MacBook

CheckList A bit of fact-checking never hurts. We went fishing for false claims in an official Apple launch video for the new MacBook Air 15, expecting to leave empty-handed. But the 145-second video for this latest MacBook laptop proved to be a well of questionable statements.

Baseus' Blade may be among the most popular of the 20,000mAh power bank category due to its ability to pack 100W charging via USB type-C into a form-factor just ~0.7 inches in height. Its new HD Series version has the same specs, yet is rated to cram them into a new chassis of just two-thirds the size of the original model. Nevertheless, it still boasts an LED status display and the same number of ports as its ultra-portable predecessor.

Sharge touts its latest product as the best way to turn up to 2TB of M.2 NVMe SSD storage into a "tiny, lightweight" everyday-carry accessory. It consists of an aluminum enclosure for such a card with a volume touted as equivalent to that of a couple of bottlecaps, designed to fit into a custom silicone bumper with a lanyard that also doubles as a data cable. The Disk also features a male USB type-C to plug into a compatible laptop, smartphone, camera or console by itself for transfer speeds of up to 1GB per second (Gb/s).

The beta versions of platforms such as macOS are normally exclusive to those able or willing to pay US$99 (or the per-region equivalent) per year for an official Developer Program membership. However, the Cupertino giant has just unveiled a new, free version of this subscription that allows a user access to, say, the latest iOS 17 beta with their existing Apple ID.

MacOS Sonoma beta appears to be running DX12 games with relative ease on the M1 and M2 processors via the Wine emulator included with the Game Porting Toolkit. Cyberpunk 2077 struggles on the M1 with Ultra settings, but the M2 processors can run Diablo IV, Hogwarts Legacy and Spider-Man at more than 30 fps.

Apple has now revealed which devices are eligible for iPadOS 17, iOS 17, watchOS 10 and macOS Sonoma, OS upgrades that it announced as part of yesterday's WWDC 2023 keynote. Unfortunately, Apple has dropped some devices that it currently supports.

After months of speculation, the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air finally gets an official unveiling at WWDC23. The MacBook Air 15-inch is powered by the M2 SoC and brings niceties such as a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, a six-speaker Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio system, and a 500-nit IPS display to the table.

Apple unveiled the next iteration of macOS, dubbed "Sonoma," at WWDC today. Sonoma brings desktop widgets, improvements to Safari and web apps, and a new "Game Mode," among others.

Apple is projected to launch new MacBooks and possibly top-end iPads with a new chip called the M3 Pro soon. Now, it is slated to arrive with 20% more cores and 12.5% more graphics compared to its predecessor. That might sound like an iterative upgrade - then again, there may also be 12.5% more onboard memory, at least.

Apple has just reported "fiscal 2023 second quarter" (or 2FQ2023) takings reduced by 3% year-on-year (YoY). On the other hand, the Cupertino giant asserts that its iPhones made the most for any quarter in its history, while services such as Music or TV posted an "all-time record". Nevertheless, it follows that Macs and iPads did not do so well during the 3 months in question.

OWC's latest promotional event, somewhat unsurprisingly-themed, flash sale includes deals on the OEM's own SDXC or CFExpress cards. However, for those in need of a USB type-C ultrabook to use with them, there is a "new/factory-sealed" late-2021 14-inch MacBook Pro on offer. The Space Gray PC has 32GB of RAM, rather than the 16GB entry-level models usually found through online retail.

First announced last summer at WWDC, Apple is rolling out the first publicly available Rapid Security Response update for iOS and macOS. While details concerning what the security update patches are not yet known, this marks the first instance of Apple pushing a minor system update focused only on security.

The well-built base model from the current 2023 MacBook Pro lineup can now be ordered for a reduced sale price of US$1,749 after Amazon introduced a notable 12 percent discount on the very quick 14-inch multimedia laptop with the lightning-fast Apple M2 SoC.

According to a renowned analyst, Apple will sell its first 15-inch MacBook Air with two processor options. Reiterating an earlier rumour, the analyst alleges that the MacBook Air 15 will miss out on the Apple M3. There is no Apple M2 Pro option on the cards, either.

Thanks to the unrivaled efficiency of the M1 processor, this laptop remains cool even in full load and the battery life can last up to 18 hours. Despite having only 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM, all the native applications, including content creation suites provide excellent performance.

Apple's new M3 chip may not debut at WWDC 2023 alongside a 13-inch MacBook Air. It hasn't entered mass production and is expected to do so some time by Q3 2023.

The Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) of 2023 is already touted to go down in history as the event during which Apple's first-gen VR/AR headset is unleashed. However, the latest version of iOS is now also projected to vie for the spotlight by unlocking app sideloading on iPhones for the first time. The Conference is also now rumored to introduce iPadOS optimized for OLED and watchOS optimized for an underwhelming hardware upgrade.

Tim Cook is headed to India to open two new retail stores in the country. The new locations are found in 2 different cities, and will start to welcome customers from April 18, 2023. Apple touts them as sources of "excellent" customer service and experience in advance, and indicates that they underpin the country's increasing importance to it as a source of both sales and production.

Apple will be releasing its first MacBook Air with large display soon, as the device has been caught testing app compatibility running the yet-unreleased macOS 14. The MacBook Air 15 will still be powered by the current M2 processor family, though.

The first three months of 2023 (or 1Q2023) has proven a dismal quarter for PC sale - especially for top-5 brand Apple, apparently. It has outstripped other major OEMs such as Lenovo and Dell in terms of falling shipments and market share year-on-year (YoY). Then again, according to market analysis group IDC, there may be an upside to the lack of growth thus far.

AOHi has upgraded its Magcube series of multi-USB port "GaN+" power bricks with a new, up-to-140 watt (W) version. It has been released with a recommended retail price of about US$150 - however, initial launch deals bring that cost down to just under US$100 for a limited time.

CheckBack The Apple MacBook Pro 17 was one of the first Thunderbolt-enabled laptops on the market. It featured a large 95 Wh battery and a mighty 45 W Intel CPU. As with many Apple products, it was the high price that took a lot of shine out of the deal.

The M2 Mac Mini, the latest version of Apple's miniature desktop, is on sale at Amazon for up to US$110 off. With this discount, the base model falls to just under $500.

The entire Bitcoin whitepaper can be accessed in pdf form through the Image Capture utility or directly opening it through a terminal command. It has been "a feature" since the 2018 Mojave update, but anonymous sources claim that it will soon be removed.

Apple reportedly took the unprecedented step to idle its MacBook M2 processor production for two months as the nosedive in computer demand was sharper than expected. The M2 chip is at 50% production rate now, and a future OLED MacBook Air with Samsung screen won't come to the rescue any time soon.

Apple is apparently working on a new MacBook Air model with a 13.4-inch OLED display. Currently, Apple offers a 13.6-inch MacBook Air unlike the conventional 13.3-inch version. While Apple is expected to eventually transition to OLED with next year's iPad Pros and the MacBooks in 2025, the exact timeline for the new 13.4-inch OLED MacBook Air is still unclear.

Apple is rolling out macOS Ventura 13.3, the latest minor update before macOS 14 likely debuts later this year. Available to download now, macOS Ventura 13.3 features a few changes, including the option of removing the background from a chosen image. The new OS update coincides with an updated Apple Studio Display firmware, which adds Pro Display Calibrator.

UGREEN has announced that its latest USB type-C dock accessory has upgraded to integrate a 1Gb/s RJ-45 port, as well as a new DisplayLink chipset for its dual-monitor support. It allows the user to either extend the display contents across 2 4K/60Hz external displays, or switch one to a mirror mode instead. The new 9-in-1 I/O solution for ultrabooks such as the MacBook Pro is now available via sellers such as Amazon.

Apple is expected to launch the 13-inch MacBook Air with M3 at WWDC this year while the 15-inch MacBook Air may launch anytime between April and June with an M2/M2 Pro SoC. Apple is also expected to introduce an M3-powered iPad Pro with an OLED panel in early 2024. We might also get to see a touchscreen OLED MacBook in 2025.

Apple has already devoted over US$1 billion to the establishment of a Silicon Design Center located in Munich, Germany. Now, the Cupertino giant has announced that it intends to approximately double this investment in expanding the facility into new buildings with significantly more lab space and "cutting-edge design". The initiative is intended to enhance R&D on on projects such as next-gen processors and wireless technologies at the Center.

Apple M1 and M2 Mac users can now officially download Windows 11 on ARM via Parallels Desktop 18. Windows 11 on ARM does come with limitations when virtualized via Parallels, but most users will be able to game and even run x86 apps with decent performance. Parallels Desktop 18 also several enhancements including the ability to assign up to 18 CPU cores and 62 GB of RAM to the Windows VM in Mac Studios with Apple M1 Ultra SoCs.

The original 12-inch MacBook was released back in 2015, but according to a new leak from one of Apple's numerous suppliers, Cupertino plans for a new compact laptop are still active as the company is expected to make a final decision on the MacBook's future in the second half of 2023.

Square Enix offers Final Fantasy XIV for macOS via an official launcher, but it is just a wrapper and a poorly optimized and outdated one at that. The folks at XIV on Mac offer an open source alternative written in Swift that works natively on Apple silicon Macs with much improved game performance and support for the Metal 2 API.

OWC touts its new Thunderbolt Go as the most agile and versatile dock of its type, as it connects directly to AC without the usual need for a bulky adapter. It supports 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet as well as "full-featured" USB type-C ports backed to convert even a compatible tablet into a dual-monitor, PC-like experience. It is available from now, with the possibility of a mild discount to celebrate its release to pre-order.

Those with their hearts set on a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Apple's first ever in-house M-series processor and a Touch Bar may find that it is available as a renewed model more often than not. OWC's Valentine's Day sale includes just such a unit at nearly 50% of its starting price, described as a factory-sealed refurbished unit from the OEM in an as-new condition.

iFixit has disassembled the new 14-inch MacBook Pro. While the latest MacBook Pro 14 is visually unchanged from its predecessor, iFixit has revealed the extent of internal changes, including using a smaller heatsink.

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.