On December 11, 2024, Apple released a significant update to its newest Macintosh operating system, macOS 15 Sequoia. This release—macOS 15.2—marks the second phase of the heavily hyped Apple Intelligence features in beta form. AI features available in macOS 15.2 include multiple integrations with OpenAI's ChatGPT and Image Playground.
Last week, Apple significantly updated three macOS hardware lines, and modified the base configurations for a fourth. Taken together, these four hardware lines account for over 95% of macOS hardware purchased by University constituents.
iMac now satisfies a full range of mainstream desktop needs
The most significant change for Apple's iMac all-in-one is the upgrade from the M3 processor to the M4 processor. In particular, RAM can now be specified to 32 GB.
On October 28, 2024, Apple released a significant update to its newest Macintosh operating system, macOS 15 Sequoia. This release—macOS 15.1—marks the first appearance of the heavily hyped Apple Intelligence features in beta form.
On September 16, 2024, Apple released its newest version of the Macintosh operating system, macOS 15 Sequoia. This release includes a series of upgrades to macOS, including a new Password app, Continuity improvements, and enhancements to Messages and Safari. This initial release of Sequoia (15.0.x) does not include the heavily hyped Apple Intelligence features—many of those will be available in beta form with macOS 15.1 in late October 2024.
Today, October 1, 2024, Microsoft formally released Windows 11 2024 Update (also designated as 24H2), which is the third significant upgrade to Windows 11 for Intel and AMD processors. This release includes a series of refinements to the Windows 11 interface, along with support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth LE.
Today, September 16, 2024, Apple released its newest version of the Macintosh operating system, macOS 15 Sequoia. This release includes a series of upgrades to macOS, including a new Password app, Continuity improvements, and enhancements to Messages and Safari. This initial release does not include the heavily hyped Apple Intelligence features—those will likely ship with macOS 15.1 sometime in October 2024.
Today, Tuesday, June 18, 2024, the first notebooks with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus ARM processors became orderable, including systems from Dell, Lenovo, and Microsoft. Specific examples of these first-generation systems are the Dell Latitude 7455, the Lenovo ThinkPad 14s Gen 6, and the Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition; many more will follow over the next year.
Following Apple's hardware announcements at WWDC 2023 on June 5, 2023, the FY2024 Desktop Computing Recommendations for Penn have been updated with pricing frozen and processor updates for macOS systems. Some details:
On October 24, 2022, Apple released its newest version of the Macintosh operating system, macOS 13 Ventura. This release includes a series of refinements to the macOS interface, an upgraded Mail app, and the replacement of System Preferences with System Settings. The initial version of Ventura also shipped with a substantial defect related to full disk access that seriously affected the functionality of various security-related software such as CrowdStrike, along with some other utility applications.
Apple's recently introduced M2 MacBook Air is a lightweight notebook that uses Apple's M2 processors. It supplements the previous generation M1 MacBook Air, which remains in production.
This revised system looks different than the previous MacBook Air systems, and it is—the first new case design in five years. The most distinctive new feature is a camera notch in the display, which allows a thinner bezel. Also notable is the return of the MagSafe 3 connector. Finally, the M2 processor allows a maximum of 24 MB RAM—50% more than the M1's maximum.