MacBook - page 9

Looking for a portable Apple computer? You have two choices — a MacBook or an iPad. Both excel at different things. The iPad is super-portable, silent and cool. The Mac is more flexible, offers more connections, and can run much more complex software.

It may be that you already know whether you need a Mac or an iPad. If you use apps that only run on the Mac, or if you need to hook up a lot of extra hardware, then a Mac is your only option. But if you desire the ultimate in portability, or you want to use a touchscreen or an awesome Apple Pencil stylus, you need an iPad.

If you’re on the fence, wondering which portable Apple computer best fits your needs, this article will help you decide. The MacBook vs. iPad battle is on …

Neil Young believes there’s a big problem with making music on a MacBook Pro. In a recent interview, the acclaimed singer-songwriter slammed the “Fisher-Price” audio quality you get with Apple’s newest notebooks.

Young also revealed that Steve Jobs knew about his concerns, but felt that MacBook audio was good enough for consumers.

Apple’s smart keyboard cover for the iPad could get a major design upgrade in 2020.

Digitimes reported today that Apple may release an updated keyboard for the tablets featuring the new scissor-switch design that resolved Apple’s keyboard woes on the last few generations of MacBook Pros.

Whether you need ample power or exceptional portability, it’s a great time to bag a new MacBook, with discounts of up to $300 on the latest Apple notebooks. And Cult of Mac can help make yours even more affordable.

Sell your old machine to us and we’ll give you a great price. We will also cough up real cash, so you can spend it wherever you like.

Apple has filed for approval of a new MacBook ahead of the laptop’s official debut. A listing in the Eurasian Economic Commission database reveals a model number of “A2289.” Its description confirms the device is a portable Mac.

Is this the new 13-inch MacBook Pro we’ve been waiting for?

At the end of November last year, I took delivery of the new 16-inch MacBook Pro. Around a month later, thanks to Apple’s generous holiday return policy, I returned it. You can read my first impressions, but they mostly remain the same after a month of use. In short, it’s a fantastic MacBook. But in my conclusion, I wrote this:

But really, this Mac is fantastic. My Cult of Mac colleagues tease me that I buy Apple gear, and then immediately send it back. This new MacBook is staying with me.

So, what went wrong?

It may have nothing to do with Jony Ive leaving the company, but Apple has been adding buttons back to its devices. It’s a slow start, but hopefully it’s the beginning of a trend. The new 16-inch MacBook Pro added an Escape key, and a separate power button (you can press the Touch ID button). Plus, the recently introduced iPhone 11 battery case added a dedicated camera button.

After what seems like decades of removing useful hardware features, is Apple finally seeing the error of its ways? And, if so, what buttons would we like to see next? Let’s take a look at the current lay of the land.

Apple’s all-new Mac Pro is finally ready to order … and it ain’t cheap. But Cult of Mac can help make yours more affordable by offering you a sweet stack of upgrade cash.

Sell your old Mac to us before you upgrade and we’ll give you a great price. We will also make the whole process quick and simple — and we’ll cough up real cash you can spend anywhere you like.

If you’re buying for an Apple fan who loves their Mac, there are loads of awesome gifts you should consider. We’ve rounded up the best to make your holiday shopping a little easier.

We’ve picked out the best headphones, mice, keyboards, and more so that you don’t have to spend hours hunting down the perfect purchase. And many of them are on sale today for Cyber Monday.

Now all you have to do is break out your wallet.

Apple finally moved on from its disastrous MacBook butterfly keyboard, but the class-action lawsuit related to them is moving forward.

A U.S. federal judge rejected Apple’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit today. That sets up the company for a big legal showdown with customers trying to prove Apple knew about serious problems with the keyboard — but kept selling it anyway.

Black Friday has arrived at the Cult of Mac Store, with 20% or more off all Twelve South products for a limited time.

You’ll find gorgeous cases for AirPods and iPhone, elegant stands for Apple Watch, and handy charging accessories on sale now. Prices start at just $27.99.

See what’s on offer today and start picking up some discounted gifts for the holidays.

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.