It’s been another transformative year for Apple, mainly because the company has launched new Mac products and features to stay ahead of the competition, and as we wrap up in 2022, there’s a lot to be said. look back.
There have been some surprises in macOS operating systemsuch as the Stage Manager and the Weather app, alongside the new focus on games, but products like the rumored app Apple silicon Mac Pro nowhere to be seen.
Although Apple teased us about a new Mac Pro in September by telling us to “wait and see,” it seems those plans have changed; but that doesn’t mean we missed this year, with impressive MacStudio and MacBook Air M2 Whirlpool.
With this in mind, we passed an assessment of what the Mac line has to offer in 2022 in terms of software and hardware, and what we want to see from the platform in 2023, besides, according to True Apple style, one more thing…
Software: 7/10
2022 starts with macOS 12 Monterey is the latest release for many Macs and ends with the release of macOS Ventura, a small but welcome update that has brought Stage managerBetter Spotlight and redesigned Weather app from iPad and iPhone.
Since the transition to Apple silicon was announced in 2020, we’ve seen more and more new features exclusive to the Mac M1 and later, while macOS Ventura has received features from iOS, such as the Weather app and Stage Manager from iPadOS 16.
However, there was a glaring omission of redesigned widgets on Mac versus iPhone; these could bring a whole new level of functionality to macOS, but for now they’re still limited to a sidebar that pops out when you swipe from right to left on your Mac’s trackpad.
However, giving a rating for software on the Mac, based solely on Apple’s efforts, would be a disadvantage, as third-party developers have created some great apps that take advantage of these capabilities. New features and features have been available on the Mac in recent years. Apps like lively can extend the brightness of the XDR display on Studio monitor or the latest MacBook Pro, while Concentrated work can help you stay, well, focused on the task at hand.
Even others from the developer community, such as porting games like 1999 Unreal Tournament for Apple silicon Macs (opens in a new tab)has expanded on how you can play games on your Mac, but it looks like Apple has finally made some commitment beyond what’s available for games in the App Store.
In general, both Apple and third-party application developers use Apple’s silicon and run with it; the question now is whether we start to see new cross-platform features appear on the platform at the same time as features on iOS or iPadOS. It took two years for the redesigned Weather app to migrate from iOS to Mac – watch that time lag drop dramatically for subsequent redesigned widgets.
Hardware: 9/10
When it comes to new Macs and Apple silicon, Apple has continued the long run at home that it started in 2020 with MacBook Air M1. Thought we’d have Apple’s own ARM chip, much-improved keyboard, and Retina display in the MacBook Air in 2018 would be unbelievable, but the M2 MacBook Air is a joy to use; Unfortunately we don’t have the same color range to choose from that Apple offers for 2021 iMac M1.
However, as we mentioned, the Apple silicon Mac Pro didn’t show up, even though Apple introduced it in an unusual way during its September keynote. Like Mark Gurman recent reportThe powerful Mac has been delayed and now we could see it with the unannounced M2 chip in the first half of 2023.
This means Apple will miss the two-year deadline to move all of its Macs to Apple silicon, but does that matter? Of course not. Mac Studio does a great job of filling in the gaps of Mac Pro and even MacBook Pro with M1 Pro beat the recently discontinued iMac Pro in performance if you need more power.
General M2Apple’s second-generation silicon chip still impresses with its power, despite the fact that, confusingly, we’ve seen it in a previous generation of MacBook Pro. It looks like Apple is just getting started here, and in 2023, the M2 Pro, M2 Max, and M2 Ultra could make a bigger impression than their M1 predecessors.
Could the serious game finally launch on macOS?
I wanted to highlight the game, as it looks like Apple has put in a more concerted effort this year rather than just introducing its latest lineup in apple video game. In WWDC 2022 it was announced that Devil’s Villageeighth installment in the series, coming to Mac, along with There is no human skywill also appear on the iPad, of course.
It’s true that you can currently play Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Bioshock 2 by purchasing them from the Mac App Store, as you’ve been able to do since they launched in 2017, but checking out recent games on Macs like this are encouraging.
It looks like we’ll finally see more games coming to the Mac than just a port of Angry Birds. As our computer writer Allisa James written in Octoberplaying Resident Evil Village on a 16-inch MacBook Pro M1 (2020), the frame rate will increase from 100 fps when running at normal settings to over 200 fps with Apple’s MetalFX Upscaling technology enabled .
While it’s a pity Valve’s Steam storefront isn’t available on Apple’s silicon Macs, Valve has been busy making it. steam floor The handheld works with many games that are not currently compatible with it, such as Halo: The Master Chief Collection. This is why there is a great opportunity here for Apple to partner with other gaming companies.
See the game like Street Fighter 6, destiny 2and Final Fantasy VII Reincarnation Coming to the Mac would be a great next step for the platform and would further convince users that Apple is really serious about bringing these types of games to the Mac.
Before Apple announced Resident Evil Village and No Man’s Sky for Mac in June, I thought it was a case if this were to happen; Now, however, it feels like a case when games like Street Fighter 6 will come out, and now I’m sure the teams inside Apple feel the same way.
