2019

IPad Air 4 (2020) vs iPad Air 3 (2019)

08/01/2021 by ALOK DAS

[ad_1]

Despite the fact that the tablet market is going through hard times – most manufacturers are faced with an evolutionary dead end, Apple continues to confidently make its way. At the beginning of autumn 2020, the next Apple products were presented at the presentation, including the new iPad.

♥ BY TOPIC: How to automatically change wallpaper on iPhone or iPad based on time, place, etc.

Apple showed the low-cost iPad, already in its eighth generation, as well as the mid-budget iPad Air, 4th generation. And if with the first model it is more or less clear – the emphasis is on the minimum cost of entering the ecosystem, the iPad Air 4 turned out to be a rather interesting tablet. The model has clearly evolved, which makes even owners of the not outdated iPad Air 3 consider switching to it. Let’s consider the difference between tablets in more detail.

♥ BY TOPIC: ProRAW in the iPhone 12 Pro camera: what it is, how to enable it, use it + sample photos.

IPad Air 4 and iPad Air 3 design

Almost the main and certainly the most noticeable change in the iPad Air 4 is the new design. The predecessor had classic features – with large frames and a Home button with a Touch ID scanner, as well as smoothed side edges. This format is a slightly improved form of the early iPad models.

IPad Air 3 (2019) design

But the iPad Air 4 is already looking to the future. Outwardly, this tablet resembles the top-end iPad Pro, whose shapes correspond to the design of the iPhone 12. The front side has thin frames around the screen. They can only be black in the 2020 model, while the predecessor also had a white version. The side edges of the iPad Air 4 are much more pronounced, the shape is no longer rounded, but a chopped “square”.

IPad Air 4 (2020) design

In addition to the differences in appearance, the new iPad Air 4 also received additional colors. This time the material used, aluminum, can still be green and blue by anodizing. These options are added to the silver, pink, and dark gray used in the iPad Air 3.

IPad Air 3 colors (2019)

IPad Air 4 Colors (2020)

Dimensions and weight:

iPad Air 3: 250.6 x 174.1 x 6.1mm, 456g (464g with cellular)

iPad Air 4: 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1mm, 458g (460g with cellular)

The design change also led to a change in the dimensions of the tablet. The new model turned out to be slightly lower than its predecessor, but at the same time a little wider. But the thickness remains the same. Changes in weight are also not so obvious as to be emphasized. As a result, we can say that the tablet will feel the same in the hand. If you were satisfied with the convenience of working with iPad 3, then its successor will not cause discomfort. But the improved design allowed to increase the screen size.

The camera module in Pad Air 4 now protrudes 2.1mm from the body – the improved solution requires more physical space. However, this is how the camera sticks out both on the latest iPhones and on the current Android flagships.

Both tablets received a stereo system, but while the iPad Air 3 has a speaker grill at the bottom, then the 2020 model also has grills on the top. It may even seem that this model has four speakers. Covering one grate with your palm, the sound cannot be extinguished. Nevertheless, both tablets sound quite loud and high quality.

♥ BY TOPIC: How to add a voice alert when iPhone or iPad is charging.

IPad Air 4 and iPad Air 3 screen

The main element of any modern mobile device is the display. Users look at it first of all, engineers form the design for it and combine structural elements. A clear change in the display of the iPad Air 4 is the abandonment of the right angles of the predecessor in favor of rounded ones. Changes in the design allowed, albeit slightly, but to increase the screen size while actually the same size.

iPad Air 3: diagonal 10.5 inches, resolution 2224 × 1668 pixels, density 264 PPI.

iPad Air 4: diagonal 10.9 inches, resolution 2360 × 1640 pixels, density 264 PPI.

An increase in the diagonal is accompanied by a slight increase in resolution, which allows you to maintain the same PPI value.

IPad Air 4 (2020) display is 10.9 inches

The classic 4: 3 aspect ratio of the iPad Air 4 has changed a bit as a result of slightly stretching the screen vertically (and again, thanks for the new design of the device).

Brightness level is an important parameter for mobile devices. Both models boast a high standard value of 500 cd / m². It has already become the de facto standard for many Apple devices, including laptops. With such brightness, it is quite comfortable to work with the device outdoors, it is enough for an ordinary user. The low reflectivity of the screen also helps – only about 1.8%.

IPad Air 3 (2019) 10.5-inch display

Both tablets feature an oleophobic anti-fingerprint coating, anti-reflective coating, True Tone white balance and wide P3 color gamut. But despite its similar appearance to the iPad Pro, the iPad Air 4 has not yet acquired the significant ProMotion feature, which allows you to increase the display frequency of the picture to 120 Hz. Still, Apple decided to clearly delineate the segments of its tablets, bringing them together, but not mixing them up.

♥ BY TOPIC: How to teach iPhone to automatically turn on Power Saving Mode.

IPad Air 4 and iPad Air 3 performance

iPad Air 4 received the Apple A14 Bionic chipset, which is also equipped with smartphones of the iPhone 12 line. And this again makes us remember that this model is approaching the flagship. The iPad Air 3, on the other hand, is based on the still fast, but not so fast A12 Bionic of the iPhone XS.

The new six-core processor is made using 5-nanometer technology and accelerates up to 2.99 GHz, according to synthetic tests it outperforms the six-core A12 processor sometimes by 40%. The increase in graphics performance is 30%. In real life, the iPad Air 3, presented in 2018, will be enough for most tasks, the difference will be visible only in very heavy applications.

iPad Air 4 (2020)

iPad Air 4 received an impressive 4GB of RAM, while its predecessor had 3GB. This is not to say that the iPad Air 3 experienced problems with its lack, but it will not be superfluous in the future.

This is not to say that the iPad Air 3 is outdated and slow. But the novelty was even faster. Moreover, the use of the new chipset promises longer support for future iOS versions from Apple. Choosing one device from these two – it is worth choosing a newer one, which has a large margin of performance, and will get a long life in the ecosystem.

♥ BY TOPIC: How to hide unnecessary pages with applications from the home screen on iPhone and iPad.

Cameras for iPad Air 4 and iPad Air 3

Traditionally, cameras in a tablet are a nice addition, but not a working tool at all. Nevertheless, Apple does not neglect this feature, developing and improving. Moreover, today it is not the technical characteristics of the modules that come to the fore, but the possibilities of software processing of images. For example, take a look at the 2020 iPhone SE 2, which seemingly received the iPhone 8 camera, but with the help of a new processor managed to take its quality to the next level.

Main camera specifications:

iPad Air 3: 8MP wide-angle, ƒ / 2.4 aperture

iPad Air 4: 12MP wide-angle, ƒ / 1.8 aperture

The new model has a higher resolution module with an improved aperture. Combined with an advanced processor, this promises a noticeable leap forward in photo quality. Now iPad Air will be able to shoot in most scenarios, albeit not at the level of the current flagship smartphones, but at least at the level of last year. Both tablets have Live Photos, but the iPad Air 4 also has image stabilization.

Camera iPad Air 4 (2020)

The cameras of the models have a lot in common: hybrid IR cut filter, touch focusing, autofocus, exposure control, continuous shooting. But at some points, the advantage of the iPad Air 4 is clear: there is Focus Pixels technology, Smart HDR is used against Auto-HDR in its predecessor. And if the iPad Air 3 shoots panoramas with a resolution of up to 43 megapixels, then the 2020 model does them already in a resolution of up to 63 megapixels. But the flash did not appear in it, this opportunity remained the lot of the flagship iPad Pro. So in total darkness, the benefits of iPad Air 4 are almost negated.

The updated sensor and processor have impacted the video capture capabilities. If the iPad Air 3 shot 1080p HD video at 30 frames / s, then the iPad Air 4 already shoots 4K at 24/30 and even 60 frames / s. Slow motion video has also been improved – from 720p at 120fps to 1080P at 120 or 240fps.

Camera iPad Air 3 (2019)

The iPad Air 4 has learned to implement cinematic video stabilization instead of the usual one, tracking autofocus works, while the predecessor had to set focus with a touch of a finger on the screen. Other functions remained unchanged: “Timelapse” mode with stabilization, 3x zoom during shooting, linking video to the shooting location.

The front camera has received a minimum of changes. It’s still the same 7MP FaceTime HD module. The camera has a wide color range for photos and Live Photos, can shoot 1080p HD video, take burst shots and FaceTime video calls. But the iPad Air 4 uses Smart HDR technology to capture photos and videos, while its predecessor used Auto HDR. These changes are not determined by changes in the module, but by the new processor.

♥ BY TOPIC: Tap iPhone Cover – Take a screenshot: How to bind actions to tap on the back of an iPhone.

Biometric Security in iPad Air 4 and iPad Air 3

Apple has traditionally paid increased attention to the security of devices. However, the iPad Air 4, even though it received a design similar to the iPad Pro models, did not find such a convenient Face ID scanner. The Touch ID sensor is still responsible for accessing the device and confirming a number of actions. But with the abandonment of the “Home” button, the sensor is now located on the upper edge of the device, on the side, in the power button. Now, to unlock the device, you will have to take it in a special way.

Touch ID in iPad Air 4 (2020)

The solution is not the most convenient, but such is the trade-off price for thin bezels around the screen. It’s good that the sensor works really very quickly, and the sapphire coating of the button makes the touch pleasant. Changing Touch ID’s location did not degrade its performance.

Touch ID in iPad Air 3 (2019)

The iPad Air 4 was the first Apple product to move the sensor to the power button.

♥ BY TOPIC: IPhone Live Photos Editing: How to Apply Effects, Remove Audio and Crop.

Connectivity, ports and accessories for iPad Air 4 and iPad Air 3

An important update for iPad Air 4 is abandoning the Lightning portused in Apple products for many years. To replace it, the 2020 model received a much more versatile, convenient and modern USB-C.

USB-C in iPad Air 4 (2020)

Moreover, the appearance of this port gives more reason to consider the iPad Air 4 as an alternative to a laptop, the same Mac. Through this interface, you can connect flash drives, cameras and numerous gadgets. Against this background, the Lightning port in iPad Air 3 looks like an anachronism.

iPad Air 4 has an updated Smart Connector on its back. This connector allows you to connect the same keyboard covers to your tablet as iPad Pro: Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio. But iPad Air 3 only supports Smart Keyboard. Of course, these keyboards cannot fully compare with the keyboards of laptops or desktop computers, but they can significantly expand the capabilities of tablets.

iPad Air 4 (2020)

Both models are capable of working with the Apple Pencil, but the iPad Air 4 supports the second generation of this accessory. With it, the input has become more accurate.

And if on the iPad Air 3 the stylus is charged through the Lightning connector, then in the iPad Air 4 the stylus can be magnetically attached to the tablet case for similar purposes.

It is worth noting that the iPad Air 4 refused to use the 3.5 mm audio jack, while the iPad Air 3 still had it. Apple subtly encourages users to switch to wireless solutions. Unfortunately, there is no USB-C / 3.5mm adapter included with the new iPad.

Location of interfaces and buttons on the iPad Air 4 (2020)

iPad Air 4 has the ability to work with Wi-Fi 6 in dual bands (2.4 and 5 GHz) at speeds up to 1.2 Gbps and supports Bluetooth 5.0, while its predecessor works in dual bands, but on the Wi-Fi standard 5. The Bluetooth class is declared the same. Both devices work with gigabit LTE, the 2020 model supports several bands more than its predecessor.

♥ BY TOPIC: Fast charging for iPhone: which models are supported and which charger should you buy.

Battery and autonomy iPad Air 4 and iPad Air 3

According to the data indicated on the official Apple website, you can see that the autonomy of the two models is the same – up to 10 hours of work on the Internet via Wi-Fi or watching videos, and up to 9 hours of work when connected to mobile Internet networks. In practice, the battery capacity of the iPad Air 4 is slightly smaller, but the improved processor technology even slightly increased the device’s autonomy in some operating scenarios. The difference manifests itself best of all under maximum tablet load at maximum screen brightness – iPad Air 4 is able to work in such conditions one and a half times longer!

In addition, it should be noted that the iPad Air 4 is equipped with a more powerful 18W power adapter, while the iPad Air 3 box has a 12W charger.

♥ BY TOPIC: Which iPhone holds the battery better? Comparison of the battery life of all current iPhones.

Detailed comparison of technical characteristics (specifications) iPad Air 4 and iPad Air 3

IPad Air 4 and iPad Air 3 price

Both models received two storage options: 64 and 256 GB. Most often, users will choose the second option, but for professionals it will not be enough. This limitation again works for segmentation of models – iPad Pro offers storage up to 1 TB.

Prices for iPad Air 4:

Buy iPad Air 4 (2020) 64 GB Wi-Fi: 52,900 rubles.

Buy iPad Air 4 (2020) 256 GB Wi-Fi: 65,500 rubles.

Buy iPad Air 4 (2020) 64 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular: 67,000 rubles.

Buy iPad Air 4 (2020) 256 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular: 78,800 rubles.

In October 2020, the iPad Air 4 officially went on sale, thereby removing its predecessor from retail. However, stocks of iPad Air 3 will be sold out for some time. And it is this cheaper option that may seem attractive to someone.

Prices for iPad Air 3:

Buy iPad Air 3 (2019) 64 GB Wi-Fi: 40,500 rubles.

Buy iPad Air 3 (2019) 256 GB Wi-Fi: 54,100 rubles.

Buy iPad Air 3 (2019) 64 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular: 46,900 rubles.

Buy iPad Air 3 (2019) 256 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular: 59,900 rubles.

♥ BY TOPIC: Weak Wi-Fi protection in iPhone: what does it mean and how to fix it?

Conclusion

iPad Air 4 proved to be a significant step forward. This model has become much better than its predecessor – faster, with a better screen and camera, support for additional accessories. The advantage of the iPad Air 3 is the Touch ID sensor located in the usual place, and the low price. But both gadgets seem to be worthy solutions at the moment. With the iPad Air 4, you can get a little more of the truly flagship options.

How much random access memory (RAM) do you need for a computer, tablet or laptop in 2019

18/10/2020 by ALOK DAS

[ad_1]

Random Access Memory, also known as RAM or simply “RAM”, is one of the key parameters affecting the performance of any computer. But how much is it really needed?

♥ BY TOPIC: How to install Apple TV screensavers on Windows and Mac.

In order to answer this question, we first define two factors: what we want to do on this device and how much we are willing to spend on it.

Of course, the amount of RAM is very important for smartphones (to a lesser extent for the Apple iPhone, but this factor cannot be completely ignored), but in this guide we will talk about powerful computer systems running the three most popular operating systems – Windows, macOS and Chrome. OS.

In a nutshell:

2 GB – such a modest amount of memory has long been found only in budget tablets. On a laptop or desktop computer, of course, you need more.
4 GB – the minimum sufficient volume, the basic option for machines running Windows and Chrome OS.
8 GB Is a good option for Windows and macOS. Sufficient for (almost all) games. 8 gigabytes of “RAM” will be enough for the vast majority of users.
16 GB and 32 GB – ideal for professional work and more demanding games.
64 GB and more – exclusively for enthusiasts and specialized workstations.

But do not forget – RAM is not a key component for performance, so buying 32 GB of RAM and hope is pointless, because you will not get ideal performance. The SSD, the processor, and the video card also matter.

♥ BY TOPIC: How to speed up Windows 10, 8 or 7 by disabling unnecessary operating system services.

What is RAM

It is often confused with a storage device – permanent storage on a disk – HDD (mechanical hard disk drive) and SSD (solid state drive). Interestingly, sometimes even manufacturers mix them “in one cocktail”.

To avoid confusing RAM with persistent memory, use the analogy with a table. RAM is like a tabletop. The longer it is, the more papers and other things you can put on it (tabletop) and, accordingly, have on hand. And a hard drive is like a drawer under a desk that stores papers that you don’t need at the moment, but will sooner or later need.

The more RAM your system has, the more programs it can run and run on them at the same time. Of course, this indicator is not determined by the size of the “RAM” alone – after all, many programs need a very small amount of such memory to work. Another thing is that if you do this constantly, the system will slowly but surely begin to slow down.

Why? Let’s go back to the table analogy. If it is too small, it will quickly accumulate “deposits” of paper, which, in turn, will slow down your work – because you have to constantly look for something.

Yes, a lot of RAM is good. But why do you need a large desk if you only work with a few papers? So our task is to understand how much RAM (read: space on the table) we really need to solve problems.

And yes – RAM should not be confused with graphics memory (video card memory) either. Top 3D games use video memory (VRAM), which is often referred to as “GDDR5”, while “RAM” is referred to as RAM (“ram”) or DDR3 / DDR4.

♥ BY TOPIC: Google Chrome Secrets for Windows and Mac: 15 Features You May Not Know About

What does RAM look like?

The operating system for desktops and laptops is in most cases a small printed circuit board that houses the memory chips.

In smartphones and tablets, RAM is a small chip on the device’s motherboard. For example, in recent generations of iPhones and iPads, the RAM is under the processor.

Below is a photo of the motherboard of an iPhone 11 Pro Max with an A13 processor (highlighted in red) with 4GB Hynix LPDDR4X RAM embedded under it.

♥ BY TOPIC: How to download a video from VK (VKontakte) to an iPhone or iPad and watch without the Internet.

Which applications require the most RAM?

These are primarily operating systems and browsers, games and some programs for professional work with media content. Concrete example: the more memory you have, the more tabs you can open in your favorite browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, etc.). In addition, you should be aware that there are websites that “devour” RAM resources as quickly as possible. A news article doesn’t need a lot of RAM, but pages like Gmail do it.

It has been obvious for many years that programs tend to take more and more RAM over time. A messenger or a simple toy like Minesweeper for RAM is undemanding – which can not be said about giant Excel spreadsheets, a large Photoshop project or a modern blockbuster game with incredible graphics. Professional programs and engineering software are created in order to serve the most complex projects – and without any regrets they are ready to “eat” at least all the RAM on the computer in order to solve the assigned tasks.

♥ BY TOPIC: Cheap iPhones are what models and where to buy them.

How much RAM do tablets need?

Tablet PCs were not built to handle demanding applications. Accordingly, they need no more “RAM” to work than the same smartphones. Another thing is that today tablet manufacturers really want to turn them into devices for work. And if you need such a gadget, then RAM for it should be chosen in the same way as for a laptop.

For example, the latest iPads have only 3 GB and 4 GB (in Pro versions) of “RAM” – but by and large they only need a beautiful screen and work in the browser, plus a “tenacious” battery. But the hybrid laptop and tablet Microsoft Surface Book 2, even in the basic configuration, gets 16 GB of RAM – and it is able to perform tasks corresponding to such a volume of “RAM”.

3 GB is the normal amount of RAM on a tablet for simple tasks like surfing the web and watching videos. But if you are using a tablet as your primary device, it makes sense to start with at least 4 GB of RAM.

♥ BY TOPIC: Can I charge my iPhone or iPad with a MacBook Pro (30 or 61 W).

How much RAM do laptops need?

By default, budget laptops are equipped with 4 GB of RAM, most users choose 8 GB, and only top solutions come with 16 GB of “RAM”. As mentioned above, the more RAM a laptop has, the better.

In the case of a Chromebook, which runs primarily through the cloud and has a minimal storage capacity, 4GB of RAM is sufficient.

For Windows and macOS, the operating requirements are more stringent – today it makes no sense to take a computer with less than 8 GB of RAM. Well, if you seriously work with video or photo, or plan to play “heavy” games – definitely choose a PC or Mac with 16 GB of RAM, saving in this case will not be the best solution, because the lack of memory will slow down your work significantly.

♥ BY TOPIC: Which iPhone holds the battery better? Comparison of the battery life of all current iPhones.

How much RAM does a desktop computer (desktop) need?

Here the layout is the same as on laptops. For a “basic” scenario like web browsing, office applications and most games, 8 gigabytes of RAM is enough. For anything “more complicated” – 16 or 32 GB. If right now it is difficult to decide on the tasks and scenarios of use, take 8 GB, and if necessary, one more bar with “RAM” can be purchased and installed later.

All the differences between MacBook Air 2020 and MacBook Air 2019

08/04/2020 by ALOK DAS

[ad_1]

Together with the iPad Pro 2020 without separate presentations, Apple also introduced the new MacBook Air. Not so long ago, I got a brand new MacBook Air 2019, so for me this event was especially significant.
Many noted that the novelty uses a fresh keyboard with a scissor mechanism. However, for me this is more a minus than a plus. About this and other differences further.
Display

In short, the MacBook Air 2020 has exactly the same screen that was used in last year’s model. There are both positive and negative aspects to this fact.
On the one hand, since 2018, Apple has been installing amazing Retina screens with a resolution of 2560 × 1600 pixels on the MacBook Air. They are many times superior to TN-matrices, which “air” laptops were equipped with before, not only in the clarity of the picture, but also in the viewing angles.
The display of the new product works with the color gamut of Full sRGB and supports True Tone technology, which adjusts the temperature of the screen to the environment. At home, he becomes as warm as possible.

On the other hand, the screen of both last year and the new MacBook Air is not bright enough for comfortable work. Its brightness reaches only 400 cd / m², which today is not enough even for indoor use.
Interestingly, comfortable 500 cd / m² are used not only in the MacBook Pro, but also in the current iPad Air. But the new iPad Pro, whose screens Apple generally considers the best, boasts a brightness of 600 cd / m². It is difficult to say that this is enough for a bright sunny day on the street, but this is not 400 cd / m².
Design and dimensions

The new MacBook Air is expected to get bigger. The blame for the new keyboard, which replaced a more convenient, but less reliable “butterfly”. It has a bulky mechanism, so the gadget had to be made thicker.
The thickest place on the MacBook Air is in the hinge area. Last year’s model, the thickness of the laptop here is 1.56 cm, but for the new product it reaches 1.61 cm. The difference in half a millimeter is unlikely to be really critical, but it does have a place.
Most likely, it is for the same reason that the weight of the gadget has increased. Previously, it was 1.25 kg, but now it reaches 1.29 kg. Again, 40 g, but they can also be felt.

But the length and width remained unchanged: 30.41 cm and 21.24 cm. Even taking into account a small increase in size, the new laptop should fit in envelope cases created for the old one.
Interestingly, after the release of the new MacBook Air, its weight difference with the 13-inch MacBook Pro looks even less noticeable: 1.29 kg in the first versus 1.37 kg in the second. Already today, with a high degree of probability, it can be argued that the next “Proshka” will definitely become larger.
Specifications

Last year’s MacBook Air used a dual-core Intel Core i5-8210Y processor. It copes with office tasks, but this is the eighth generation of Intel chips, which in 2020 can be considered obsolete.
Instead, the new products use the tenth generation of Intel chips, and there are enough processors for every taste: dual-core i3, as well as quad-core i5 and i7. By the way, the RAM in the MacBook Air can be either 8 or 16 GB.
The real performance of all this will still need to be tested, but, to be honest, I strongly doubt that it will grow much.

Apple abandoned the 128 GB drive. In 2020, this amount of permanent memory is already really too small even for ordinary use, therefore, this state of affairs is logical.
Moreover, the maximum storage capacity was previously limited to around 1 TB, but now, if you really want to, you can choose the option with 2 TB of ROM.
Keyboard

MacBook Air 2018 and 2019 use a third-generation butterfly keyboard. It differs from the previous ones by the presence of a special rubber gasket, which prevents dirt and dust from entering the mechanism, and also makes typing more quiet.
After the release of the first generation of “butterfly” in 2015, she received a mountain of negative reviews in her direction. The keys stuck and stopped working, that’s why they scolded her the most.
Nevertheless, after the emergence of the actual “butterfly” in 2018, it was possible to say with confidence that all the problems with it were exhausted. It works completely flawlessly.

But Apple decided to play it safe and replaced the more comfortable and technologically advanced keyboard with the most reliable scissor mechanism. After testing it in the 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2019, it seemed to me that the new “scissors” buttons were slightly different from those used in the 2015 MacBook Pro and earlier.
After the “butterfly” the “scissors” have too high a stroke. On the keyboard, which uses this mechanism, it turns out not so quickly to type large texts. But if it performs better in the long run, Apple did the right thing.
Sound

Updated MacBook Air supports playback of Dolby Atmos content. This is the surround sound format used in films: it creates the effect of being inside a particular scene.
The 2019 MacBook Air did a great job playing through its built-in speakers. If the sound really got even better, it can be considered a real victory.
However, to really hear Dolby Atmos, it’s better to still use a set of speakers scattered around the room. They are better connected to the TV, and it to the Apple TV. ITunes has more than enough content to support this sound.

The new MacBook Air uses an advanced system of three directional microphones. Many naively believe that this is exactly the same kit that is used in the 16-inch MacBook Pro 2019. This is not entirely true.
In the actual “Proshka” there really are as many microphones, but they are of a different quality, therefore they guarantee a sound close to the studio one. The new “Air” in this regard is simpler, but better than it was.
conclusions

By and large, the new MacBook Air really attracts the most attention with a scissor keyboard. Having heard horror stories about the “butterfly”, many waited for it for a very long time.
However, you should also pay attention to the increase in the maximum amount of internal memory, as well as the new Intel processors of the 10th generation.
For the new MacBook Air with in the basic configuration with a 256 GB drive, they will ask 89,990 pyb. Previously, for a model with the same drive, 109,990 rubles had to be paid.

Comparison of MacBook Air 2020 and MacBook Air 2019: cool keyboard, more memory, etc.

23/03/2020 by ALOK DAS

[ad_1]

At the beginning of 2020, it became clear that major IT presentations in the first half of the year should not be expected. Apple simply introduced a number of new products on its website, in addition to the iPad Pro 2020, of course, the updated MacBook Air aroused interest.

This event cannot be missed, yet the new generation of the “air” laptop turned out to be not just cosmetic. Immediately striking is the return to the previous type of keyboard, with a scissor mechanism (finally) and twice the volume of the drive in the basic version. And what else?

♥ BY TOPIC: Mac for Dummies: 30 helpful macOS tips for beginners.

What is the difference between the MacBook Air 2020 and the 2019 MacBook Air

Screen

It is the screen of the device that is almost the main element that the user pays attention to when choosing.

The 2020 MacBook Air left exactly the same display as its predecessor.

You can find both pros and cons in this. One can only praise the Retina display with a resolution of 2,560 × 1,600 pixels presented on the laptop. This is clearly better than the TN-matrix installed in the first Air models. The difference is visible not only in clarity, but also in viewing angles. The display supports Full sRGB color gamut, and True Tone technology helps to adjust the color temperature to the lighting conditions. When working in a home or office, the picture will look as warm as possible.

Speaking about the disadvantages, it is worth mentioning, first of all, the brightness of the screen. She was missing from the 2019 model, and in the new model this parameter did not change. The brightness parameters are 400 cd / m², even when working in a room there is a desire to add it. The MacBook Pro and iPad Air have higher cd / m2 – 500 cd / m², which is already quite a comfortable level. The new iPad Pros, whose screens the manufacturer himself calls the best on the market, received a brightness of 600 cd / m². Yes, the picture will fade in bright direct sunlight, but it will be clearly visible better than on a MacBook Air.

♥ BY TOPIC: How to automatically switch the language (layout) on the keyboard in macOS or Windows.

Dimensions

MacBook Air has always been famous for its compact size, especially its thickness. Why was the new model more than its predecessor? This should not be surprising, because the reason for this is a return to the old keyboard design. Nevertheless, the “butterfly”, even if it was comfortable, was noticeably inferior in reliability to the “scissors”. This measure, designed to reduce the number of complaints of mechanical damage, affected the thickness of the device.

The thickest laptop seat is traditionally located near the hinge. If the model of 2019 in this place had a thickness of 15.6 mm, then the novelty is already 16.1 mm.

But hardly anyone will notice the difference in half a millimeter by eye – it is certainly not critical, although the fact itself is worth noting. Changes in the design of the keyboard could affect the weight of the device, from 1.25 kg it grew to 1.29 kg. 40 grams is a minor change, obviously few will feel it.

Geometric dimensions – length and width, remained the same – 30.41 cm and 21.24 cm.

I would like to believe that a slight change in height will not prevent the 2020 model from being placed in envelope covers suitable for its predecessor. It is worth noting that the new MacBook Air with a weight of 1.29 kg has become even closer in this parameter to the 13-inch MacBook Pro with a weight of 1.37 kg. This gives a good reason to assume that the new Pro model will become larger, both in size and weight. It is no coincidence that analysts predict the release of a 14-inch “firmware” with a scissor keyboard mechanism in 2020.

♥ BY TOPIC: Key Features ⌥Option (Alt) on Mac (macOS), 20 chips you might not know about.

Performance, memory, interfaces and storage

The 2019 MacBook Air is based on the Intel Core i5-8210Y dual-core processor. For office tasks, such a stripped-down and energy-efficient version of the eighth-generation processor was a good fit, but today it can already be considered obsolete.

2020 MacBook Air received the tenth generation of Intel processors, with an index of NG. Expect a noticeable increase in performance. Options with a dual-core i3 and quad-core i5 and i7 will enter the market. The number of control threads is twice the number of cores. The integrated graphics of the 11th generation Intel Iris Plus replaced the Intel UHD 617, which in some unobvious scenarios will achieve 80% speed increase. The 2020 MacBook Air based on the i5 processor scored 1047 points in the single-core Geekbench test, while the 2019 model scored 790 points. In the multi-core test, the difference is even more impressive – 2658 points versus 1628.

By default, in the 2020 model, 8 GB of RAM is installed, as was the case last year. For a model with twice as much volume, you will have to pay $ 200. It is not possible to replace the memory on its own. But the 2020 model received an LPDDR4X memory type operating at a frequency of 3733 MHz, while the predecessor had a DDR3 2133 MHz. It is to be expected that even with the same external characteristics, the new Air will be faster than the 2019 model.

It is important to note that in the basic version, a flash drive is installed at 256 GB, and not at 128 GB, as it was in 2019. This decision is fully justified, given the current contemporary scenarios for using a laptop. The maximum available storage capacity has also changed – from 1 TB to 2 TB.

Of the minor changes, it is worth noting the transition from Bluetooth 4.2 to version 5.0, but the FaceTime camera with a resolution of 720p remains the same, which is clearly surprising. The familiar laconic set of connectors has also been preserved: a 3.5-mm audio output and a pair of USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 outputs, which allow charging devices, connecting an external 6K monitor or other devices.

The 2019 MacBook Air received an identical Touch ID biometric sensor.

♥ BY TOPIC: Birthdays on iPhone, iPad and Mac: how to add and enable reminders.

Keyboard

From non-obvious and internal changes, let’s move on to more explicit ones. The new keyboard mechanism immediately attracts attention. In 2018 and 2019, the MacBook Air was equipped with a third-generation butterfly-type keyboard with a special rubber pad. According to the engineers’ plan, it should protect the mechanism from dust and dirt getting inside and makes pressing more quiet. But the “butterfly” keyboard, which was effective in appearance, from its first generation (starting in 2015) began to cause massive complaints – the keys stuck and stopped working. Subsequent iterations of the mechanism reduced the number of user requests, but could not completely eliminate the problem.

Apple nevertheless decided to heed the requests of users, and the technologically advanced convenient keyboard was replaced by a proven and reliable scissor mechanism. He first appeared in the 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2019 and turned out to be the same as it was 4 years before. Nevertheless, the “scissors” have a higher stroke relative to the “butterfly”.

On a keyboard of this design, it will be possible to type long texts a little slower. But it’s not worth talking about a momentary solution – in the long run, Apple’s decision is understandable and justified.

♥ BY TOPIC: Which is better – Windows or Mac? 12 good reasons to buy an Apple computer.

Sound

As before, a couple of stereo speakers are responsible for the sound output in the MacBook Air. They were of acceptable quality anyway, but support for the Dolby Atmos format appeared in the 2020 model. It forms a feeling of volumetric sound and allows you to feel yourself right inside the presented scene. True, to reproduce such an effect, two built-in speakers will be clearly not enough – the speakers spaced around the corners of the room will help. It will be better to connect them to a TV that can play the required content through Apple TV and iTunes.

The 2020 MacBook Air, like its predecessor, is equipped with a system of three directional microphones. Outwardly, everything looks exactly the same as in the current status MacBook Pro. In fact, the difference in the quality of microphones – nevertheless, the “firmware” allows you to record sound in close to studio quality, the MacBook Air has a simplified version of the system.

♥ BY TOPIC: What is the battery life of your MacBook and how do you know the number of recharge cycles.

MacBook Air 2020 Detailed Specifications

conclusions

It is already clear that the 2020 MacBook Air was a significant step forward relative to its predecessor. And if the external format of the device turned out to be the same, then the keyboard of the new “old” type immediately attracts attention. Many users, after listening to reviews, or based on personal negative experience, will meet the scissor keyboard with enthusiasm.

It is worth paying attention to significantly increased device performance through the use of current Intel processors. And the increase in the volume of the drive can not but rejoice. The basic configuration of the 2020 MacBook Air with a 256 GB SSD will cost 89,990 rubles, while a year earlier a similar model cost 109,990 rubles.

The best apps of 2019 for iPhone. Editor’s Choice

30/12/2019 by ALOK DAS

[ad_1]

At the end of the year, it is customary to take stock and draw up ratings. So keep the top iPhone apps that have helped us all year 2019 every day, in a variety of situations.

Each application below will turn your iPhone into a useful tool with which you can make your life easier, do all your work and even save money on your family budget. Download and enjoy.

Spark (is free)

Best email client

This is an advanced email client with the function of smart sorting letters. The application itself selects important messages into a single feed from all connected email accounts, filtering out spam and advertising.

In addition to receiving and sending mail, Spark has a calendar and integration with the services of Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, Pocket, Instapaper, Evernote and OneNote.

The most convenient replacement for the standard Mail app on iPhone.

Sleep Tracker for Apple Watch

While Apple is just about to make a full sleep tracker, the App Store already has a powerful application with similar functionality.

Using the data from your Apple Watch, this utility can wake you up in the right phase, control your sleep and give recommendations on how to improve it. All data is synchronized with the regular Health application.

Unread (is free)

The fastest RSS client

If you visit the same sites every day, it makes sense to get yourself a convenient reader that will collect all new articles and display them on the screen of your smartphone in the form of a single news feed.

Unread copes with this task faster than many other counterparts in the App Store, does not cost a penny, and this application also has a very cool minimalistic design that can be customized to your liking.

Detects ambient noise in decibels

The name of the application speaks for itself: it is a simple utility that determines the volume of ambient noise.

Noise measurement is useful if you have installed new windows, if you are working in a room with loud noises, and if a neighbor drills something again on Saturday morning.

Measure the noise level, and if the application shows too many decibels – feel free to complain, go talk to your neighbor or ask to transfer you to another office, away from the source of annoying sounds.

Shows the brightness of light in lumens

Another useful utility that will help you choose a light bulb with a perfectly soft glow so that your eyes do not get tired.

Also useful for testing the brightness of car headlights, for example.

For the perfect sound for any headphone

This application is one of the main discoveries of this year: it contains presets for an impressive list of headphones, applying which you will hear the very perfect sound.

It doesn’t matter through what you listen to music from your iPhone – Sonarworks True-Fi has the right equalizer blank for any brand, whether it’s “gags” or full-size head monitors.

To save on city trips

We all use a taxi, some more often, some less often. But regardless of this, it is always pleasant to get from one point to another at the most attractive low price.

This application shows the price for a trip from Citimobil, Indriver (Indriver), Uber (Uber, Hubert), Gett (Gett, Get), RuTaxi (Ru Taxi, Taxi Lucky), Taxofvichkoff and Maxim (Taxi Maxim). Choose the most “delicious”, and feel free to order. Saving is good.

Original spam protection

Try not to clean your inbox one day, and be horrified how much unnecessary spam is being poured into you in 24 hours. The Temp Mail application allows you to create a temporary mailbox to indicate it when registering in any service and not to worry about possible mailings.

There is a paid subscription, but there is enough functionality in the free version. Pop-up ads occasionally appear, but you can live with that.

The best tool for tracking TV shows

If you do not have time to follow the release of new episodes and want to keep abreast of serial novelties, this application is a definite “masthead”.

Kinorium can remind you of new releases, the end and the beginning of new seasons, make your own lists of TV shows, share them with friends and much more. We even wrote a review on this useful application.

Momento (is free)

Cool diary for any entries

The problem with most diary applications is that you need to write everything in them with your hands. That is why you need to use Momento: this application automatically saves various events from your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Swarm, YouTube, Spotify and Flickr accounts.

In addition, there are even statistics of trips with Uber, and if desired, you can also connect an RSS feed. All information is displayed in the form of a tape and allows you not to forget important points throughout the year.

Yes, you can also write notes with your hands, of course.

These are the applications we used ourselves and recommend them to you. Happy New Year, dear readers!

How to build a computer like Mac Pro 2019, but 2 times cheaper

23/12/2019 by ALOK DAS

[ad_1]

The new Mac Pro has become the new benchmark for a desktop computer. Those who work with graphics, it is better not to find among the famous manufacturers.

However, many brands produce servers and workstations. If you search, there is everything.

May be, not poppy one? Let’s try to assemble it from components and see if it turns out to assemble an analogue cheaper.

2019 Mac Pro Features

Processor segment Xeon-w refers to the niche of high-performance workstations with one or two processors for working with graphics.

Peculiar machines: from the point of view of productivity, engineers prefer to use cluster or monoblock server systems, since almost any amount of resources can be used in work tasks.

In addition, the operating systems and professional software used by them are able to work with a pair of processors, so most suitable motherboards on the LGA3647 socket carry a couple of slots for “zions”: this allows you to use independent parallel computing, not to limit the amount of memory in conjunction with cheap processor modifications. As if 2 computers in one case.

Unfortunately, macOS can only work with 1 processor. Therefore, it is very difficult to find a number of components: why use selected components if there are massive, cheap options with similar performance when using a pair of “heads”.

Processor: the most common Intel

Judging by the specifications indicated on the site, the basic assembly of the new Mac Pro uses a processor Intel Xeon W-3223: 8 cores / 16 threads, frequency 3.5 GHz (Turbo Boost up to 4.0 GHz), 16.5 MB L3 cache. There are no similar processors in the current line of the company.

The official price of the processor in the Intel price list is $ 749. On Amazon, it will cost $ 870, the American retailer PCNation – for only $ 775

The processor is not for sale in Russia; deliveries are possible from Intel partners on special order.

The top-end 28-core Mac Pro processor is nothing short of Intel Xeon W-3275: 28 cores / 56 threads, 2.5 GHz (Torbo Boost up to 4.4 GHz), L3 cache 38.5 Mb. The official price is $ 4449. At PCNation, buying a beast will cost $ 4450

Thus, the difference in the cost of components in terms of rubles is 234,990 rubles. Apple’s Russian site asks for almost three times as much for a 28-core configuration – 569,990 rubles.

Total:
🛒 Intel Xeon processor W-3223 (min) – 49 000 rub.
🛒 Intel Xeon processor W-3275 (max) – 284 000 rubles.

Motherboard: special order

To accommodate the necessary components, Apple had to order a special board, which is impossible to find on the market. Let’s try to choose a similar one with similar capabilities.

At present there are: a socket LGA3647 for the corresponding processor, 12 RAM slots, 2 PCI-E x16 slots, at least one M.2 or PCI-E x4 slot for connecting a drive.

In a first approximation, the ASUS Z11PA-U12 / 10G-2S is suitable for the processor used. It is sold in Russia for 30 and 37 thousand rubles (or here), depending on the version. The cost in the US will be $ 450.

On board the board in ATX design: 12 DDR4 RAM slots (up to 1.5Tb), 2 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports (SFP + connectors), 2 OCuLink ports for NVMe drives, up to 13 drives with SATA 6 Gb / s interface.

But Thunderbolt 3 does not offer this board, as well as others available on the market. You have to look for a separate controller.

Total:
ASUS motherboard ASUS Z11PA-U12 / 10G-2S – 37 000 rubles.

Video card: difficulties with definition

Selecting a video card to simulate the Mac Pro 2019 was the most difficult task – all the accelerators presented by AMD are modified with respect to serial options. At least according to the company. Others are completely absent from free sale.

The minimum version of Mac Pro comes with a graphics card Radeon Pro 580X with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory. “Designed specifically for Apple,” not available for sale. But there is a professional card Radeon Pro WX 7100 with exactly the same characteristics.

The cost of this video card in Russia is 49 thousand rubles .. In the United States, this costs $ 550, which is quite comparable.

With the maximum version of the video card, everything is very complicated. There are not even adequate tests to evaluate performance. Radeon Pro Vega II Duo with 64 GB of memory. The monster assumes working only with optimized applications: 2 graphics chips with their own memory are not supported by all professional software.

A similar solution has already been released by AMD, and it has not found popularity precisely because of the “double” nature: in fact, it is Crossfire, which is practically useless in 90% of applications. By the way, the company’s representatives themselves spoke about this last year, but, alas …

So, AMD currently does not have a similar Radeon Pro Vega II Duo in terms of card performance. “One-headed” Radeon Pro Vega II comes close to the Radeon Pro WX 9100 for $ 1800 with half the memory size.

To argue with the top-end video accelerator of the maximum configuration of the Mac Pro 2019 (especially with two), only green solutions are capable of: Quadro GV100 with 32 GB of memory and unrealistic performance of the tensor cores available due to the NVidia lobby in most applications. This costs only 760 thousand rubles, respectively, the pair will cost one and a half million.

However, a direct comparison will not work – in a number of tasks the cards will demonstrate parity, and vice versa: the NVidia tensor cores are three times faster than the Radeon Pro Vega II Duo, allowing them to use the main ones in parallel. But low memory will be a problem for too large graphics tasks.

Total:
🛒 1 x Radeon Pro WX 7100 graphics card – 49,000 rubles.
🛒 2 x Quadro GV100 – 1 520 000 rub.

RAM: how to put a terabyte?

The minimum amount of RAM for the new Mac Pro 2019 is not difficult to acquire. However, 32 GB ready-made kits with 8 GB strips are offered only in the gaming version.

Strap Kingston hyperx at a speed of 4000 MHz it will cost about 6-7 thousand rubles. per bar, or 28 thousand for the whole set. A slower DDR4 3200 will cost only 10 thousand rubles. for all 32 GB.

To fill the slots of the motherboard with the maximum configuration, you have to work hard: 128 GB DDR4 strips are rarely sold in Russia. Very rarely. Fortunately, the motherboard supports work with the Registered ECC slots, which allows the use of server memory.

But even with such volumes, the bar costs completely indecent money: one bar Hinyx on the Newegg costs $ 1300, that is, twice as much as a set of smaller trims. The total memory cost will be $ 15600. Unfortunately, this is the minimum price of a new warranty memory, which was found at the time of writing.

Nevertheless, Apple’s Russian site requires a double supplement for a similar amount of memory (+2 million rubles from the base model), even if customs duty is included in the calculation.

Total:
🛒 RAM DDR4 non-Registered 32 Gb (4 × 8Gb) – 28 000 rubles.
🛒 RAM DDR4 Registered ECC 1,5 Tb (12 × 128Gb) – 982 800 rubles.

Drives: have to bet better

For the base drive, replacing the 256-gigabyte in Mac Pro 2019, we will take high-speed Intel 760p NVMe worth 5.5 thousand rubles. The most voluminous 8-terabat drive is more difficult to find, so choose “simple” Crucial 8TB 9200 ECO for ridiculous 191,000 rubles And even the fastest Intel Optane 900P Series (280 GB) now costs only 16 thousand rubles.

Buying this type of component in the United States will seriously reduce the price: on average, a modern fast SSD of 256-512 Gb can be bought at a sale for 3-4 thousand rubles, taking into account delivery. Intel’s terabyte ultra-fast drives are there for $ 100 or so.

Total:
🛒 SSD-drive Intel 760p 256 Gb – 5 500 rub.
🛒 SSD-drive Intel Optane 900P Series 280 Gb – 14 thousand rubles.
🛒 Crucial 8TB 9200 ECO SSD-drive – 191 000 rub.

Additional fees

A separate issue is the Thunderbolt expansion board. The market suggests that at an adequate price you can find only an Asus controller with a single connector of this type. But u Radeon Pro Vega II even in the minimum configuration there are 4 of them!

Alas, the selected motherboard will allow you to install only 2 corresponding boards, which will occupy 2 single PCIe slots. The total cost will be 5.5 thousand rubles.

Total:
ASUS ASUS ThunderboltEX 3 controller – 5 500 rubles.

Periphery

Along with a computer, Apple offers a set of peripherals. Honestly: neither the Magic Mouse nor the native keyboard evoke any warm feelings in me.

Therefore, I will count the coolest peripherals available on the Russian market. The Logitech G613 mechanical wireless keyboard doesn’t look very good, but it’s the best option available today.

The kit will be complemented by the Logitech MX Master 2s wireless laser mouse – the most comfortable of those presented, since the new generation of this series, long since beloved by IT people, has not come to us yet and costs absolutely indecent money.

Total:
🛒 Logitech G613 wireless keyboard – 8 000 rub.
🛒 Logitech MX Master 2s wireless mouse – 6 000 rub.

Housing and everything else

To accommodate such a serious kit will require a serious body and no less serious cooling system.

🛒 Suitable as a case ZALMAN X7 for 15 thousand rubles. By the way, with a great desire, you can purchase an exact copy of the original case called Dune Pro – it will cost 12 thousand rubles.

The system will require at least 600 watts in the minimum configuration and about 950 watts in the maximum, but for the reserve it is worth taking 1200 watts with active PFC.

🛒 A similar power supply from Zalman will be released in 6 thousand rubles. A more serious option that can cope with any computer hardware, for example Thermaltake Russian Gold Baikal 1500 W, will cost 10 thousand rubles.

🛒 Classic air cooling system fits easily in 10 thousand rubles. Water for such a volumetric kit will cost 30-50 thousand rubles.

Total:
🛒 Dune Pro case – 12 000 rub.
🛒 Thermaltake Baikal power supply unit – 10 000 rub.
🛒 cooling system – 30 000 rubles.

Final price and comparison with Mac Pro

To summarize.

The total cost of the base version of the Mac Pro 2019 with an 8-core processor and Radeon Pro 580X graphics card (more precisely, the WX 7100) will amount to 247,000 rubles.

Apple’s Russian site offers similar “just” performance for 450 000 rubles.

The difference between our build and the price of Mac Pro 2019: 203 thousand rubles. Twice cheaper.

Maximum equipment with some assumptions will cost 3 million rubles. If the number of Thunderbolt connectors is not critical, the savings will be a little more 1.1 million rubles.

Or 1 million, given all the possible costs associated with the delivery of a number of components from abroad.

The disadvantages of the assembly:

you can not put macOS on the maximum set (video cards are not supported)
few Thunderbolt connectors
need to collect by hand
part of the components will have to be transported from abroad.

Advantages of the assembly:

operating systems adapted to specific tasks can be installed
Nvidia graphics cards are better optimized for numerical and engineering graphics, greater productivity in professional applications and offer more tailored applications
The performance of a number of components is higher than in the original Mac Pro 2019

P.S. How to save money on buying a workstation?

Unfortunately, this difference speaks of Apple pricingproviding unique (to increase prices above all) solutions, even when they are not very justified. The fact is that all other suppliers of ready-made engineering stations, on the contrary, offer more affordable solutions compared to the general market, since they are purchased in bulk.

The supply of ready-made “boxes” also reduces sales costs. Therefore, if we translate the prices of HP, Dell and Lenovo workstations into the cost of disparate components, the benefit will be about 15% for each position.

Buying a refurbished solution will reduce the price of a relatively new PC by another 10-20%. So the purchase is finished Linux / Windows-based station may be cheaper than described by 20-30%.

However, most of these offers cannot be used to install macOS (however, like the assembly presented in the text).

Everyone decides for himself what and what to work on. After all, tasks are determined, not the supplier of a solution convenient for its implementation.