MacBook

The arguably best bang-for-the-buck options in Apple's current MacBook lineup has now returned to its lowest price yet as the 2020 MacBook Air with the fast Apple M1 SoC has been put on sale for US$799 at Best Buy.

The new Apple M2 Max and M2 Pro chips have become the latest chart champions in PassMark’s laptop CPU single-thread benchmark. The previous leader, the Apple M2, is pushed down to third, and it is just ahead of a trio of Alder Lake-HX parts. The M2 Max and M2 Pro produced decent results but still have to face-off against Intel’s Raptor Lake-HX mobile processors.
Update: Another M2 chip has appeared near the top of the chart.

The new M2 Pro-powered MacBook Pros seem to suffer from significantly reduced SSD performance compared to corresponding equivalent M1 Pro models. Independent reviews show between 15% to 40% reduced SSD scores with the M2 Pro-based MacBook Pro 14. This is being attributed to the use of fewer, higher-density NAND chips in the M2 generation unlike what we've seen before in M1.

Apple has released new major updates for various iPhone, iPad, Mac and Watch Series devices. The new updates introduce several new features, as well as new wallpapers and watch faces, among other things. Apple is distributing iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, macOS Ventura 13.2 and watchOS 9.3 now as OTA updates.

Apple may launch the MacBook Air 13 and MacBook Air 15 sometime in the second half of 2023, according to supply chain information. The upcoming MacBook Airs will be powered by the Apple M3 SoC, which will be fabbed on TSMC's considerably expensive N3E process.

Apple launched the new MacBook Pro line-up with M2 Pro and M2 Max, but we only got a short introduction video instead of a launch event. In addition to new processors, you get Wi-Fi 6E, TB4 and HDMI 2.1, but also higher prices in many regions around the world. Is it worth upgrading or should you just get the previous model at a discount?

A Mac Mini powered by Apple's shiny new M2 Pro SoC has shown up on Geekbench. It scores 1,952 and 15,013 points on the single and multi-core benchmark, outperforming its last-gen counterpart by a significant margin and even punches above its weight class by besting the M1 Max.

Apple officially unveiled the 5 nm M2 Pro and M2 Max SoCs today. The M2 Pro is available with 10-core and 12-core CPU options and comes with a 19-core GPU and 32 GB of 200 GB/s unified memory. The M2 Max uses the same 12-core CPU as the M2 Pro but ups the GPU core count to 38 and 96 GB of 400 GB/s unified memory.

Apple has upgraded its flagship pair of laptops. The MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 are now available with the M2 Pro and M2 Max, which add HDMI 2.1, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity and slightly better battery life, among other minor changes.

Flamboyant leaker Jon Prosser has hinted at Apple launching some new products tomorrow (January 17). The mystery product will get a silent launch via a press release. Scattered rumours suggest the product could be an M2-powered iMac.

Apple's M2 MacBook Air is a solid choice for a portable, all-around laptop. Currently, Best Buy is selling both the 256 GB and 512 GB models for $200 off, a savings of 17% and 13%, respectively.

The demand for Apple's well-performing laptops could drop off rather dramatically in the first quarter of 2023, also because the highly anticipated MacBook Pro refresh with the improved Apple M2 Pro and M2 Max chipsets has allegedly been pushed back once again.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has learned that Apple is working on a touch-enabled MacBook Pro. It is expected to feature an OLED panel and could be unveiled in 2025, at the earliest.

Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman has detailed Apple's plans for 2023. 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros with M2 Pro/M2 Max SoCs are scheduled for an early 2023 launch, followed by the 15-inch MacBook Air. The Mac Pro will retain its predecessor's cheese grater design and use an M2 Ultra chip.

Apple increased the price of the entry-level M2 MacBook Air by US$200 over the M1 MacBook Air. To justify the price bump, Apple redesigned the laptop with the second iteration of Cupertino’s in-house silicon at the notebook’s core. The 2022 MacBook Air also has an improved IPS display with a divisive notch.

Apple released the 13-inch MacBook Pro M1 in late 2020 at a starting price of US$1,299. Although relatively old, the notebook is still sufficiently powerful for most users. Now, B&H Photo has discounted the machine by more than US$500, making the MacBook Pro with M1 worth considering.

Reportedly, Apple is in the latter stages of developing a MacBook Air 15. Now expected to launch with a 15.5-inch panel, the MacBook Air 15 is said to be in line for a spring 2023 launch.

Apple has released a raft of OS updates, with the company upgrading all core product lines ahead of the holiday season. macOS Ventura 13.1, tvOS 16.2 and watchOS 9.2 are rolling out now, as are iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2.

According to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, Apple will opt for OLED displays in both iPad Pro models and the MacBook Air in 2024. This would be a change for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which currently uses a mini-LED panel, and the MacBook Air and iPad Pro 11, which both use IPS LCDs. Young also claims these devices, including the MacBook Air, will support Apple's ProMotion technology with a 120 Hz variable refresh rate.

The Geekbench 5 database entry appears to feature an M2 Max engineering sample with 12 ARM cores that is 10% faster in single-core tests and 20% faster in multi-core tests compared to the M1 Max.

Amazon is currently selling the 2022 MacBook Air with Apple's M2 chip for US$150 off, a savings of 10-13%. This discount applies to both the 256 GB and 512 GB versions of Apple's new notebook.

Contrary to earlier assumptions, Apple will not be releasing any new hardware before the end of this year. While the company still plans to deliver software updates across its product stack, Mark Gurman and @LeaksApplePro now observe that it will be early 2023 before next-generation MacBook Pro 14, MacBook Pro 16, Mac mini and Mac Pro models arrive.

Apple is now allowing people to try the next major updates across its iPhone, iPad and Mac product stacks. Available as the first beta versions of iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2 and macOS Ventura 13.1, all versions contain several changes, such as Apple's new Freeform app.

UGREEN's latest multi-port is called a docking station, although it has more of a tower format for easy USB type-C-to-C connection to an ever-growing list of powerful ultrabooks. It supports external monitors of up to 8K/30Hz, albeit when used as a hub for Windows machines only. A triple 4K/60Hz display option is open to MacBooks, however, with some caveats.

Apple may be preparing the company’s first Mac Pro with Apple silicon if the latest report from Mark Gurman is true. According to the insider, Cupertino is currently testing the unannounced Mac Pro with two new M2 chips that are up to four times more performant than the M2 Max.

Apple may have announced new hardware today, but it has also announced public release dates for iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura. Available across multiple product lines, both OS updates ship with Stage Manager and a dedicated Weather app, among other changes.

The 2020 MacBook Air may already be two years old, but the blazing-fast Apple M1 SoC and a considerably discounted price arguably give this 13-inch laptop one of the best price-to-performance ratios that Cupertino has to offer these days.

Although there is no official announcement yet, the latest reports claim that macOS Ventura will arrive in the final week of this month. Announced back in early June, macOS 13 Ventura is expected to bring support for the unreleased M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro models, both rumored to arrive soon.

Amazon's current deal for the iconic 13-inch MacBook Pro with the fast Apple M2 processor might be a good choice for buyers who would like to avoid the controversial display notch found on the similarly priced but also passively cooled 2022 MacBook Air.

Apple's quick 14-inch laptop usually sells for its official MSRP of around US$1,999; but thanks to a new deal on Amazon and a quite significant 20% discount, the 2021 MacBook Pro can now be ordered for one of its lowest prices ahead of the rumored release of the slightly improved 2022 model year.

Earlier in the year, Apple introduced a redesigned MacBook Air and a minor refresh of the MacBook Pro with the latest M2 chip. As is custom, speculation was high that we’ll see more devices featuring the new chip before 2023. Mark Gurman explains in his latest newsletter the possible Mac and iPad devices that Cupertino might release before the end of the year.

UGREEN has launched a new, up-to-140 watt (W) version of its Nexode-series power brick. This variant has 1 USB type-A port and 2 type-C ports, one of which is rated for its new maximum output. The OEM asserts that it can charge a new MacBook Pro 14 by 80% in an hour, while being 22% smaller than the first-party accessory for the same purpose.

Apple is gearing up to release the 2022 MacBook Pro models with 14" and 16" displays that will only see processor bumps to new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. As the upgrade is not that significant and a global recession may be coming, Apple has reportedly sent up to 30% part order cuts to suppliers.

Apple is giving its MacBook and iPad OLED display suppliers from Samsung and LG a hard time again, as it is reportedly not content with the image quality of midsize flexible OLED panels. It has requested a hybrid screen for its larger OLED devices that uses glass substrate like in LCD panels.

Apple is "well into development" with its upcoming MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16. These laptops will be powered by the M2 Pro and M2 Max SoCs and are on track for a fall release if things go according to plan. Apple is also expected to introduce the Watch Pro with a satellite function similar to what is speculated with the iPhone 14.

Not to be outdone by Sony, Samsung announced that it will be starting mass production of microdisplays for upcoming AR/VR devices in 2024. It will also ramp up the output of 8th-gen OLED displays for laptops and tablets significantly then.

Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has debunked earlier rumours about the Apple M2 Pro being manufactured on TSMC's latest N3 process. It will instead use the same TSMC N5P node used by the base M2 SoC announced earlier this year.

New iPad tablets and M2-powered Mac computers are apparently on the menu for an Apple October special event according to a well-known analyst. The latest iPad and iPad Pro models are in for an overhaul in comparison to their predecessors, while fans could be treated to a brand-new MacBook Pro laptop before the year is out.

INVZI is a crowdfunding smash hit that overtly comes for first-party Apple MacBook first-party chargers with accessories of the same 67W to 140W power-delivery profiles, but with smaller footprints capable of similar performance thanks to "GaN II" technology. Their early-bird campaign has ended; however, they are still available on Indiegogo at discounted InDemand prices.

Multiple reports from Taiwanese news outlets suggest that the M2's successor, the Apple M2 Pro, will be mass produced later this year. It will use TSMC's cutting-edge N3 node and power MacBooks/Mac Minis sometime in 2023/2024.

Apple has now added the first Touch Bar Mac — the 2016 Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch — to its vintage product list. The 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro is joined by seven other Mac computers and two 9.7-inch iPad Pros. Products in Apple's vintage list are typically ineligible for official servicing, but customers still get an additional couple of years subject to parts availability.

Market analysts have been less than optimistic about Apple's ability to live up to earlier estimates of how much revenue it could generate for its third fiscal quarter of 2022 (3FQ2022). However, those figures are now out there, and they show the Cupertino giant have defied those expectations with "record" takings for the 3 months. On the other hand, the new MacBooks Air and Pro could be said to have fallen short of their ability to contribute to this new report.

Apple has finally released new OS updates for the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch following almost two months of beta testing. iOS 15.6, iPadOS 15.6, macOS 12.5 and watchOS 8.7 are all available to download now and mainly focus on fixing bugs that existed in older builds.

Although the brand-new MacBook Air with the lightning-quick Apple M2 chip has only been on the market for a few days, first customers and reviewers are already noticing that one of the new colors seems to be particularly susceptible to scuffs and scratches.

The Apple M2 SoC has scored another benchmark victory by topping PassMark’s current laptop CPU chart for single-thread performance. The M2 actually removed none other than the impressively powerful Intel Core i9-12950HX from the top; however, the Apple silicon couldn’t outscore chips like the i7-1260P and i7-1280P in multithread testing.