Cortana does on Windows 10.
We’ve already given over our permissions to Siri so that it can access our data – whether in Apple’s general end-user license agreement for macOS or when we configured the tool. So, why not leverage that more?
A Siri that makes that meeting reminder for you or directs you to a better deal online without your asking is far more helpful than having to remember it’s there first.
Deeper ecosystem control Frankly, Apple fans should feel more rewarded for the thousands of dollars or pounds it takes to be such a diehard fan. One fine way of doing that is opening macOS up to control and manage other Apple devices under a particular user’s Apple ID.
Imagine being able to see your iPhone’s storage and manage it from your Mac, for instance. Or, on a related note, triggering an App Store download on your iPhone from your Mac – before or after making the space for it from macOS. It’s a small thing, but such a chance would help keep fans feeling rewarded for going all-Apple, as it were.
These are the best Macs we’ve tested within the past year
Now that both Coffee Lake and AMD Ryzen have been out for the while, the hype has finally died down a bit – it’s time to dive into that perennial deathmatch: AMD vs Intel.
Essentially serving as the brain of your PC, the best processors are behind everything your PC does, from simple, basic tasks like launching a web browser or turning your PC on, to more complex and intense tasks like rendering video or playing games. This is why you find the right CPU to actually cater to your own specific needs. You don’t want to pay for features you don’t actually need, just as you don’t want a CPU that can’t perform like you need it to.
If you’ve been following the fevered war between AMD and Intel as closely as we have over the years, you probably already know that AMD and Intel are focused on different parts of the processor market. Intel focuses on higher clock speeds and efficiency while keeping core counts low. However, AMD flips it around by focusing on having as many CPU cores as possible for maximum multi-threading performance.
It shouldn’t surprise you then, that AMD has had a great year in 2017 with its Ryzen processors – especially the high-end Threadripper processors. And, now that the Ryzen 2nd Generation CPUs have been released, it looks like AMD is going to have yet another landmark year in 2018 – especially if AMD keeps putting out CPUs as good as the Ryzen 5 2600X and the Ryzen 7 2700X.
Even in the shadow of the devastating Meltdown and Spectre exploits in Intel’s CPUs, Intel is still enjoying huge growth in every category outside of desktop processors – which just goes to show how much of an impact AMD Ryzen CPUs have had on the market.
Luckily, Intel has released fixes for its CPUs affected by the infamous Spectre and Meltdown exploits, from Broadwell to Coffee Lake, with only Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge still awaiting fixes.
Unfortunately, AMD now has its own exploits to deal with, as Israeli security firm CTS labs has released a white paper to the press detailing vulnerabilities in AMD’s current CPUs. However, AMD has followed this up by promising that it will fix these issues as soon as possible.
However, it isn’t out of the realm of possibilities to say that AMD and Intel can coexist while catering to wholly different audiences, with some room for direct competition in the middle.
But, if you’re not quite sure where your loyalties lie just yet, continue to the next slide for a constantly updated look at the AMD vs Intel battle.
Gary Marshall originally contributed to this article
Price
For bargain shoppers on the prowl for the next hottest deal, it used to be assumed that AMD’s processors were cheaper, but that was only because the Red Team did its best work at the entry level.
Even among mid-range, current-gen chips, Intel is leading the pack by offering 8th-generation Coffee Lake CPUs as low as $117 (about £83, AU$152) for the Core i3-8100T.
Much of this is due to the Advanced Micro Device company’s reluctance to move beyond simply iterating on its antiquated Bulldozer architecture and onto adopting the current-generation ‘Zen’ standard it’s already introduced with pricier CPUs.
Still, on the low end, Intel and AMD processors typically retail at about the same price. It’s once you hit that exorbitant $200 (around £142, AU$252) mark where things get trickier. High-end Intel chips now range from 4 up to 18 cores, while AMD chips can now be found with up to 16 cores.
And, thanks to some recent price cuts you can find the AMD Ryzen 5 2400G and the Ryzen 3 2200G for $160 (around £129, AU$208) and $105 (around £84, AU$135), respectively.
While it was long-rumored that AMD’s Ryzen chips would offer cutting-edge performance at a lower price, benchmarks have demonstrated that Intel is remaining strongly competitive.
If you can get your hands on one, the Core i7-8700K is $359 (about £260, AU$420) MSRP, while the still less-capable Ryzen 7 1800X is priced at $299 (about £215, AU$380) MSRP.
With that in mind, CPU pricing fluctuates constantly. Wait a few months, and you’ll soon discover that the Ryzen 5 1600X you were eyeing has dropped well below market value. However, we wouldn’t blame you if you can’t wait and bought one right now.
Performance
It used to be that if you wanted the best performance, you’d go for Intel, but it’s not so simple anymore.
The Santa Clara chipmaker usually ranks consistently higher in CPU benchmarks, but its Intel’s processors also draw less heat as well, blessing them with lower TDP ratings – and power consumption – across the board.
Much of this is owed to Intel’s implementation of hyper-threading, which has been incorporated in its CPUs since 2002. Hyper-threading keeps existing cores active rather than letting any of them remain unproductive.
Although AMD’s simultaneous multi-threading (SMT) featured in Ryzen is generally similar to hyper-threading, Intel remains on top when it comes to sheer clock speeds. AMD, on the other hand, has been keen on adding more cores to its chips and only recently began boosting stock frequencies.
Unfortunately, software has to be written with this multi-core advantage in mind, which explains why Intel maintains a steady lead in real-world applications.
Luckily, despite AMD’s reputation for overheating processors, the newer Ryzen chips have lower TDP (thermal design point) ratings than the AMD FX CPUs and APUs of the past. As long as you have a decent cooler, you shouldn’t have to fret about your Ryzen-laden PC ever catching fire. However, thanks to the recently-announced Intel T-series desktop CPUs, AMD is in for a bit of competition when it comes to TDP ratings.
This looks to remain the case on the mobile (laptops) front as well, wherein AMD has only recently brought forth its contributions. The flagship Ryzen 7 2700U (quad-core, 2.2GHz – 3.8GHz) will be most compared to the Intel Core i7-8550U (quad-core, 1.8GHz – 4.0GHz) and seems promising based on those numbers alone.
And, now that we’ve had a chance to check out the Ryzen 7 2700X in action, AMD has become far more compelling when it comes to raw performance, and has all but dethroned Intel when it comes to real-world results.
With AMD’s RX Vega GL and GH graphics helping power Intel’s Kaby Lake G-powered laptops and newest generation of NUCs, the AMD vs Intel rivalry is coming to a standstill. At this point in time, we’re seeing the two companies collaborate as we’ve never seen them do before. What’s more, they’re both benefiting from the partnership.
It’s unclear how long the partnership will last, however. Because AMD recently launched its Ryzen 3 2200G and Ryzen 5 2400G APUs, you can now get ‘discrete-class’ graphics from an AMD chip alone, an effort that will inevitably translate to an increased volume of Ryzen-based laptops as well. Meanwhile, Intel has poached two high-profile heads of AMD’s Radeon Graphics team, so it seems inevitable that the company will jump into the discrete graphics world.
Graphics
If you’re building a gaming PC, truthfully you should be using a discrete graphics card, or GPU (graphics processing unit), rather than relying on a CPU’s integrated graphics to run games as demanding as Middle Earth: Shadow of War.
Still, it’s possible to run less graphically intense games on an integrated GPU if your processor has one. In this area, AMD is the clear winner, thanks to the release of the Ryzen 5 2400G that packs powerful discrete Vega graphics that outperforms Intel’s onboard graphic technology by leaps and bounds.
Yet, as we mentioned before, Intel has officially started shipping its high-end H-series mobile CPU chips with AMD graphics on board. In turn, this means that hardier laptops powered by Intel can now be thinner and their accompanying silicon footprints will be over 50% smaller, according to Intel client computing group vice president Christopher Walker.
All of this is accomplished using Embedded Multi-Die Interconnect Bridge (EMIB) technology, along with a newly contrived framework that enables power sharing between Intel’s first-party processors and third-party graphics chips with dedicated graphics memory. Even so, it’s too early to tell whether this is a better solution than the purebred AMD notebooks slated for the end of this year.
Still, if all you’re looking to do is play League of Legends at modest settings or relive your childhood with a hard drive full of emulators (it’s okay, we won’t tell), the latest Intel Kaby Lake, Coffee Lake or AMD A-Series APU processors for desktops will likely fare just as well as any forthcoming portable graphics solution.
On the high end, such as in cases where you’ll be pairing your CPU with a powerful AMD or Nvidia GPU, Intel’s processors are typically better for gaming due to their higher base and boost clock speeds. At the same time, though, AMD provides better CPUs for multi-tasking as a result of their higher core and thread counts.
While there is no clear winner in the graphics department, survey says AMD is the better option for integrated graphics, while hardcore gamers who don’t mind shelling out the extra cash for a GPU will find that Intel is better for gaming alone. Meanwhile, AMD is superior for carrying out numerous tasks at once.
Overclocking
When you buy a new computer or even just a CPU by itself, it’s typically locked at a specific clock speed as indicated on the box. Some processors ship unlocked, allowing for higher clock speeds than recommended by the manufacturer, giving users more control over how they use their components (though, it does require you know how to overclock).
AMD is normally more generous than Intel in this regard. With an AMD system, you can expect overclocking capabilities from even the $129 (about £110, AU$172) Ryzen 3 1300X. Meanwhile, you can only overclock an Intel processor if it’s graced with the “K” series stamp of approval. Then again, the cheapest of these is the $149 (£133, AU$195) Intel Core i3-7350K.
Both companies will void your warranty if you brick your processor as the result of overclocking, though, so it’s important to watch out for that. Excessive amounts of heat can be generated if you’re not careful, thereby neutralizing the CPU as a result. With that in mind, you’ll be missing out on a few hundred stock megahertz if you skip out on one of the K models.
Intel’s more extravagant K-stamped chips are pretty impressive, too. The i7-8700K, for instance, is capable of maintaining a 4.7GHz turbo frequency in comparison to the 4.2GHz boost frequency of the Ryzen 7 1800X. If you’ve access to liquid nitrogen cooling, you may even be able to reach upwards of 6.1GHz using Intel’s monstrous, 18-core i9-7980XE.
Availability and support
In the end, the biggest problem with AMD’s desktop processors is the lack of compatibility with other components. Specifically, motherboard (mobo) and cooler options are limited as a result of the differing sockets between AMD and Intel chips.
While a lot of CPU coolers demand that you special order an AM4 bracket to be used with Ryzen, only a handful of the best motherboards are compatible with the AM4 chipset. In that regard, Intel parts are slightly more commonplace and are often accompanied by lower starting costs, too, as a result of the wide variety of kit to choose from.
That said, AMD’s chips make a little more sense from a hardware design perspective. With an AMD motherboard, rather than having metal connector pins on the CPU socket, you’ll notice those pins are instead on the underside of the CPU itself. In turn, the mobo is less likely to malfunction due to its own faulty pins.
As for availability, four months after the release date of Intel’s 8th-generation processors, both Intel Coffee Lake and AMD Ryzen processors are widely purchasable from major retailers. Whereas there’s a shortage on graphics cards due to the cryptocurrency surge, most CPUs can be found at or below their sticker price.
That includes everything from the Intel Core i7-8700K to the freshly released AMD Ryzen 3 2200G and Ryzen 5 2400G. Even the recently-announced Intel 8th-Generation T-series CPUs should be popping up for pre-order across the internet any minute now. Now we just have to wait for AMD’s Ryzen 2nd-generation CPUs to freshen up the market once more.
While we patiently await the Surface Laptop 2, there are still plenty of amazing laptops for college students to decorate their dorms with. The best laptops for college students are going to be elegantly designed, powerful enough to handle anything in a semester and is is affordable enough for even the most frugal students to justify.
However, as cash can be hard to come by for many students, the best laptops for students won’t be featuring the latest and greatest AMD Ryzen or Coffee Lake CPUs and Vega graphics. Still, much has changed since the days of tiny netbooks with frustrating performance and noisy fans. The best laptops for students in 2018 are slim, powerful and all but silent. There have been plenty of advances recently making laptops a seamless part of your learning experience, rather than distracting you from it.
And, now that Windows 10 allows you to toggle off Windows 10 S and a new Windows 10 Lean mode is on the way even the best laptops for students will be flexible enough to do whatever you need them to do.
These next few years are going to be a hassle for certain, but right tool is worth the expensive if it’ll help you earn that degree. To alleviate some of the frustration, below we’ve listed the best laptops for students that you can buy for yourself or a loved one today. No longer will you have to limit yourself to an old clunker suffering from poor performance and a virtually nonexistent battery life.
What’s the XPS 13 if not the best? For three years in the running, we’ve been unable to answer this question due to Dell’s stunning flagship Ultrabook, well, being the best. Thin, light and ready to rumble once again, the Dell XPS 13 is more powerful than ever, albeit at a higher starting cost than before. Then again, the slight bump in cost means you can expect an 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor at the very least, paired with a gorgeous (and bezel-less) InfinityEdge anti-glare display as well as an Alpine White-woven-into-Rose Gold color option. It’s a bit more expensive than the traditional Platinum Silver version, but it’s worth it for the cred.
The Samsung Notebook 9 is what other 2-in-1 laptops have aspired to be since their conception. It hones in on the S-Pen, Samsung’s own proprietary stylus with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity (the same as Microsoft’s new Surface Pen), a nifty little accessory that conveniently doesn’t require charging. Although the touchscreen display is only 1080p, at between 350 and 450 nits of brightness, you won’t be paying any mind to the pixels, or lack thereof. Plus, the lengthy battery life more than makes up for this hybrids few setbacks.
This product is only available in the US and UK as of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the HP Spectre x360 15.
3. Asus Chromebook Flip
Asus’ premium Chromebook has a modest price
CPU: Intel Core m3 | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 515 | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 12.5-inch, Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) LED backlit anti-glare | Storage: 64GB eMMC + TPM
Elegant tablet mode
Gorgeous, vivid screen
No out-of-box Android app support
Middling speakers
The Asus Chromebook Flip C302 could be seen as an apology for Google’s own missteps with the Chromebook Pixel that preceded it. Rather than costing over a grand for unnecessarily high performance that would put a lot of Windows notebooks to shame, Asus has cut the price in half while adding a 360-degree hinge that effectively makes it a 2-in-1 laptop, but with Android apps from the Google Play Store that only sweeten the deal.Now you can experience a Chromebook whose style rivals that of the MacBook Pro without spending even remotely what you would on one of Apple’s machines.
It should come as no surprise that the Samsung Notebook 9 has a gorgeous display, considering who made it. But, even beyond the screen, this laptop just breathes quality, from its useful fingerprint scanner, insane portability to its bleeding-edge, 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor. Sure, its keyboard is a bit lackluster, and you’ll fill up the storage quickly but even those flaws are serviceable. Finally, thanks to its insane battery life, this is hands down one of the best laptops students can buy in 2018.
As we wait for the Surface Pro 5, the 2017 Surface pro is still the most advanced Windows tablet on the market. Everything from its rounded edges to its refined accessories all but screams that it’s the next generation of the Redmond hardware lineage. There’s also the fact that the Surface Pro draws inspiration from all-in-one PCs in the way it can bend back 165 degrees. The only real compromise here is that only the i7 version of the Surface Pro can give Apple’s cheaper, entry-level iPad Pro a run for its money.
While it might not win any beauty contests, the Acer Aspire e15 does one thing, and it does it well: work. If you need a laptop that you can carry with you between classes and get some work done, without needing to break open the piggy bank, this laptop will go a long way. Rocking one of the new 8th-generation Coffee Lake U-series CPUs, you’ll never have to worry about your laptop holding back your studying. Just don’t expect a chassis you can proudly display in the coffee shop.
CPU: 8th-generation Intel Core i5 | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 13.3-inch full HD (1,920 x 1,080) LED with touch panel | Storage: 256GB SSD
Excellent keyboard
Long battery life
Fuzzy 480p webcam
Stylus not included
It shares a name with one of our past favorites, and though we still adore the Samsung Notebook 7 Spin, we admit that it’s not the same device it once was. Instead, it’s a 13-inch convertible laptop that literally bends over backwards to suit your creative needs. Although you won’t find an included stylus in sight, nor are discrete graphics present in this year’s model, the lengthy battery life and punchy processor nearly makes up for any concessions.
This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Asus ZenBook Flip UX360.
It’s not every day that you see a 15.6-inch Chromebook decked out with a full HD, 1080p touchscreen. However, it’s even less frequent that we get on our hands with a laptop that lasts this long under pressure. Surviving 16 hours and 47 minutes in our signature battery test, the Acer Chromebook 15 prioritizes having an excellent battery life over everything else. Although it’s performance is still satisfactory given its low-power Intel Pentium processor and flexible operating system, its long battery life and outstanding looks separate it from the pack.
This product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Asus Chromebook Flip
Last year, Dell impressed us with its Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming, and the 2018 version is even better. Sure, it still packs the same 7th-generation CPU, but thanks to Nvidia Max-Q technology it features a more powerful GPU while being much thinner and lighter than the previous offering – plus it still maintains the budget price. This makes the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming the cheapest way to play great games, be productive at school and look good while doing it.
The 2017 MacBook Pro doesn’t offer much in the way of distinguishing itself from its predecessor, but it is a testament to just how much you can improve something by simply swapping up internal components and calling it a day. Because it’s finally equipped with the newest generation of Intel Kaby Lake processors and faster-than-ever PCIe 3.0 SSD storage, the MacBook Pro comes easily recommended, undeterred by its reluctance to bring back legacy ports like HDMI and standard USB. This is, through and through, a laptop built for the future.
