Apple has reportedly started testing nine Mac models with M2 chips

Apple may soon release a new set of Mac computers powered by the next generation of its homegrown chip. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the tech giant has started the widespread testing of at least nine Mac models with four different M2 chips, which suggests that Apple is gearing up to launch them. While it’s not supposed to be public knowledge, Apple has been testing the machines using third-party apps from the App Store, and those applications’ developer logs give us an idea of what to expect from the company’s upcoming batch of computers.

One of the devices reportedly being tested is a MacBook Air with an M2 chip) that has eight CPU cores and 10 cores for graphics, up from eight in the current model. Previous reports suggest that the next MacBook Air will feature a major redesign, which may include a thinner frame, more ports and MagSafe charging. Apple is also apparently testing a couple of Mac minis powered by an M2 and an M2 Pro chip, as well as an entry-level M2 MacBook Pro with the same specifications as the aforementioned MacBook Air. 

Apple just released its 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros in October, but Gurman says the company has started testing new 14-inch and 16-inch laptops with 64GB of memory powered by M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. The M2 Max apparently has 12 CPU cores and 38 graphics cores, up from 10 and 32 in the current models. Finally, there’s the new Mac Pro that will reportedly be powered by the M1 Ultra’s successor. The M1 Ultra, which was just recently launched, is Apple’s most robust chip yet and currently powers the Mac Studio. Gurman warns that there are no guarantees that the company will release all the models it’s currently testing. That said, he believes the new MacBook Air and Mac mini, as well as the new entry-level MacBook Pro will be released sometime this year. 

MIT engineers built a robot for emergency stroke surgeries

Remote robotic-assisted surgery is far from new, with various educational and research institutions developing machines doctors can control from other locations over the years. There hasn’t been a lot of movement on that front when it comes to endovascular treatments for stroke patients, which is why a team of MIT engineers has been developing a telerobotic system surgeons can use over the past few years. The team, which has published its paper in Science Robotics, has now presented a robotic arm that doctors can control remotely using a modified joystick to treat stroke patients.

That arm has a magnet attached to its wrist, and surgeons can adjust its orientation to guide a magnetic wire through the patient’s arteries and vessels in order to remove blood clots in their brain. Similar to in-person procedures, surgeons will have to rely on live imaging to get to the blood clot, except the machine will allow them to treat patients not physically in the room with them. 

There’s a critical window of time after a stroke’s onset during which endovascular treatment should be administered to save a patient’s life or to preserve their brain function. Problem is, the procedure is quite complex and takes years to master. It involves guiding a thin wire through vessels and arteries without damaging any of them, after all. Neurosurgeons trained in the procedure are usually found in major hospitals, and patients in remote locations that have to be transported to these larger centers might miss that critical time window. With this machine, surgeons can be anywhere and still perform the procedure. Another upside? It minimizes the doctos’ exposure to radiation from X-ray imaging.

During their tests, the MIT engineers only had to train a group of neurosurgeons for an hour to use the machine. By the end of that hour, the surgeons were able to successfully use the machine to remove the fake blood clots in a transparent model with life-size vessels replicating the complex arteries of the brain.

MIT professor and team member Xuanhe Zhao said:

“We imagine, instead of transporting a patient from a rural area to a large city, they could go to a local hospital where nurses could set up this system. A neurosurgeon at a major medical center could watch live imaging of the patient and use the robot to operate in that golden hour. That’s our future dream.”

You can watch a demo of the machine below:

Wikipedia editors vote to block cryptocurrency donations

Wikipedia editors have voted in favor of dropping cryptocurrency from the Wikimedia Foundation’s donation options. As Ars Technica reports, an editor for the online encyclopedia called GorillaWarfare wrote a proposal for the foundation to stop accepting cryptocurrencies, as they are “extremely risky investments.” They also pointed out that cryptocurrencies may not align with the foundation’s commitment to environmental sustainability. 

One of the biggest controversies surrounding cryptocurrencies is that mining, spending and trading them use massive amounts of energy. That’s the reason why Mozilla caught flak after it announced that it would start accepting crypto donations, prompting the organization to put its plans on hold. According to a Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index, those processes use up 204.50 terawatt-hours of electricity per year, which is comparable to what’s consumed by some countries, such as Thailand. Wikimedia accepts Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and Ether.

GorillaWarfare’s proposal welcomed comments over three months starting in January. In all, 232 users voted in favor of the proposal, while 94 voted against. Those who argued in favor of cryptocurrency donations explained that they provide safer ways to donate and that fiat currencies have environmental issues of their own. 

Even though the community voted in favor of blocking crypto donations, it’s still just a request that the Wikimedia Foundation may or may not grant. A spokesperson from the foundation told Ars:

“We are aware of the community’s request that the Foundation consider ending our acceptance of donations in cryptocurrency. Our Fundraising team is reviewing the request and related discussions and we will provide additional information once they complete that process.”