laptop

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on laptop:

Google, Qualcomm and others cease partnerships with Huawei

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Huawei P20 Pro
It’s just a backup plan for now.
Photo: Huawei

Google has suspended its business with Huawei and revoked its Android license following a U.S. crackdown on Chinese technology companies.

It’s a massive blow for the world’s third-biggest smartphone-maker — and it’s not the only one it received this weekend. Intel, Qualcomm, and other chip manufacturers have also halted their partnerships with the company.

Another clue that ‘inexpensive’ MacBooks will land soon

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Get a MacBook Air for $200 off
It’s about time we saw that new MacBook Air.
Photo: Apple

One of Apple’s manufacturing partners will enjoy a significant boost in the fourth quarter of 2018 as a result of the company’s new, “inexpensive notebooks.”

Quanta Computer has just been overtaken by Compal as the world’s top laptop manufacturer, but it will catch up this year as Apple prepares to deliver what will likely be a new MacBook Air.

Microsoft’s Surface Book 2 is ready to take on the MacBook Pro

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Microsoft Surface Book
The Microsoft Surface Book 2.
Photo: Microsoft

The MacBook Pro is about to face some tough competition from Microsoft’s newest laptop/tablet hybrid that was just revealed today.

Microsoft’s new Surface Book 2 computers are being billed as the most powerful laptops to come from Microsoft. The company even says they’re twice as powerful as the latest MacBook Pro.

Apple will have to fight off new Surface devices next month

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Surface Book
Apple won't make a 2-in-1, but Microsoft has more up its sleeve.
Photo: Microsoft

Apple will have to fight off fresh competition from new Surface devices next month. Microsoft has confirmed it will be holding a keynote in London during its annual Future Decoded event, and sources familiar with its plans say we can expect at least one new device.

Launch your cryptocurrency portfolio and more [Week’s Best Deals]

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This week's best deals include lessons in the basics of cryptocurrency investing and digital marketing, along with stereo Bluetooth speakers and a massive backup battery.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Summer’s drawing to a close. But the deals rolling into the Cult of Mac Store are showing no signs of slowing. This week, we’ve got a guide cryptocurrency investing for beginners started in, and a digital marketing masterclass. Additionally, we’ve got a stereo pair of portable Bluetooth speakers, and a powerful but slim backup battery. Everything is massively discounted, some by more than 90 percent. Read on for more details:

Apple targets students and travelers in new iPad Pro ads

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iPad Pro comes with all-day battery.
iPad Pro comes with all-day battery.
Photo: Apple

Apple continued its new ad campaign series for the iPad Pro today by publishing some new ads that showcase how the tablet is the perfect laptop replacements.

The three new ads are aimed at students and frequent travelers by highlighting the iPad Pro’s lightness, ability to carry textbooks and notes on the same screen, as well as its all day battery life that can keep you entertained on a 12 hour flight. Like the previous set of iPad Pro ads, the quirky new videos feature tweets from real people with real problems.

Watch all three short ads below:

Middle East airlines lend iPads to skirt tablet ban

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Airlines are offering loaner laptops on flights from the Middle East.
Airlines are offering loaner laptops on flights from the Middle East.
Photo: Qatar Airlines

Two airlines from the Middle East are coming to the rescue of fliers that have been effected by President Donald Trump’s recent executive order banning the use of tablets and laptops on flights to the United States.

Both Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways launched new electronics loaner programs for passengers this week, giving customers the option to rent an iPad while their own device is safely stored inside checked baggage.

Does Apple trademark filing mean PowerBook is coming back?

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PowerBook 150
Apple's iconic pre-MacBook laptop brand might be making a comeback. Maybe.
Photo: Dana Sibera/Wikipedia CC

A couple of news outlets are flipping their lid over the news that Apple has filed a new worldwide trademark for the word “PowerBook,” the name of Apple’s pre-MacBook laptop series, which ran from 1991 until 2006.

The suggestion is that this could mean that Apple’s bringing back its iconic laptop brand name, either as a replacement for, or to run alongside, the MacBook series. We’re not so sure!

U.S. bans laptops and tablets on flights from 10 airports

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Emirates
Emirates is one of the airlines affected by the ban.
Photo: Emirates

The U.S. has confirmed a ban on laptops, tablets and other large electronics on flights from 10 international airports throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

These devices can be carried in checked baggage, but they’re no longer allowed in the passenger cabin. The U.K. is set to announce a similar ban shortly.

Apple tops tech support rankings for third year in a row

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The Genius Bar is one of the best things about buying a Mac.
The Genius Bar is one of the best things about buying a Mac.
Photo: Apple

If you want to get the absolute best tech support for your laptop, pay the Apple tax and get a Mac.

In the latest annual Tech Support Showdown rankings, Laptop Magazine has awarded Apple the number one spot for the third straight year. Apple beat out nine other companies, but it’s starting to get some serious competition from companies like Acer that are focusing more on online service.

Apple trashes printers in new iPad Pro ad

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No printer, no problem.
No printer, no problem.
Photo: Apple

Apple wants you to replace your printer with an iPad Pro.

In the company’s latest ad touting the iPad Pro as the perfect laptop replacement, Apple takes aim at the hassles of having to use a printer.

Created in the same vein as Apple’s last batch of iPad Pro commercials, the new ad features a real tweet complaining about having to print personal stuff at work. Apple’s solution is simple: get an iPad.

Razer built an insane gaming laptop with 3 screens

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projvalerie
Project Valerie is the coolest laptop... ever.
Photo: Razer

CES2017 Razer’s gaming laptops are some of the finest you can get your greasy mitts on, but none of them compare to the insane prototype the company teased today at CES in Las Vegas.

Dubbed “Project Valerie,” it’s the world’s first laptop with three screens — two of which gracefully slide away when you don’t need them.

Now is a great time to sell your old MacBook

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This guy spilled his coffee and then sold us his laptop.
This guy spilled his coffee and then sold us his laptop....
Photo: Pexels

With new MacBook Pro models just announced, it’s a great time to clear out your old laptop. Our MacBook buyback program will give you cash to upgrade.

You can still make money off your aging MacBook. Yeah, even those dusty old white ones from 2008. The buyback program will pay you cash for your Apple laptop, whether it’s the newest 15-inch MacBook Pro or a clunker you haven’t touched in five years.

The new MacBook Pro models look super sweeeeet, so it’s a great time to clear out old gear and pad your bank account so you can afford an upgrade.
The new machines are pricey, so you’ll need the extra cash.

9.7-inch iPad Pro is no laptop replacement, but it’s a terrific tablet [Reviews]

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iPad Pro 3
iPad Pro is even better at 9.7 inches.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple really, really wants you to replace your laptop with an iPad — especially if that laptop is powered by Windows. But before that switch can even be considered, the iPad needs to do everything your laptop can and more. That’s where iPad Pro comes in.

With its new A9X chip, it’s the most powerful iPad to date. It does everything your old iPad did, but it does it better. It’s compatible with the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, and now it’s available in a smaller form factor with a 9.7-inch display.

This new model is easier to carry around all day, but it packs almost exactly the same punch as the 12.9-inch iPad Pro — and the same stellar speakers. It has also adopted the incredible 12-megapixel iSight camera from iPhone 6s, with the dual-tone LED flash.

It’s everything you want in a tablet — and more.

STM Likes That I Cuss. On A Side Note, Here’s What Looks Like Another %#@&* Cool STM Bag [CES 2014]

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CES2014-14a
STM owner and co-founder Ethan Nyquist models the Drifter for us. Photo: Eli Milchman

Cult _of_Mac_CES_2014_80x80

LAS VEGAS — It’s a bit odd to be thanked for cussing; but that’s exactly what STM Bags owner Ethan Nyquist did when I walked over to the STM table during a press event at CES. Apparently he was considerably impressed with an enthusiastic exclamation I made about STM’s bags, in response to the announcement of one of their new backpacks*. Hey, what can I say — I’m a bag junkie, and I get passionate about stuff I like.

So here then, is a prediction: STM’s new Drifter will deepen the outfit’s rep as a maker of stellar bags.

Rickshaw Commuter 2.1 Bag Is As Well Designed As Apple Gear You’ll Put Inside [Review]

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commuter review_001

Commuter 2.1 byRickshaw
Category: Bags
Works With: iPad, MacBook
Price: $180 as tested

I’m a huge fan of Rickshaw’s bags. Pretty much everyone in the Rickshaw office cycles to work, and it shows in the design of the bags. They’re well made, practical and light, but still full of clever design details. The Commuter 2.1 is no exception, somehow managing to offer a huge collection of pickets and cubbyholes, and yet remaining light enough to be more comfy on the shoulder than many more simple messenger bags.

Want to know more? Read on:

Aviiq Freshens Its Origami-Like Portable Laptop Stand, Cuts Price

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aviiq-portable-laptop-stand

 

I’ve long been a big fan of Aviiq‘s laptop stands — so much so that I almost never use my MBP without a stand under it. Why? It props the MacBook up at an angle better suited to typing, raises the screen close to eye-level, and allows for better cooling by allowing for airflow between the MacBook’s bottom and the desk.

Aviiq has just refreshed the fancier of the two models, the Portable Laptop Stand, and brought down the price considerably.