Just before the holiday shopping season kicks into full swing Apple has decided to make it harder to see reviews of the products it sells online.
The Ratings and Reviews section of Apple’s online store was recently removed from all product pages with no word on why the change was made.
Apple’s long-awaited 16-inch MacBook Pro is on sale now, and it’s (almost) everything we hoped it would be. If you’re lusting after one, Cult of Mac’s buyback program can help make it more affordable.
We pay great prices for used MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro units — and we make the whole process quick and simple. We also cough up real cash, so you can spend it anywhere you like.
Apple finally unleashed its long-rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro on the world this morning, and according to some lucky people who got to play with it early, it was well worth the wait.
The new 16-inch MacBook Pro pulled out plenty of surprises beyond its bigger display. Early hands-on reviews rave about the scissor keyboard, the new audio system, upgraded thermal management and of course, its beastly processing power.
Here’s what reviewers are saying about the new machine.
Apple’s all-new 16-inch MacBook Pro will come packing improved speakers and noise-canceling microphones, according to one reliable source.
The machine, which could also pack the sharpest display Apple has ever put into a MacBook Pro, could make its official debut later today.
Since I wrote about Apple’s ongoing MacBook disaster last week, and then offered a bunch of alternatives to the current MacBook lineup, several readers got in touch to ask which — if any — older MacBooks we’d recommend. I haven’t bought a MacBook in years, so I did a little research, and asked around the Cult of Mac crew.
So, let’s find out which is the best (old) MacBook you can buy today.
That butterfly keyboard. Those missing ports. The annoying lack of easy upgrades. Cult of Mac’s Charlie Sorrel makes a good case that the current MacBook lineup is a disaster. Can Apple turn it around?
Get his take (as well as his list of the top MacBook alternatives) in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. You’ll also get plenty of Apple news, reviews and how-tos — all for free.
Despite the endless disappointments with iPadOS 13, there’s still no way I’d switch to a MacBook right now. MacBooks (and MacBook Pros) were always the gold (or aluminum?) standard for laptops — reliable, well-designed and long-lasting. Reviewers would even recommend that PC users buy a Mac and install Windows on it via Boot Camp. But today, MacBooks problems abound.
Apple’s laptops are a sorry bunch. And it’s not just the troublesome butterfly keyboard. Every week, I read tweets and blog posts about freelancers and employees of big companies alike losing valuable time as their MacBooks go back for repair for the third or fourth time. So what is happening? What are the biggest problems with today’s MacBooks? And can these MacBook problems be fixed?
Apple plans to deliver a refreshed MacBook Pro with a brand-new scissor switch keyboard in 2020.
One reliable analyst says we can expect to see the machine late in the second quarter or early in the third quarter. Apple could unveil it at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference next June.
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.
The 2018 iPad Pro is an incredible machine. It’s powerful. It has a screen so good that it’s hard to look at anything else after seeing it. Face ID was made for the iPad, and is way more suited to a tablet than a phone. And the physical design is beautiful. It’s thin, the bezels are small enough not to notice, and the iPad Pro’s USB-C port is far more useful than I imagined.
And yet this is the worst iPad I have ever used. It has been buggy. It can’t do basic tasks with any consistency. Audio drops out. And until I updated to iOS 13, the screen would freeze a few times a day.
Oh, and once I bent it without even realizing.
You might want to think twice about upgrading your iPad Pro this year. A new report claims Apple could deliver a more significant refresh with brand-new display technology as early as 2020.
The same technology, which is expected to use approximately 10,000 tiny LEDs, could also appear in a new MacBook around the same time, according to one reliable analyst.
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.
Carrying essential accessories with you wherever you go can be a nightmare. Your wires can get tangled, your AirPods can get lost, and your Apple Pencil can end up in more than one piece. That’s why you need the Bento Stack.
This compact, multi-compartment storage solution keeps more than 10 must-have accessories neatly organized when you’re on the road. It’s a must-have if you’re a frequent traveler.
Mac laptops made in the last few years have an annoying/convenient feature. Open one up, and it powers on. MacBooks have woken from sleep when you open the lid for years, but now they boot from cold, too. Want to clean the keyboard without turning the thing on? Tough.
Or is it? If you want to stop this behavior, it’s easy. Here’s how.
iPhones may not be the only 5G-enabled product Apple introduces next year. According to a new report, Apple is planning its first ever cellular MacBooks for launch during the second half of 2020.
The cellular laptops will use the super speedy new mobile connectivity standard. They will supposedly use a ceramic, rather than metal, antenna component to improve reception and transmission performance.
Apple is hoping to inject some inspiration into the lives of college students around the country with a new ad celebrating the return to school this month.
The fantastic new Behind the Mac ad celebrates the creation of art by telling students that they have no idea what they’re doing. And this is great.
Prepare to be inspired:
B&H Photo’s big discount on the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display is now even bigger. This super-speedy model is now down $700 for a limited time — and it’s just one of the awesome offers in today’s Deals & Steals roundup.
You can also bag an unlocked iPhone for under $205, an Amazon Echo Show for under $60, and the Netgear Orbi whole home Wi-Fi mesh system for under $200. Plus, you can save $17.50 on the stunning Twelve South HiRise stand for MacBook.
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.
Huawei has beaten Apple to delivering a 16-inch notebook with an edge-to-edge display.
The Chinese company’s new MagicBook Pro delivers the design MacBook fans have been dreaming of — months ahead of Apple. But it isn’t really a “Pro” machine.
Look, it’s yet another beautiful bag from San Francisco’s WaterField Designs. The Executive Leather Messenger is a modern take on the briefcase, designed for MacBooks, iPads and chargers, instead of clipboards, papers and cigarettes.
That’s not to say that you can’t take this to a martini bar, or fill it with analog vapers and “artisanal emails” (aka written letters), if you want to.
Apple is considering a MacBook with two displays, with the second screen acting as a keyboard. By necessity, iPads already employ on-screen keyboards but these lack tactile feedback. Apple is looking for ways to make these virtual keys move when they’re typed on.
The company has been pursuing this project for years, as demonstrated by a patent it just received.
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.
Xiaomi has a history of shamelessly ripping off bigger brands, and nine times out of ten, its chosen target is Apple.
The Chinese company has previously cloned the iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and more — without a single shred of fear that it might one day feel the wrath of Apple’s legal department.
Xiaomi’s latest ripoff is its own version of Memoji, and it brazenly stole Apple’s own commercials to promote it on a number of retail channels this week.
Here’s how Xiaomi gets away with it.
Many fans hated the controversial butterfly switch keyboard that Apple introduced in 2015. While it’s since worked to improve it, the MacBook keyboards’ low-travel design has caused plenty of handwringing among the Mac faithful.
They might not be around for too much longer, however. According to a new research note from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is set to replace them with a whole new keyboard switch mechanism. This will debut with the 2019 MacBook Air.
5The FCC just signed off on an Apple laptop that hasn’t been announced yet. This could be the 16-inch MacBook Pro that’s been the subject of recent rumors. Or it might be just a speed-bumbled version of an earlier model.