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MacBook - page 17

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 seeds macOS 10.12.4 beta 5 to developers

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macOS Sierra logo
A new macOS beta is out.
Photo: Apple

Registered Apple developers received some new beta software from Apple today with the release of macOS 10.12.4 beta 5.

The new beta comes one week after Apple released macOS 10.12.4 beta 5, bringing a number of new bug fixes and performance improvements to the Mac.

Should Apple swap Lightning for USB-C? [Friday Night Fights]

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friday_night_fights
Which would you prefer?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A recent rumor claimed Apple could swap its Lightning port for USB-C connectivity with iPhone 8 later this year. That’s already been debunked by one reliable analyst, but is it a move Apple should consider making in the foreseeable future?

Friday Night Fights bugLightning and USB-C both have their pros and cons. One has been around since iPhone 5 and we’re all familiar with it; the other is an open standard that anyone can use, which makes accessories, cables, and peripherals more affordable.

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over whether Apple should give Lightning the boot in 2017.

10 key takeaways from Apple’s historic earnings call

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Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
Apple made a ton of money. What more do you need to know?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple managed to shock Wall Street today by beating its own expectations for Q1 2017, the most profitable quarter in the company’s history.

There was good news all around as iPhone sales, services and even the Mac all performed better than predicted. During today’s earnings call, Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri revealed some of the secret sauce that made Apple’s earnings one for the history books.

Here are the top takeaways from today’s call.

Liveblog: Apple hits new highs with doubleplusgood Q1 2017 earnings call

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Get ready for Apple's most exciting earnings call of 2017.
Get ready for Apple's most exciting earnings call of 2017.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to reveal its first quarterly earnings report of 2017 and, if Wall Street’s estimates are any indicator, it could be Apple’s biggest quarter ever.

After multiple quarters of declining revenues, today’s call could see the company return to growth, lifted by strong iPhone sales over the holidays and a burgeoning services business that has quickly become Apple’s second-biggest moneymaker.

Tim Cook and Luca Maestri are scheduled to hold an open call with investors today at 2 p.m. Pacific. As usual, Cult of Mac will be here liveblogging and analyzing all the action. Get prepped for the call with our guide on what to expect, and join the fun in the liveblog below.

Microsoft says it is winning its new war against Macs

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Surface-Studio
Surface Studio is a Windows all-in-one that finally gives the iMac a run for its money.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft’s decision to wage a new war against Macs with premium Windows PCs is paying off, the company says. Thanks to high-end devices like the Surface Book and Surface Studio, Microsoft managed to steal market share from Apple last quarter.

Night Shift arrives on Mac in first macOS 10.12.4 beta

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15 inch MacBook Pro Silver
There's a new beta out for Macs.
Photo: Apple

A new macOS beta finally brings the popular Night Shift feature from iOS to the Mac.

Apple seeded macOS 10.12.4 beta 1 to all registered developers today, bringing Night Shift plus a host of bug fixes and performance improvements for Apple’s computers. The new macOS beta comes alongside the first betas for iOS 10.3 and tvOS 10.2.

2017 MacBook Pro to bring Intel Kaby Lake, 32GB of RAM

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MacBook
The next MacBook Pro will bring the power pro users require.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will launch a new 15-inch MacBook Pro later this year powered by Intel’s next-generation Kaby Lake processors and 32GB of desktop-class RAM, according to a reliable analyst.

The latest models feature Skylake chips and up to 16GB of RAM, but many professionals have complained this just isn’t enough for a high-end notebook.

Devs get fourth betas of macOS 10.12.3 and iOS 10.2.1

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iPhone 7
A new iOS beta is now available.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple seeded two new beta builds to developers today, bringing a host of bug fixes and improvements to iOS 10.2.1 and macOS 10.12.3.

The new builds come just three days after Apple dropped its first batch of betas for 2017. Registered developers can now download iOS 10.2.1 beta 4 and macOS 10.12.3 beta 4 from Apple’s developer portal to take advantage of all the new features.

Apple loses another key employee to Tesla

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Tesla
Tesla is siphoning engineering talent from Apple.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The battle between Apple and Tesla to attract top talent revved up to a new level this week after another key employee for the iPhone-maker defected to Elon Musk’s auto company.

Matt Casebolt, who made key contributions to the design of the original MacBook Air, has reportedly left the company to work as an engineer for Tesla.

Mysterious MacBook coins might have simple explanation

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Some MacBook users have reported finding coins when taking apart their machines.
Some MacBook users have reported finding coins when taking apart their machines.
Photo: Greg Kilpatrick/YouTube

You love your MacBook Pro and think it can do just about anything, even make change.

That is literally true for some MacBook users, who have been reporting on tech forums of the odd placement of a random quarter or penny in their machine’s SuperDrive, discovered when the bottom plate was removed.

Why Consumer Reports’ MacBook Pro battery tests were wrong

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MacBook
The new MacBook Pro has great battery life.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The new MacBook Pro is set to receive a “recommended” rating from Consumer Reports after working with Apple to discover why tests showed the laptops suffered from unreliable battery performance.

The culprits? A hidden Safari setting and “an obscure and intermittent” bug.

While Apple goes thin, Windows PCs go fat at CES 2017

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Need extra ports? Have fun lugging this beast around.
Need extra ports? Have fun lugging this beast around.
Photo: Acer

CES2017 Apple got some serious flak from fans when it unveiled its new MacBook Pro at the end of 2016, but if CES 2017 is any indicator, Apple’s not in danger of being out innovated by PCs anytime soon.

The MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar may not be a phenomenal innovation. And its four USB-C ports mean you’ll need some dongles. But when looking at the competition, the MacBook Pro is hands-down the sleekest, most useful and most beautiful laptop you can get in the world right now.

Look at these embarrassing Windows laptops:

OWC’s gigantic dock adds more ports to the new MacBook Pro

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OWC's dock adds serious bulk to the MacBook Pro.
OWC's dock adds serious bulk to the MacBook Pro.
Photo: OWC

CES2017 MacBook Pro owners that wish Apple included more ports alongside the Touch Bar can now have the best of both worlds — if they don’t mind slapping a huge dock on their machines.

OWC teased a new accessory called the DEC dock for MacBook Pro at CES, the monstrous gadget show happening in Las Vegas this week. The dock is comically large, but it adds a bevy of new features to the MacBook Pro, including extra storage.

iPad art graces cover of latest New Yorker

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Jorge Colombo drew the New Yorker cover on iPad Pro.
Jorge Colombo drew the New Yorker cover on iPad Pro.
Photo: The New Yorker

Want proof you can get “real” work done on the iPad Pro? Look no further than the latest cover of The New Yorker.

Long-time art editor Jorge Colombo drew the latest cover using the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the app Procreate. It’s not the first time art created on the iPad has been featured by the popular magazine, but it’s certainly the best looking one yet.

Even better, you can watch Colombo draw the cover.

Get the touchscreen MacBook that Apple will never make

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Stop waiting for Apple to put a touchscreen on the Mac.
Stop waiting for Apple to put a touchscreen on the Mac.
Photo: Neonode

CES2017 MacBook Air owners patiently waiting for Apple to come out with a touchscreen laptop can now take matters into their own hands: A new product called AirBar turns the laptop’s display into a touchscreen.

Neonode, the company that created AirBar, unveiled the new sensor — which is specifically designed for the 13-inch MacBook Air — at CES, the world’s largest electronic show taking place in Las Vegas this week.

From tiny innovations to big brawls, this is how Apple rolled in 2016

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Thank Jobs, 2016 is finally over!
Thank Jobs, 2016 is finally over!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac 2016 sent Apple for a wild ride full of fantastic new products, crazy controversies and tons of extra drama with its rivals.

Tim Cook and his colleagues probably can’t wait to jump into 2017. But before we start looking toward Apple’s future, let’s take a quick look back at all the stories that made 2016 a year Apple fans will never forget.

Don’t worry, Tim Cook says new iMacs are coming

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iMac
The iMac is in desperate need of an update.
Photo: Apple

The iMac didn’t get much love in 2016, but according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, killer new desktop Macs are coming.

In a note to Apple employees, Cook assured staff that desktop computers are still “really important” and that they shouldn’t worry about future machines.

The 10 best Apple ads of 2016

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Best Apple ads of 2016
You want innovation? Look no further than Apple's advertising.
Image: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac Apple may not have launched its most innovative products in 2016, but when it comes to marketing, Cupertino is still killing it.

By utilizing celebrities, musicians, athletes and everyday iPhone owners, Apple created some of its most memorable ads ever in 2016. Whether they were touting Apple TV with Kobe Bryant, or using the story of an autistic boy to show how technology can change the world, Apple ads entertained us and gave us all the feels.

These are our favorite Apple ads of 2016.

Apple drops fresh batch of betas for iOS, macOS and tvOS

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x
A new iOS beta is here!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Developers received a fresh new batch of beta software from Apple today, just two days after the company launched iOS 10.2 and tvOS 10.1 to the public.

The new first betas for macOS 10.12.3, iOS 10.2.1 and tvOS 10.1.1 all come with a number of bug fixes and performance enhancements, but they likely don’t contain any major new features.