The base model in the new 2023 MacBook Pro lineup comes with Apple’s standard M3 chip. This model, which replaces the discontinued 13-inch MacBook Pro, costs $400 less than the next model up, which runs on an M3 Pro chip.
The two laptops look almost identical. The big question is, will the entry-level M3 MacBook Pro suit your needs? Or should you spend the extra $400 and get the one with the M3 Pro chip? Find out in this comparison.
The good news is that iPhone could finally allow users to install applications directly starting in 2024, according to a reliable source. The bad news is that being able to go without the App Store will only be an option in Europe.
To be clear, sideloading is required by EU law so it’s definitely happening. The timing isn’t clear, though.
Apple could overhaul its tablet lineup in 2024, delivering the first 12.9-inch iPad Air and upgrading iPad Pro models to OLED displays and the company’s fast new M3 chip.
The upgrades could help boost iPad shipments to between 52 million and 54 million units in 2024, up from about 50 million in 2023.
If you don’t like jamming AirPods or other earbuds into your ears, you should consider bone-conduction headphones. They offer clear audio and a comfortable listening experience that some people prefer to regular earbuds.
Want to find out for yourself? Ahead of Black Friday, we’ve got Open-Ear Conduction Stereo Wireless Headphones on sale for only $24.97 (regularly $79). These alternative headphones could significantly improve your or a loved one’s audio experience.
In this week’s Awesome Apps roundup, we have a synthesizer app that brings back the sound of the ’80s, a solid VPN for safely surfing the Web, an app for testing external drives for recording high-res video, and a guide to the best eateries in Italy.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Erfon breaks down the specs/performance of Apple’s recently released MacBook Pro lineup, and he’s convinced there are only two models any sane person would buy. Listen to found out which models make the grade!
Also on The CultCast:
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.
★★★☆☆
Alternative-history space-race drama series For All Mankind returned to Apple TV+ Friday with a season 4 opener that handled two tough jobs pretty well — painfully looking back at past tragedies and peering ahead with trepidation to probable new ones. After all, space is dangerous and so are people.
In an episode called “Glasnost,” set 8 years after the end of season 3, For All Mankind sets its sites on asteroid wealth and a joint mission led by the United States and Russia to get it. And it doesn’t take long for people to start dying up there.
An extremely portable power bank that charges iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods all at the same time? We’re interested before you even tell us the price. But tell us that price is just $34.97 for a limited time, and we’re all the way in … ASAP!
This heavily discounted multidevice wireless charger is small enough to slip into your pocket or purse. Plus, it would make a great gift for anybody who uses an iPhone, an Apple Watch or any Qi-compatible device.
Through November 16, you can get one — or a dozen — for a massive 70% off the usual price of $119.99!
If you love the synth sounds of the ’80s, we have something for you. AudioKit Pro launched a brand-new hybrid synthesizer app for iPhone and iPad Wednesday for those who love the sounds of the 1980s, ’90s and early 2000s.
And while the developer said the synth app usually costs $19.99, right now you can get it for $3.99. And by the way, it’s currently rated #1 in Music on the App Store.
In a tedious and awkward 10-minute video released Thursday, buzzy startup Humane gave a more thorough introduction of its Ai Pin. The video all but confirms my feelings that we are seeing the next hilarious Silicon Valley failure play out in real time.
Since co-founder Imran Chaudhri’s TED Talk earlier this year, where we got a vague introduction to the supposed iPhone-killer’s features, there remained a slim chance — one in a hundred — that the then-unnamed device wasn’t a total waste.
Any ounce of doubt has been washed away as this new video doubles down on the Ai Pin’s flaws and walks back its only positives. In fact, the introductory video clearly demonstrates why the device will fail: The AI gave completely wrong answers and provided no way to check their accuracy. It’s absolutely untrustworthy. This highlights the broader concerns surrounding Humane AI and its ability to provide reliable and accurate assistance.
Whether you’re combing through spreadsheets or cooking up some code, extending your desktop can really accelerate your workflow and even reduce eye strain. Luckily for Cult of Mac readers, we’re offering a pre-Black Friday discount on a portable touchscreen monitor you can take anywhere.
Meet the Desklab monitor, which boasts a sleek display with touchscreen abilities. Until November 16, it’s on sale for only $249.97 (regularly $375)!
From the outside, the new M3 MacBook Pros look the same as their predecessors — except for that gorgeous new space black finish.
How did Apple create this exotic new finish? And what’s changed inside its new laptops, aside from the powerful new M3 chips? The iFixit team posted a detailed teardown Friday that answers all your questions.
Tests show that the 8GB version of the M3 MacBook Pro is significantly slower than the 16GB version when running Photoshop, Blender and other graphics applications.
And there are performance differences for other types of apps, too. But these are not as dramatic. If you’re trying to decide between different configurations, it’s worth considering which models rank among the best Macs for video editing to ensure you get the best performance for your needs.
If you take a lot of calls via Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or Zoom — and if you like to save big on gear — new discounts on the Microsoft Audio Dock might be hard to pass up. You can get up to 86% off the normal $250 price.
Both Amazon and its bargain site Woot! offer deep cuts on the price. The lower price is just $35.
If you use an M1 Max MacBook Pro bristling with 64GB of unified memory to drive two of Apple’s top Pro Displays XDR as well as off-the-charts audio gear in a Mission Control-looking workstation, can your computer setup accurately be described as “cozy?” That’s what today’s featured setup user said, improbably.
And while the user’s MacBook is still formidable despite Apple moving on to M3 chips, it’s not necessarily the workstation’s star. It almost pales in comparison to the AV components, including two of Apple’s $5,000-plus displays, incredible headphones and mounted KEF speakers that bring massive audio.
Between Halloween and Black Friday, you can still grab great deals on Microsoft crucial productivity software — Windows and Office. Bargains await on those products and more in the 11.11 Sale at CdkeySales.com.
The Apple Watch Series 9 is down to its lowest price ahead of Black Friday. Amazon has knocked $50 off most of the smartwatch’s variants, bringing its price down to a new low of $349.
You can score a similar $50 off the Apple Watch Series 9 with cellular connectivity.
You don’t need to empty your bank account at the Apple Store to fully accessorize your iPhone. In the run-up to Black Friday, you can grab a useful five-piece iPhone accessory bundle on sale at a special low price of $34.97.
Usually worth $129, you won’t need a coupon code to bag this deal on handy iPhone accessories. But you will need to be quick, as it’ll only be available through November 16.
Steve Wozniak suffered a minor stroke but is now recovering at home.
The Woz is now 73 but not really retired from a career that included co-founding Apple with Steve Jobs in 1977.
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max can record ProRes video at 4K and 60 fps, but only if the handset is connected to an external drive that’s fast enough to handle it. To find out if your SSD is up to the job, there’s OWC Drive Speed.
This new app verifies transfer speeds between your iPhone and external drives. It displays the maximum frames per second a drive can handle. Because you don’t want to find out on the day of the shoot that the SSD you’re counting on is a dud.
A new report sheds light on the iPhone SE 4’s design and camera setup. Apple’s next budget iPhone will use a modified iPhone 14 chassis that’s slightly lighter.
Based on the current development status, Apple’s next budget iPhone is unlikely to launch before 2025.
Using AI to create images is all the rage these days, but you typically need to pay a monthly fee if you want to get serious about cranking out multiple custom visuals.
Not so with this deal on Pixilio, an AI-powered image generator that makes it simple to produce unique images. Through November 9, you can get lifetime access to Pixilio for just $19.97 (regularly $360)!
After months of cryptic hints and teasing demos, startup Humane finally put its supposedly iPhone-killing Ai Pin on sale Thursday for $700, plus subscription costs.
You pin it to your clothes and interact with it through voice, touch control, gestures, and laser projections on your hand. However, despite its ambitious goals, the reality of AI pins has been met with skepticism due to performance issues and limitations.
The question is, will this thing really kill the iPhone? To those who don’t like talking to devices except when absolutely necessary, it must seem unlikely.
The best Italian restaurant app just got better. Osterie d’Italia 2024, the latest app version of Slow Food Editore’s killer guide to Italy’s most authentic restaurants, now serves up its piping-hot recommendations in English for the first time.
Plus, a much-improved search functionality makes it easier than ever to find a great place to eat in Italy. And a new feature lets you store your notes and photos about particular restaurants in the cloud so you can access them in subsequent versions of the annually updated app.
Those eager to watch Masters of the Air should be thrilled by the first teaser trailer for the upcoming WWII drama series from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.
It’ll hit Apple TV+ in January and will be a gritty look at the perilous air war in the skies over Germany — as the trailer makes clear.