MacBook Pro - page 6

These days, folks who use their computer setups to work on media, especially video, tend to rely on some sort of studio controller to streamline workflow. Today’s MacBook Pro user and YouTube video maker takes advantage of one of the top products out there, Elgato Stream Deck. Now the company is on its newer MK.2 edition. The device gives you 15 customizable keys to control all sort of actions in your workflow, including launching apps, posting to social media, adjusting lights and audio, and more.

Apple gave its MacBook Pro lineup an M4-focused refresh last week. From the outside, the new laptops might look the same as their M3 predecessors, but that’s not the case.

Look closely, and you’ll notice the M4 MacBook Pros come with subtle yet important upgrades. Read below to learn everything that’s changed between the M4 and M3 MacBook Pro family.

Doesn’t it seem like the B&H Photo Holiday Head Start sale gets going earlier every year? Just kidding, never heard of it — but it looks tempting all the same. Sorting by brand, we saw that you can scroll down the page to see miles of Apple holiday deals, bagging more than 100 great bargains on pretty much the whole range of products, from MacBooks to AirTags.

Apple’s next major MacBook Pro design refresh reportedly will arrive in 2026. It will apparently feature a new display technology and a 2nm M6 chip.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After a whirlwind week of M4 Mac releases, we weigh up the pros (tons) and cons (very few). Mostly it’s a lovefest as we talk about the new M4 Mac mini, iMac and MacBook Pros.

Also on The CultCast:

• What’s up with Apple putting the new Mac mini power button on the bottom? (Luckily, the internet has some “fixes.”)
• Apple surprised us by upgrading the RAM on M2 and M3 MacBook Airs — without raising the prices!
• We wrap up with a discussion of what new Apple gear we ordered after this week’s Mac-o-rama.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Is the new M4 MacBook Pro worth it? The latest models come with impressive power and unbelievable battery life. Even if you bought the M1 model, the new version may be a huge boost in performance.

Is it worthwhile to upgrade? We have a guide below with helpful charts and a video to help you decide.

Many computer setups feature advanced camera and lighting arrangements for tasks like video streaming, but not every day do we see home rigs with teleprompters in them. Today’s MacBook Pro is an exception. The user runs a teleprompter setup with a specialized monitor and key lights. So is the user a remote correspondent on some news show? Nope, he uses the teleprompter outfit just for Zoom meetings, actually.

With the release this week of new M4 Mac mini and M4 MacBook Pro computers comes a return to form for Apple advertising, with delightful M4 promotional videos that give the new hardware relatable human characteristics. They’re fun to watch, and you can do so below.

Tuesday’s animated video turns Mac mini into an affable yet capable and hyper-productive guy you might want to get a beer with. Wednesday’s MacBook Pro video depicts a power lifter-turned-showman flaunting effortless feats of strength, not to mention acrobatic prowess and grace.

Apple’s announcements this week of the first M4 Macs were impressive and full of surprises. But if you don’t have time to sit through all three videos, totaling nearly 40 minutes, you can watch our edit of it all in just 90 seconds.

Apple took the wraps off M4-powered MacBook Pros on Wednesday. While the new laptops sport the same design as their predecessors, they deliver faster performance and a staggering 24 hours of battery life, the company said in a press release announcing the M4 MacBook Pro launch.

“MacBook Pro is an incredibly powerful tool that millions of people use to do their life’s best work, and today we’re making it even better,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering.

The new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips Apple unveiled Wednesday for new, higher-end MacBook Pro models will bring more than enough power to handle Apple Intelligence and plenty of other complex computing tasks, Apple said. M4 Pro actually made its debut Tuesday with the redesigned M4 Pro Mac mini. The new chips may find their way into other machines, like Mac Studio, next year.

“Apple silicon has taken the Mac to unprecedented heights, and the rapid pace of innovation continues with M4 Pro and M4 Max,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Technologies. “With the world’s fastest CPU core, immensely more powerful GPUs, and the fastest Neural Engine ever, the power-efficient performance and capabilities of the M4 family extend its lead as the most advanced lineup of chips in the industry.”

These days so many people run external displays that operate as USB-C hubs that it’s getting rare to see a charger in the middle of a computer setup. But today’s MacBook Pro and Studio Display outfit features a powerful charger right in the mix — an Anker Prime Charging Station. It blasts up to 250 watts of power, works in Wi-Fi mode and features one very interesting and unusual feature.

Today’s featured M3 MacBook Pro setup comes from a user who packs not one, not two but three Mac Pro desktop computers (you know, the famously powerful and expensive ones). He uses a “trash can” Mac Pro regularly, but he’s not sure what he’ll do with the other two that he acquired recently for his Mac Pro collection, other than work on them. In the meantime, he’s got his Apple laptop, but his work makes him deal with a PC laptop most of the time, he said.

Apple let the world know Thursday that its much-anticipated October event won’t be a traditional one. Instead, it’ll be a week of announcements of new products via press releases.

What the PR blitz will bring is supposed to be a secret, of course. But we already know much of what’s likely coming: MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac mini, all running the M4 processor, plus the iPad 11.

While some M4 Macs may arrive in the next week, Apple also gears up for a bigger expansion of its M4 chip rollout, including the M4 MacBook Air coming in early 2025, according to a new report. However, it may push back launch plans for the next Mac Studio desktop computer a few months into next year, amid other release plans next spring. Those include a redesigned iPhone SE and a new entry-level iPad (11th generation). If you’re curious about the Mac M4 lineup and its expected features, take a look at this in-depth coverage.

If you’re wondering when will iPhone SE 4 come out, speculation suggests a release could be just around the corner.

It’s another thrilling Monday, so we thought we’d sex things up with everybody’s favorite scintillating subject — cable management. Sarcasm aside, it’s high on the list of things folks only love having done, not planning (and dreading) or actually doing (in half-assed ways). Anyone who’s ever been forced to clean their room can relate. So today’s easily digestible tidbit comes from a MacBook Pro user offering one simple and effective MacBook Pro cable management tip.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iPad mini 7! But does this mean Apple canceled its October Mac event? And if so, are updated M4 Macs still coming this year?

Also on The CultCast, we discuss a “Cheaper” Vision headset, what Steve Ballmer is up to, plus Apple’s smart home strategy.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Late-model MacBook Pro laptops include a decent camera. But many users find it falls a bit short for use on their video calls, podcasts and other needs. So a display-mounted webcam creeps into many MacBook setups. Today’s MacBook Pro user relies on the well-regarded Logitech StreamCam webcam to punch up his video footage.

While there’s much anticipation for an Apple October product launch event, something happened Tuesday to make one less likely.

But don’t worry: Mac notebooks and desktops with the M4 processor are still expected to premiere soon. Just maybe more quietly.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: new Macs and iPads are coming soon — but the MacBook Pro is already here! It’s the biggest leak since the iPhone 4.

Also on The CultCast, Apple silicon modems are back on the table, our hands-on with Apple Intelligence and the scoop on Apple’s new update strategy.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Coding with Magic Mouse? Apple’s sleek input device has plenty of haters of all stripes. But at least one developer, who works with an M1 Max MacBook Pro, loves it. And perhaps even more surprisingly, he detests the mouse that is surely Magic Mouse’s biggest competitor, given how it shows up in most of the setups we cover.

Whether Apple launches the M4 MacBook Pro at a glitzy press event or a quiet press release, the next-generation macOS notebook is undoubtedly mere weeks away — probably reaching customers on November 1.

Here’s what to expect from the late-2024 MacBook Pro when it gets upgraded with the new Apple M4 processor.

Run by a software developer, today’s M1 Pro MacBook Pro setup doesn’t just rock two external displays. It also features a very cool input-device duo — the mouse we see more than any other in setups, which is the Logitech MX Master 3S wireless mouse, and the super-cool NuPhy Air96 V2 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard.

It’s that time of year again, Amazon Prime Day (the fall edition, October 8 and 9). So the early deals flowed starting over the weekend, with the full-on sale hitting with even better deals on Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ll show you the best Amazon Prime Day deals on Apple gear, from AirPods to iPads to MacBooks to Studio Display. And that includes Apple audio subsidiary Beats, too. Click on the links below, and return to this page often — deals are subject to change, often for the better, and we’ll add more as we find them.

Update: Though prices on some items continue to fluctuate, Amazon has extended most deals beyond Wednesday.

Most users obsess about the main hardware they have in their computer setup, from computers to mechanical keyboards, but lighting plays a big role, too. After all, you have to be able to see what you’re doing without eye strain (and how better to snap pics and show off your rig on social media?). Today’s MacBook Pro user asked for lighting advice and got it, below.