A developer who abandoned reverse-engineering Apple's Neural Engine (ANE) three years ago has resumed the project, this time focused on mapping its full internal architecture rather than making it usable via a Linux driver. The renewed effort was prompted by Apple's M5 chip, which emphasizes LLM performance and integrates ANE cores directly into the GPU, signaling the decline of the standalone neural processing unit design that began with the A11 Bionic in 2017.
eiln.github.io
· 2026-09-12
In the latest 9to5Mac Overtime episode, hosts Jeff Benjamin and Fernando Silva compare the discounted $899 M4 Mac mini against the newer M6 model, and cover the M5 Pro Mac mini alongside Apple's new Mac Studio desktops running M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips. They close by previewing Apple's rumored 'Surprise and Shine' iPhone event.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-08-28
Bordeaux-based developer Vincent, known as @VynseDev, launched a site called Brand My Mac to auction off ten sticker spots on a 14-inch MacBook Pro he hasn't yet purchased. Bidders pay a 20% deposit for spots priced €125 to €400, with winning logos vinyl-cut and stuck to the laptop lid alongside a link on the project page. The auction has already drawn over €7,000 across roughly 118 bids, well above the machine's €2,529 price tag.
techspot.com
· 2026-08-28
Apple's Mac mini lineup includes both the newer M6 chip and the older M5 Pro, but the M5 Pro model is priced higher because it targets a different performance tier. The M5 Pro offers more CPU and GPU cores, higher RAM ceilings up to 64GB, and storage options up to 8TB, compared to the M6's maximum 12-core CPU, 32GB RAM, and 2TB storage.
engadget.com
· 2026-08-26
Apple's Mac Studio, available with M5 Max or the fused-together M5 Ultra chip, offers up to 80 GPU cores, 512GB of RAM and a 16TB SSD, along with more ports than the Mac mini, including four Thunderbolt 5 connections. The Mac mini starts at $899 and covers most everyday needs, while the Mac Studio starts at $2,499 and targets professionals with intensive workloads.
engadget.com
· 2026-08-26
Apple has released the M5 Ultra chip for the new Mac Studio, built by fusing two dual-die M5 Max chips into a quad-die design, a first for the company's silicon lineup. The chip offers up to 36 CPU cores, a jump in inter-die connection speed to 4.4TB/s, and unified memory bandwidth of 1.2TB/s, both notable increases over the M3 Ultra.
engadget.com
· 2026-08-25
Apple has introduced a new Mac Mini and Mac Studio lineup featuring the M6, M5 Max, and M5 Ultra chips, with the M5 Ultra standing as the company's most powerful processor to date. The chip offers an 80-core GPU, up to a 36-core CPU, up to 512GB of unified memory, and quadruple the LLM prompt performance of the previous M3 Ultra, built using a quad-die design that fuses two M5 Max chips. Prices have risen across the board, with the Mac Mini M6 now starting at $899 and the top Mac Studio configuration with M5 Ultra starting at $5,499.
zdnet.com
· 2026-08-25
Apple unveiled its M6 processor, first appearing in the Mac Mini, built on a 2nm manufacturing process with 12 CPU cores, a 12-core GPU, and a dual 16-core neural engine. Apple claims roughly 20% faster multithreaded performance and larger GPU gains over the M5, along with memory bandwidth up to 170GB/s, though independent testing hasn't yet confirmed these figures.
engadget.com
· 2026-08-25
Apple announced updated Mac mini models built on its new M6 chip and the higher-end M5 Pro, promising as much as 4x faster AI processing, doubled graphics and storage speeds, and a 40 percent CPU gain over the previous generation. Both configurations add Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and faster Ethernet options, and ship with macOS 27 and Apple's next Apple Intelligence features including Siri AI. The machines are open for preorder now and go on sale September 22.
apple.com
· 2026-08-25
Apple has refreshed the Mac Studio desktop lineup with new M5 Max and M5 Ultra chip options, now available for pre-order alongside the updated Mac mini. The M5 Max configuration brings an 18-core CPU, up to 40 GPU cores with Neural Accelerators, and faster memory bandwidth, while the top-end M5 Ultra model scales up to a 36-core CPU and supports up to 512GB of unified memory.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-08-25
Apple has introduced the M5 Ultra, its most powerful chip yet, by fusing two M5 Max dies into a single quad-die processor connected at 4.4TB/s. It offers up to 36 CPU cores, an 80-core GPU option, and support for up to 512GB of unified memory with 1.2TB/s bandwidth, arriving in new Mac Studio models starting at $5,499.
engadget.com
· 2026-08-25
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