The slower SSD on the entry-level M2 MacBook Pro has a noticeable impact on its performance in daily use. Tests show the M1 MacBook Pro beating its successor in stress tests that rely heavily on swap memory usage.
Benchmarks first revealed that the base M2 MacBook Pro SSD is about 50% slower than the M1 model.
Your business may need a website, but that doesn’t mean you should have to learn how to build one from scratch. You might think of skipping the website altogether, but you shouldn’t: Around 56% of consumers don’t trust businesses without a website.
Earning potential customers’ trust doesn’t need to be difficult, though. If you want to start up a website without the pain of learning new software, UENI can handle the logistics for you. That way, you can sit back while your custom site is made to your specifications. And, for a limited time, lifetime subscriptions to UENI are on sale for $99 (regularly $599).
Apple TV+ struck a first-look deal with Maya Rudolph’s production company after last week’s premiere of her comedy series Loot.
That means Rudolph’s company, Animal Pictures, will show what it’s working on to Apple first, before shopping it around to other buyers.
After Harry Styles kicked off the return of the Apple Music Live series, Chicago rapper Lil Durk continues it. His live concert streams Wednesday.
The rapper’s show takes place in Los Angeles, but Apple’s streaming series lets you watch and listen to it anywhere.
LGBTQI Pride Month may be drawing to a close on Thursday, but you can wear your pride on your sleeve or elsewhere all year long if you want — thanks to rainbow-themed Apple accessories in the Cult of Mac Store’s Pride collection.
In addition to several colorful watch bands discussed below, you can find a rainbow lanyard with a shock-proof iPhone case and a rainbow polka-dot MacBook Pro case.
The first trailer for the psychological thriller Surface lets viewers dip their toes into the central mystery of the upcoming series: What if you woke up one day and didn’t know your own secrets?
The show premiers on Apple TV+ in late July, and stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, best known for appearing in Apple’s critically acclaimed The Morning Show.
Apple’s light but powerful M1 iPad Air is available with a sweet $40 discount on Amazon. This brings the price of the entry-level iPad Air down to just $559.
The 256GB model gets an even bigger $70 discount, so you can grab one for as low as $679.
Apple’s upcoming M2 Pro chip will be made with an improved manufacturing process that will make it even faster and more energy-efficient, according to an unconfirmed report. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s 3nm process supposedly will be used on the M2 Pro, as well as the M3.
Quite a few Macs using these chips are already in the pipeline.
After a mishap, I recently had to go on vacation without a credit card. I was ready with cash but it never mattered – to my surprise, wireless payments and Apple Pay let my iPhone make all the purchases I needed.
It’s clear we’re really not far away from physical credit cards becoming obsolete. That’ll be one less hassle in our lives.
Graphic designer and illustrator Terry Smelker’s workstation includes many interesting elements, like a specialized drawing tablet and a multimedia controller he uses along with his tricked-out MacBook Pro. But even if you’re not curious about his setup proper, get a load of that Apple gear collection! Fortunately, he provided plenty of photographs.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of Apple’s design aesthetic,” he told Cult of Mac. And that started him on his collection of vintage Apple products, which complements the rest of his gear.
The Apple Watch Series 8 expected this fall won’t have better performance than its recent predecessors, according to a reliable tipster.
It will get other enhancements, though.
Sometimes it feels as though office equipment can sense when you’re in a hurry. You need a digital copy of a document, and your scanner picks that time to scan only a quarter page or reduce your print’s shading to the point that it looks like a ghost.
When you need a high-quality scan, fussing with hardware is probably the last thing you want to deal with. But what if you could scan documents using your iPhone? iScanner does just that, turning your trusty smartphone into a full-featured document scanner that’s easy to use and produces crystal-clear results.
Plus, lifetime iScanner subscriptions are available for just $39.99 (regularly $199) for a limited time.
Apple’s new M2 MacBook Pro ships with a notably slower SSD than its predecessor. Tests show the speed difference is as big as 50% in some scenarios.
Announced at WWDC22, the M2 MacBook Pro went on sale June 24.
Apple is working on a new HomePod that could launch next year with a new S8 chip. The smart speaker reportedly will be similar in size to the original HomePod rather than the HomePod mini.
Apple is also working on a powerful new Apple TV with an A14 chip and more RAM.
★★★★☆
The Samsung USB Type-C Flash Drive adds up to 256GB of additional storage to Mac desktops and notebooks as well as most types of iPad. It can be easily switched among all of these, and other computers, too.
I tested the tiny drive with multiple devices, and it stood up quite well. Here’s why I love this speedy little accessory.
Apple could launch a new MacBook Air powered by a faster M3 processor as soon as next year.
The company also has a bunch of other Macs due for launch later in 2022 or early 2023. They will run on Apple’s new M2 chip, which powers the new 13-inch MacBook Pro as well as the upcoming M2 MacBook Air set for July launch, or the M2’s more powerful Pro/Ultra/Extreme variations.
Imagine you’re having an incredible time traveling abroad. After a night in yet another lovely hotel, you grab your iPhone, put on your Apple Watch, throw your iPad into a bag, and you’re off.
But if you forget even one of the chargers or cables for those devices, the rest of your trip will be wildly inconvenient (at least until you make it to an overpriced travel store). So streamline while you can. Carry one powerful charger for all your devices. Then get a 4-in-1 cable to connect them all to it.
Plus, get that four-way cable while it’s on sale for $17.99 (regularly $34), and you can spend your savings on a couple of chocolate croissants and some fine European coffee.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The first reviews for the new M2 MacBook Pro are … not good.
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 livestream, embedded below.
CleanMyMac X, from Ukrainian developer MacPaw, is a decluttering app for Mac that can keep your computer in tip-top shape. It includes 49 tools to find and delete invisible junk clogging your hard drive. Cult of Mac publisher Leander Kahney swears by CleanMyMac X (instead of swearing at it, as he does with most apps).
Get CleanMyMac X today with 5% off at macpaw.app/cultcast. Discount valid until June 30.
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You probably don’t want to come home to find your precious little one has torn open your MacBook, even in the name of learning. They might discover what a circuit board looks like, but at what cost?
That’s why you should foster your child’s STEM interest in a way that keeps your electronics off the chopping block. The CrowPi2 offers a fantastic starting point for kids who want something to tinker with. Plus, it’s on sale for $319.99 (regularly $329).
Rumors of an Apple Watch Explorer Edition started last year, when Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple was working on ruggedized smartwatch designed specifically for athletes. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, from TF International Securities, added fuel to the fire last December, claiming that an “extreme sports version” could debut in 2022.
This month at WWDC, Apple’s focus on new fitness features for watchOS 9 lent further credence to these rumors. As a fitness-fanatic myself, all this hype has got me pretty excited. It inspired me to create these Photoshop mockups, exclusively for Cult of Mac, to explore exactly what the Explorer Edition might look like.
You’ve tried staring at your MacBook, but you still can’t grasp what your professor’s lecture notes mean. You might have heard how important studying is, but nobody teaches anyone how to study.
Hint: There’s more to it than reading.
If you want to learn how to study, the 2022 Perfect Score Academic Success Master Class Bundle gives you lifetime access to practical study skills that actually work — for only $49 (regularly $699).
It goes without saying that AirPods Pro 2 will offer better sound. Duh. But Apple also will add some surprise features to the next generation of its earbuds, according to a new leak. That includes heart rate detection and a new hearing aid feature.
Plus, the charging case supposedly will make the switch to USB-C, to match reports that iPhone 15 will dump the Lightning port.
Apple streamlined the subscription-management interfaces on iPhone and iPad Friday.
The new look adds spacing between separate subscriptions. And it makes telling which subscriptions are active and inactive a little more clear at a glance.
★★★★☆
Apple TV+ murder mystery Now and Then draws to a simmering close this week.
Pedro has lost his campaign, but there’s always more to lose. Ana is ready to turn on him. Sofia’s troubles catch up with her. Marcos suspects his father. Flora suspects her best friend. Hugo suspects Sofia. And there’s only an hour to wrap things up.
It’s been a marvelous bit of sensationalism from start to finish. If we get a second season of this bilingual thriller, it will be a welcome development.