Asahi Linux Adds M3 Support, New Models from Acer and Lenovo

In reporting by Brad Linder of Liliputing, multiple new developments were covered at once, including the Linux port to Apple Silicon, ultralight laptops, and a gaming handheld with a transparent chassis. The September 6, 2026 “Lilbits” roundup covers everything from Asahi Linux support for the Apple M3 series to new laptops from Lenovo and Acer and small devices from Ardview and Onyx BOOX. While they differ in productization stage and practicality, all are noteworthy as examples of shifting design philosophies around thinness, cooling, and repairability.

Apple’s Mac computers are designed to run Apple’s macOS software. The company doesn’t make it easy for users to install other operating systems. But the folks at the Asahi Linux project have been reverse engineering Apple’s M-series chips since they first hit the streets

The article describes the background in which Apple has adopted a design that makes it difficult to install anything other than macOS, while community-led reverse engineering has continued, as follows:

Asahi Linux Adds M3 Support

The Asahi Linux project is a community project working on porting Linux to Apple M-series chips. This update reports that Linux now boots on Macs equipped with the Apple M3 series, introduced in 2023. According to Liliputing, details have been published on the project’s official website.

Support at this stage is limited. GPU functionality is not fully available, and sleep does not work. Because graphics performance and power management needed for daily use are still immature, the main uses remain testing and development. The project has been analyzing the chips since the M series first appeared, gradually expanding support on M1 and M2. Booting on M3 itself is a milestone, but further implementation is needed to reach practical use.

Around the Linux kernel, improvements for Apple Silicon, such as audio, are also progressing. For example, support utilizing shared GPIO has been taken up in Linux 7.4, with peripheral features being developed in parallel. As for kernel-side optimization, cases such as Linux Cache-Aware Scheduling Extension, Up to 360% Faster MySQL have been reported, where configuration-aware improvements directly affect performance. Asahi Linux’s M3 support can be positioned as an effort built on this accumulation of kernel and driver layers.

In testing and distribution, moves to improve verification infrastructure are also emerging, such as GNOME OS Test Center, Inspired by Apple TestFlight. To broaden hardware support, mechanisms that simplify installation and testing paths are important. The current state of M3 support is largely an early release with functional limitations clearly stated.

From a security perspective, replacing the OS or drivers can affect privileges and isolation. A recent example, such as Microsoft Defender Privilege Escalation Vulnerability ‘RoguePlanet’ Disclosed, has drawn attention to the handling of privilege boundaries. When installing an alternative OS, verification including bootloader and firmware behavior is essential.

Two Concepts from Lenovo

Lenovo showed two concept models. One is Project AeroBlade, featuring an ultra-thin chassis weighing about 830g with a 14-inch display and 10mm thickness. For cooling, it uses solid-state cooling with Frore Systems’ AirJet in a fanless design. Solid-state cooling is a technology noted for reducing vibration and noise and pairing well with thin designs, and this prototype is positioned to demonstrate its feasibility.

The other is Project Swan, which features a rollable display that expands the viewing area horizontally from a 14-inch chassis to the equivalent of 17 inches. The mechanism teased last month has now been officially unveiled as a concept. It is not currently a purchasable product, but a prototype for technical validation and gauging market reaction. The rollable mechanism aims to combine portability with a large screen, with durability of the hinge and rolling parts and uniformity of display quality as future validation points.

Both concepts offer answers to conflicting demands: thinness versus cooling, and larger screens versus portability. Adopting solid-state cooling could broaden thermal design options in thin chassis. As an expansion method different from folding, the rollable display will focus design attention on integration with the keyboard and chassis rigidity.

Acer’s Ultralight and Repairable Models

Acer unveiled two contrasting models. One is the Acer Swift Blade 14, an ultralight laptop touted as starting at 799g. It uses AlMg (aluminum-magnesium alloy) for the chassis and features a backlit keyboard. The configuration shown includes up to a 14-inch 2.8K OLED display, 12GB of onboard memory, and an Intel Wildcat Lake processor. It is positioned as a competitor to the MacBook’s thin-and-light approach.

At 799g, the weight is exceptionally light for the 14-inch class. The AlMg chassis is a material choice aimed at balancing rigidity and lightness, and combined with the high-resolution OLED display, it suggests an aim to achieve both portability and visibility. The 12GB onboard memory configuration appears to be a decision to secure capacity within the trade-offs of a thin-and-light design. The inclusion of Wildcat Lake can be seen as a generational choice balancing power efficiency and performance.

The other is the fourth generation of the Acer Vero 16, distinguished by its user-replaceable battery. As built-in batteries have become mainstream in recent years, maintaining a replaceable design reflects a philosophy that prioritizes repairability and long-term use. The Vero series promotes consideration for environmental impact and product lifespan, with a policy of using repairable and replaceable components beyond the battery. It aligns well with growing right-to-repair demands, centered on Europe, and corporate demand for long-term use.

The two models show different vectors: one pursuing lightness, the other enhancing lifespan and serviceability. In both, chassis design and material selection determine the character of the product, with diverse approaches coexisting rather than a single-minded focus on thinness.

Small Gaming Handheld with Transparent Chassis

Also introduced was “Arduview,” a small gaming handheld from the maker of Arduboy. Not only is the chassis transparent, but the circuit board and OLED display are also transparent. A crowdfunding campaign is planned.

While the transparent chassis is largely a design choice to show off the internal structure, the use of a transparent board and transparent OLED also affects component selection and manufacturing processes. In the small handheld gaming field, designs that enhance a sense of ownership and display value, in addition to portability and operability, become differentiating factors. Arduboy is known as an 8-bit small gaming handheld, and this effort, continuing that lineage, is expected to appeal to developers and enthusiasts.

Using a transparent OLED for the display means characteristics such as transparency when off and color reproduction when on affect the experience. Making the board transparent involves constraints on circuit routing and component layout, but creates visual novelty. Mass producibility, durability, and cost trade-offs will be future focal points.

New Trends and Market Seen in Small E-Readers

Onyx BOOX’s new “Picco” was also covered. It is a small e-reader competing with devices such as the Xteink X4, and unlike other BOOX products, it does not run Android. Early impressions report that the hardware and software design appears well-refined.

While BOOX has traditionally leveraged Android-based versatility as a strength, the Picco shows a direction of narrowing features and specializing in the reading experience. A lighter OS is expected to improve boot and operation responsiveness and power efficiency. For small devices, one-handed hold and portability are important, and a smaller chassis and simplified software are complementary.

In the market, the positioning of dedicated reading devices distinct from smartphones and tablets is being redefined. It likely appeals to users who avoid general-purpose apps and seek an environment focused on reading. The choice not to include Android can be seen as aiming to improve stability and completeness as a single-function device at the expense of expandability.

The Lilbits roundup also mentions in its title the bootloader unlock for the Amazon Fire Max 11. Fire tablets see high demand for customization in the low-price segment, and an unlocked bootloader is a prerequisite for alternative OSes and advanced customization. Details are awaited in future updates.

Editorial Opinion

In the short term, Asahi Linux’s M3 support will not reach daily use due to GPU and sleep limitations and will remain limited to developer and testing uses. Lenovo’s AirJet cooling and rollable mechanism and Acer’s 799g chassis are attracting attention as pre-mass-production technology demonstrations and could increase inquiries to the supply chain. Small specialized devices like Arduview and BOOX Picco will likely have their next steps decided by market response via crowdfunding or limited sales. In the medium to long term, if the Linux port to Apple Silicon progresses, developer options in ARM-based desktop environments will broaden. Elements such as solid-state cooling, rollable displays, and replaceable batteries can be positioned as answers to the industry challenge of balancing thinness and repairability. Efforts such as transparent boards and lightweight non-Android OSes point toward enhancing experiential value while trimming versatility, likely leading to a reappraisal of purpose-built devices. The remaining question is whether these experimental elements can withstand verification of practicality and durability to reach productization.

References

• “Lilbits: Asahi Linux on Apple M3, bootloader unlock for the Fire Max 11, and Acer and Lenovo’s unusual new laptops”, by Brad Linder — Liliputing, 2026-09-06T18:32:57.000Z (ARR)
• Source URL: https://liliputing.com/lilbits-asahi-linux-on-apple-m3-bootloader-unlock-for-the-fire-max-11-and-acer-and-lenovos-unusual-new-laptops/