MacBook Air - page 18

Google is gunning for Apple with a wave of new products designed to compete with everything from the iPhone to AirPods.

During its hour-long event this morning, Google revealed its best smartphone ever in the Pixel 4 and we must say, it actually looks pretty awesome. Google also came out with new smart speakers, WiFi routers, a new MacBook competitor and much more.

For a company that makes most of its money off of search engine ads, Google’s hardware game is finally looking like a worthy Apple challenger.

Virgin Australia this week banned all MacBooks from checked luggage over battery fire fears.

The move follows a worldwide recall of certain 15-inch MacBook Pros. Apple’s notebooks can still be transported in cabin baggage, according to an update on the airline’s Dangerous Goods page.

Shipments of MacBooks were up almost 20% during the second quarter of this year compared to the same period of 2018, according to a market-research firm.

And the analysts predict another 20% growth in the current quarter, buoyed by the release of the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Apple rarely, if ever, pokes fun at its competition in ads these days. But that same lesson hasn’t been learned by Apple’s rivals — as a new Microsoft ad for the Surface Laptop 2 shows.

For the ad, Microsoft (or, rather, its ad agency) tracked down a real life guy named Mackenzie “Mac” Book from Sydney, Australia. Guess whether he prefers Microsoft or Apple’s laptop? The hint is in the fact that it’s a Microsoft ad.

One of the worst problems with the MacBook Pro and other Apple notebooks is finally going to get fixed this year.

Apple reportedly will move away from its controversial butterfly keyboard in favor of a more reliable design. And according to the best Apple analyst in the game, the new keyboard will come to the 16-inch MacBook Pro first.

Owners of recent MacBooks Pro and Air can enjoy True Tone, a great technology that uses an ambient light sensor to match the color of the Mac’s display to its surroundings. True Tone mimics a white sheet of paper, which reflects the ambient light. The goal is to avoid a cold-blue screen when you’re in a nice, warmly lit room.

True Tone is a wonderful feature, and really makes everything look better. But it’s only available on new Macs. Today we’ll see how you can fake it on older computers.

You need a 2019 MacBook Pro, but there are so many of configurations to choose from, with the top model more than twice as expensive as the base one. Naturally, Apple makes you pay extra for a faster processor, but is the additional cost worth it?

We took benchmarking scores for all the variations of the newest Mac laptop and divided them by the cost of each. The results might well surprise you.

Apple’s newest MacBook Air costs $100 less than the previous model — but how was that saving made?

It turns out Apple may have cut corners on storage to shave money off the notebook’s price tag. Tests have found new machine packs slower storage than the 2018 MacBook Air.

Apple just radically simplified its laptop lineup, rolling out great updates to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (and killing two models). Now the big question is, which Apple laptop is right for you? Here’s our buyer’s guide to the new MacBooks.

Find out what makes these new machines so enticing and different in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Grab it for free from the iOS App Store to enjoy on your iPad. Or read the rest of the best Apple news, reviews and how-tos in your browser by clicking on the headlines below.

This week on The CultCast: Big Mac updates! Apple just refreshed the MacBook Air (and dropped the price), and supercharged the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Plus: A new report says Apple will finally update the butterfly keyboard with a design we were all hoping for. And we wrap with a true story that could save you thousands: How neglecting the batteries in your tech could cost you big-time…

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Apple’s current laptop lineup is the simplest it’s been in a while. It consists of the 13-inch MacBook Air, and two sizes of MacBook Pro, which are almost identical apart from size.

If you want a 15-inch Apple notebook, then the choice is easy. But if you want a 13-incher, which should you pick? That’s what we’ll look at today, pitching the 13-inch MacBook Air against the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Apple has significantly reduced the price of its SSD upgrades for Mac.

Many options now cost half as much as they did yesterday. A whopping 4TB SSD for the 15-inch MacBook Pro is now priced at $1,400 — down from $2,800.

Apple has dropped the 12-inch MacBook after introducing an improved MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro.

The previous MacBook Air without a Retina display, which was Apple’s most affordable notebook, has also been ditched.

Apple has updated the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro for the back-to-school season. And they’re now more affordable.

The newest MacBook Air now ships with a True Tone display — just like its more expensive siblings. The newest 13-inch MacBook Pro is powered by faster Intel chips, while the entry-level model now offers a Touch Bar with Touch ID.

Apple has identified a logic board issue with “a vey small number” of 2018 MacBook Air units. Users can return their machine to an Apple Store or Authorized Service Provider for a free repair.

You will receive an email from Apple if your MacBook Air is affected.

There are some incredible discounts to be had on some of the best Apple machines right now, like $780 off the 27-inch iMac, $400 off the 21.5-inch iMac, and $100 off the newest MacBook Air.

And yours could be even cheaper when you raise some upgrade cash with Cult of Mac.

We’ll pay real money for your old Mac, and we make the whole process quick and easy. What’s more, we typically cough up more than other buyback services. Get a quote today to find out how much your old Mac is really worth.

Not many Apple computers will be left out in the cold when its big macOS Catalina upgrade rolls out this fall. But even if your Mac is compatible, it might not be able to take advantage of every feature.

Sidecar, which lets you use an iPad as a second screen, will only support a limited number of machines. If your Mac is getting a little long in the tooth, you’re probably going to be out of luck.

Apple is hard at work on the replacement for macOS Mojave. The next version will include new features focused on privacy, accessibility and performance. But that‘s a bit hollow for notebooks and desktops that can’t install the upgrade.

Fortunately, Apple extended support for macOS Catalina to as many devices as possible.

Freshly leaked details about the 2019 iPhone lineup claim customers can expect faster-charging capabilities right out of the box.

While Apple added faster-charging powers to the iPhone since the iPhone 8, it’s been giving customers the same 5W charger that has been used for years. That is finally set to change this year though as Apple is reportedly planning to include an 18W charger in the box with new 2019 iPhones.

This week on The CultCast: Some major changes are in store for Apple’s legendary industrial design team … we discuss. Plus: Apple commits to fixing all MacBook keyboard issues in just one day. This is huge. And it looks like not one but two new versions of the AirPods are on the way, with one being released this year. We’ll fill you in. And the new Powerbeats Pro wireless earphones are almost here, and they look like the higher-quality AirPods we’ve always wanted.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain..

Apple has ordered that sticky MacBook keys be repaired fast enough that, whenever possible, the owner can get their computer back the next day.

The company says only a small number of its laptops develop keyboard problems, but clearly it’s feeling the heat from irate customers.

Installing the latest macOS version on a 2018 MacBook Air increases the maximum screen brightness.

Apple’s own description of this notebook indicates that the highest potential brightness level is now 400 nits. That’s much higher than with this laptop launched.

Mac gamers can finally add more horsepower to their Mac without breaking the bank on an expensive external GPU.

Sonnet unveiled its new eGFX Breakaway Puck today that packs Radeon RX 560 graphics for just $400. This is the cheapest eGPUs we’ve seen yet, making it perfect for MacBook owners that are hampered by the machines’ weak internals.

This week on The CultCast: The death of AirPower — the real problem that no one is talking about. Plus: 2019 iPhone rumors point to some wildly useful new features; more evidence the 2018 MacBook, Air and Pro keyboards are still having problems. And we wrap up with a review of Leander’s favorite wireless charging mat, Lewis’ take on the new AirPods 2, and Erfon’s got a favorite new podcasting gadget on an all-new Under Review.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain..

MacBooks made over several years were prone to keyboard issues. Apple tweaked the design of this critical component last year, and there was great optimism that the problem had been fixed in the latest macOS computers.

Nope.