Tag Archives: Apple Mac mini

Apple Education Discount Now Requires UNiDAYS Verification!

The little loophole is now closed – Apple education discount now requires UNiDAYS verification!

Here is what you need to know…

 

Apple Education Discount : Formerly Based On Trust + Audit

For many years now, savvy parents and techies have counted on the Apple education discount to get some financial relief on Mac computers and iPad tablets.

Ostensibly limited to teachers and staff of educational facilities, as well as college and university students, the Apple education discount programme was based on trust.

Anyone can go to the Apple Education page, and order a Mac computer or iPad tablet with (usually) a 10% discount. Apple doesn’t even ask you to prove your qualification for the education discount.

Instead, Apple performs random audits. If you cannot prove that you are an educator, or a college/university student, then they have the right to charge your credit card for the education discount you (illegally) received earlier.

 

Apple Education Discount Now Requires UNiDAYS Verification!

Sadly, it appears that Apple is moving away from the trust system, and is requiring verification through UNiDAYS in certain countries.

  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Malaysia : Started on 15 December 2021
  • United Kingdom

Unlike the earlier Apple education discount programme, UNiDAYS verification greatly limits those who qualify for discounted Apple Mac computers and iPad tablets :

  • Students who are 16 years and above
  • Must be currently enrolled in the Sixth Form, a college or a university
  • Must have a personal institution email address (.edu email, for example), or a credit card-style student ID, issued by the school / college / university

The Good

Signing up for UNiDAYS has some advantages. It gives you access to discount programmes for other companies.

And students who sign up for UNiDAYS will get a free Apple Music student subscription in certain countries, which may even include Apple TV+ access!

The Bad

Parents cannot sign up and purchase for their children. Each student must sign up for their own UNiDAYS account.

If UNiDAYS cannot automatically verify your student credentials, it has a manual process but that could mean several days of delay to verify your account.

The Ugly

The UNiDAYS verification process blocks parents of younger students from getting the education discount.

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents are forced to purchase tablets and laptops for their children’s online classes. While not entirely legit, the Apple education discount has helped many parents alleviate the high cost of providing each child with a tablet or computer.

While this verification process will help Apple cut down on fraud, I wish they would take the opportunity to open up the education discount programme to younger students.

That would really be a win-win situation – parents get a small but much appreciated discount, and Apple gets a head start on developing the next-generation of Apple users.

Until then, parents of younger children can “work around” this limitation, by asking a college / university student to help them make the purchase.

 

Countries Where Apple Education Discount Do Not Require UNiDAYS!

This switch to UNiDAYS verification for the Apple Education Discount programme appears to be a gradual process.

For now, these countries still do not require UNiDAYS verification :

  • Australia
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • China
  • Hong Kong
  • Ireland
  • Japan
  • Mexico
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Russia
  • Singapore
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • United States

So parents of younger children in those countries can still get the Apple Education discount, without jumping through the UNiDAYS hoop.

Pro Tip : When purchasing any Mac computer or iPad with the Apple Education discount, make sure you grab all the accessories you need at the same time, to get the discount as well.

 

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macOS Monterey Memory Leak : Solutions You Can Try!

macOS Monterey continues to be plagued by an insidious memory leak problem that Apple does not seem able to fix.

So here are a few workarounds that you can try!

 

macOS Monterey Memory Leak : What’s Going On?

Ever since it was released on 25 October 2021, macOS Monterey has been plaguing users with an insidious memory leak problem.

And even as Christmas approaches, Apple is still unable to fix the problem. Here is what we know so far…

It Gobbles Up Insane Amounts Of Memory

The memory leak quietly eats up insane amounts of memory, creeping up on users without warning.

A single affected app like Firefox can gobble up almost 80 GB of memory. Even a critical macOS process like WindowServer can end up using 24 GB of memory, while the Mail app can use more than 100 GB of memory!

Unless you have been keeping an eye on memory usage, you will only realise this is happening when you get the warning that “Your system has run out of application memory” with a request to Force Quit apps you are not using.

It Appears To Be An OS Issue

This Monterey memory leak affects many different apps with no obvious culprit in sight :

  • Internet browsers like Firefox and Safari
  • Apps like Tweetbot and Final Cut Pro
  • macOS features like Control Center, Mail and Finder
  • macOS processes like WindowsServer

That strongly suggests that it is an operating system issue, and not a bug in any particular app.

It Affects Intel + Apple Silicon Models

This Monterey memory leak problem is not platform-specific, and affects both Intel and Apple Silicon models.

So you are not going to be able to “escape” this memory leak problem by upgrading to the new M1 Pro / Max-powered MacBook Pro laptops.

 

macOS Monterey Memory Leak : Possible Solutions

Unfortunately, Apple still does not seem to be able to plug this insidious macOS Monterey memory leak. So here are some solutions that may work for you…

Revert To Standard Mouse Pointer

One of the new features macOS Monterey is the ability to change the mouse pointer’s size, as well as its outline and fill colours.

However, the developers at Mozilla discovered that using a non-standard mouse pointer in macOS Monterey causes a large memory leak!

This memory leak is not limited to Firefox, but occurs anytime the non-standard mouse pointer changes its look, like when you mouse over a button or a text field.

To fix this, you will need to revert to a standard mouse pointer, and here’s how to do that :

Step 1 : Go to Settings and select Accessibility.

Step 2 : Tap on the Display option, and select the Pointer tab.

Step 3 : Move the Pointer size all the way to the left (Normal).

Step 4 : Click on the Reset button to the right of Pointer outline colour and Pointer fill colour.

Step 5 : Restart your Mac, and fingers crossed – this fixes your Monterey memory leak problem!

Relaunch Finder

If you notice Finder using a prodigious amount of memory, that memory leak happens when you use the Find (⌘ F) feature in to search for files.

The easiest way to prevent this memory leak is to avoid using Finder’s Find feature. Try using the Search option on the upper right corner.

But once you get a Finder memory leak, you must relaunch it to release the leaked memory…

Option A : While in the Finder window, click on the Apple menu. Then press and hold the Shift key and click on Force Quit Finder.

Option B : Click on the Apple menu. Click Force Quit (Command + Option + Escape). Then select Finder and click on Relaunch.

Limit Use Of Control Center

Some users have reported that the Control Center can use upwards of 20GB of RAM, but most users fortunately do not encounter such terrible waste of memory.

This memory leak is easily reproducible – every time you use a control, it uses a little more RAM but does not release it.

Unfortunately, there is no way to release the leaked memory short of restarting the computer. So the best way to avoid this memory leak is to limit the use of Control Center.

Restart Apps Whenever Memory Use Is Too Much

Well, this seems obvious, but I have to throw it in anyway.

If any app, whether it’s Safari or Final Cut Pro starts using way too much memory, just close and reopen it. That should quickly recover the leaked memory.

Of course, this is only a stopgap solution until Apple releases a fix for this truly pesky memory problem in macOS Monterey…

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Apple M1 : How Fast Are Its CPU + GPU?

The Apple M1 is the first ARM-based SoC (System on a Chip) designed by Apple to be used as the CPU for Mac computers.

Here is EVERYTHING you need to know about the Apple M1, including how fast its CPU and GPU really are!

 

Apple M1 : First ARM SoC For Mac Computers!

The Apple M1 is the first ARM-based SoC (System on a Chip) designed by Apple for use in Mac computers, debuting in :

  • 2020 MacBook Air (4th Gen) : US | UK | AU | MY | SG
  • 2020 MacBook Pro (6th Gen) : US | UK | AU | MY | SG
  • 2020 Mac mini (5th Gen) : US | UK | AU | MY | SG

Packing 16 billion transistors, it is the first chip to be manufactured on the new 5 nm TSMC process technology.

As an SoC, it combines 8 CPU cores, an 8-core GPU, a 16-core Neural Engine, an image signal processor (ISP), an NVMe storage controller, a Thunderbolt 4 controller and a Secure Enclave – all in a single chip.

The Apple M1 is paired with either 8 GB or 16 GB of LPDDR4X memory using a system-in-a-package design.

8-Core CPU : ARM big.LITTLE Design

The Apple M1 uses the ARM big.LITTLE design for the CPU. Its 8-core CPU is divided into two performance clusters :

  • P Cluster (Performance) : 4 x Firestorm cores (up to 3.2 GHz)
  • E Cluster (Efficient) : 4 x Icestorm cores (up to 2.06 GHz)

The P Cluster is designed for high-performance, with a power consumption of 13.8 watts. It has a large 12 MB shared L2 cache, with a 128 KB dedicated L1 cache for each Firestorm core.

The E Cluster, on the other hand, is designed for a low power consumption of just 1.3 watts. It has a smaller 4 MB shared L2 cache, with a 64 KB dedicated L1 cache for each Icestorm core.

8-Core GPU : Mysterious Indeed!

The M1 uses an Apple-designed 8-core GPU, of which very little is known. Apple only says that it can handle up to 25,000 concurrent threads.

But from what we can tell, it has 128 execution units with an FP32 performance of 2.6 teraflops per second, a 82 GT/s texture fill rate, and a 41 GP/s pixel fill rate.

16-Core Neural Engine

The Apple M1 features a 16-core Neural Engine, which is capable of executing 11 trillion operations per second.

LPDDR4X Unified Memory

The Apple M1 uses a unified memory design, which means the CPU and GPU share the same memory.

Apple offers 8 GB and 16 GB LPDDR4X SDRAM options, built directly onto the package for near-instantaneous access.

Rosetta 2 Translation

As most Mac apps are compiled for x86 processors, they need to be translated to work with the Apple M1, which uses the totally different ARM architecture.

That’s where Apple Rosetta 2 comes in – introduced in macOS Big Sur, it translates or emulates x86 apps so that they can run properly on the M1 processor.

Certain apps, especially games, may require third-party software like Wine or CrossOver to work properly, like this example of The Witcher 3 running on the Apple M1.

 

Apple M1 : Specifications

Apple is hardly the most transparent company in the world, but here is what we know so far about the M1 chip’s specifications :

Specifications Apple M1 (APL1102)
Fab Process 5 nm TSMC
Transistor Count 16 Billion
Die Size 120 mm²
CPU Cores P Cluster : 4 x Firestorm cores
E Cluster : 4 x Icestorm cores
L1 Caches Firestorm : 128 KB per core
Icestorm : 64 KB per core
L2 Caches P Cluster : 12 MB shared
E Cluster : 4 MB shared
Clock Speed P Cluster : 0.6~3.204 GHz
E Cluster : 0.6~2.064 GHz
CPU Power
Consumption
P Cluster : 13.8 W
E Cluster : 1.3 W
GPU Cores 8 Cores, 128 Execution Units
GPU FP32 Performance 2.6 TFLOPS
GPU Texture Fillrate 82 GT/s
GPU Pixel Fillrate 41 GP/s
Memory Size 8 GB / 16 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4x-4266
Memory Interface 128-bit
Memory Bandwidth 68.27 GB/s
Neural Engine 16 Cores
Neural Engine
Performance
11 Trillion Ops / Second
TDP 10 watts (MacBook Air)

 

Apple M1 : How Fast Are Its CPU + GPU?

Unfortunately, we do not have access to the Apple M1, but Ars Technica tested it in the 2020 Mac mini. Take a look at some of the results they posted :

Note : While Ars Technica listed the M1 as a 10 watt part, this is only what Apple claims for the MacBook Air. It is likely to be clocked higher, with a higher TDP in the Mac mini and MacBook Pro.

Geekbench 5 : Single-Threaded CPU Test

Will you look at that? The Apple M1’s Firestorm cluster has really good single-core performance!

It was 7% faster than the Core i7-1185G7, in both 28W and 15W TDP modes; and 53% faster than the Ryzen 7 4700U!

Geekbench 5 : Multi-Threaded CPU Test

This is even more astounding! The Apple M1 is even faster in the multi-threaded test!

In the multi-threaded test, the Apple M1 was 22% faster and 54% faster than the Core i7-1185G7 in 28W and 15W modes, respectively. It was also 52% faster than the Ryzen 7 4700U!

Geekbench 5 : GPU Test

Even its 8-core GPU did very well, beating the Core i7-1185G7‘s integrated Iris Xe by 26%, and Ryzen 7 4700U‘s integrated Vega 7 by 65%.

Cinebench R23 : Single-Threaded Test

The Apple M1 was as fast as the 28-watt Core i7-1185G7 in the single-threaded test, and was 28% faster than the Ryzen 7 4700U. And it was only 6.5% slower than the Ryzen 9 5950X.

Cinebench R23 : Multi-Threaded Test

In the multi-threaded test, the Ars Technica team set a limit of 8 threads for a level-playing field.

The Apple M1 did well, beating the Ryzen 7 4700U by 14%, and the Core i7-1185G7 by 25%. And it was just 34% slower than the Ryzen 9 5950X.

 

Apple M1 Mac Computers : Where To Buy?

The Apple M1 is currently available in these Mac computer models :

  • 2020 MacBook Air (4th Gen) : US | UK | AU | MY | SG
  • 2020 MacBook Pro (6th Gen) : US | UK | AU | MY | SG
  • 2020 Mac mini (5th Gen) : US | UK | AU | MY | SG

 

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Apple M1 Gaming : Watch It Run The Witcher 3! 😲

Windows gaming on the ARM-based Apple M1 is possible!

Watch how well the Apple M1 runs The Witcher 3 using CrossOver 20!

 

Apple M1 Gaming : Watch It Run The Witcher 3 On CrossOver 20!

MrMacRight successfully ran The Witcher 3 on CrossOver 20, using the 2020 Apple MacBook Pro with the new ARM-based Apple M1 SoC.

Here was his recorded gameplay of The Witcher 3 at the 1080p resolution, with the Medium graphics and post-processing presets, and VSync enabled.

He could not get the FPS counter to work, but it looks smooth and very playable, albeit with some visual artefacts.

Basically – Apple M1 gaming is not only possible, it is possible to play Windows games!

Video Credit : MrMacRight

 

Windows Gaming On Apple M1 : Rosetta 2 + Windows API Translation!

That quick gameplay showcase of The Witcher 3 shows that Windows gaming is possible on the Apple M1.

The ability to run The Witcher 3 on CrossOver 20, and at such playable frame rates, is important for two reasons.

Windows App Compatibility

The Witcher 3 is a 64-bit Windows-only game, so you wouldn’t expect it to run well on the ARM-based Apple M1, right?

Running it on the Apple M1 involves translating Windows API calls using CrossOver, and then translating x86 instructions to ARM instructions using Rossetta 2.

Yet it not only worked, it ran pretty well on the Apple M1!

Performance

While AppleGamers was not able to obtain a frame rate, The Witcher 3 appears to run pretty well at the 1080p resolution.

That shows that the Apple M1’s integrated 8-core GPU is fast, and will have no problem handling native ARM games at 1080p, and likely 1440p as well.

 

Apple M1 : A Quick Primer

The Apple M1 is the first ARM-based SoC (System on a Chip) designed by Apple for use in Mac computers.

Packing 16 billion transistors, it is the first chip to be manufactured on the new 5 nm TSMC process technology.

It comes with 4 high-performance Firestorm CPU cores, 4 power-efficient Icestorm cores, an 8-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine.

As the M1 is based on the ARM architecture, you can natively run iPhone and iPad apps on it. However, existing macOS apps will have to be ported over, or translated on-the-fly using Rosetta 2.

It is currently available in these Apple Mac computers :

  • 2020 MacBook Air : US | UK | AU | MY | SG
  • 2020 MacBook Pro 13-inch : US | UK | AU | MY | SG
  • 2020 Mac mini : US | UK | AU | MY | SG

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Support Tech ARP!

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