A benchmark done on a Mac mini running Apple Silicon hints that these processors will live up to the promise that they’ll offer performance comparable to Intel chips.

The evidence is preliminary, but promising.

If your Mac is getting a little long in the tooth and even basic tasks result in long load times, you might want to think about upgrading before the huge macOS Big Sur update rolls out this fall. And it’s a great time to do it!

Amazon is currently offering up to $300 off the newest MacBook Pro models, as well as $100 off the latest MacBook Air. These are limited-time discounts, so enjoy them while you can.

The eight winners of this year’s Apple Design Awards showcase “outstanding app design, innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement,” the company said Monday.

Ron Okamoto, Apple’s vice president of worldwide developer relations, said the four apps and four games honored “inspire not only their peers in the Apple developer community, but all of us at Apple, too.”

Getting in shape has always been a challenge. Too bad it’s not getting any easier with all the gyms closed. Luckily, apps are with us everywhere we go — and they can make great workout companions.

The top-end iPhone 12 Pro could support 4K at 120fps and 4K at 240fps video recording modes, claims a new video from Filip Koroy of EverythingApplePro. If accurate, this would be massive step up from the current iPhone 11 Pro, which offers 240fps in 1080p.

Koroy reportedly found evidence of the new high resolution, slow-mo format in the iOS 14 beta code. Whether this is accurate remains to be seen. If it is, it would be far above what is available in other smartphone models right now. It would also make it likely that Apple will sell a shedload of high storage handsets this year — or way more iCloud subscriptions.

Thanks to people working from home and coronavirus lockdown, 2020 has been the year of videoconferencing apps — and Google Meet is adding a few new features to try and take on rival Zoom.

According to a new report from 9to5Google, Google Meet is working on new features that will allow users to add images or blur the background of their video calls. This is a feature that already exists for Zoom and Skype users, although this will be the first time it’s available on Google meet.

Popular run-and-gun franchise Metal Slug looks to be returning to iOS for the first time since 2016’s Metal Slug Attack. Over the weekend, Tencent’s Timi Studios released a trailer for what they are currently calling Metal Slug Code: J.

From the look of it, it picks up the gameplay that the Metal Slug games are known for, with plenty of action, ridiculously overwrought vehicles, explosions, and more. However, it includes quasi-3D movement that wasn’t part of the original SNK games and a slightly more modern art style. Check out the trailer below.

The iPhone 12 reportedly will ship without packaged earbuds, but according to reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, it might also lack another standard piece of kit in its box: a charger.

In a new note to clients sent over the weekend, TF International Securities analyst Kuo confirms as legitimate a recent photo of a 20-watt power charger for the new iPhone. However, he says it won’t come with the next-generation iPhone 12.

There’s a lot to love about macOS Big Sur, but one thing that’s dividing Mac fans is its redesigned app icons. Some look good enough to eat. Others are so ugly they’ll make you want to use Windows (not really). And some have simply lost some of their charm as a result of simplification.

What do you think of Apple’s new desktop icon designs so far? Check out all of them right here.

The Samsung T7 holds an amazing amount of data considering its svelte design. This Solid State Drive isn’t much bigger than a business card but holds up to 2TB. And it can be passed around between multiple computers — it’s compatible with Mac and iPad Pro, as well a wide variety of other devices.

I loaded up this recently-released SSD with a variety of files and put it through some real-world testing. Here’s how it stood up.

There are few programs as common as Microsoft Excel. That’s because it’s full of potential for organizing, visualizing, processing and manipulating data — tools that go far beyond a regular old spreadsheet.

Basically, if you’ve got a grip on Excel, you’ve got excellent skills for the workplace.

A new concept video beautifully combines iPhone 12 rumors into a three-minute ballet of tech. Done in the same style as Apple advertisements, it offers an early glimpse of what the real ads might look like when the 2020 iPhone models arrive this fall.

Watch it now:

We didn’t get the new Apple hardware we expected during this week’s WWDC keynote, but we did get a whole bunch of hot new software. Get our take on upcoming updates to Apple’s biggest platforms — macOS Big Sur, iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7 and more — in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

Don’t miss our roundup of all the cool “hidden” iOS 14 features that Apple couldn’t squeeze into its slick virtual keynote. We’ll also toss in the rest of our coverage of this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, plus some handy how-tos and reviews. Read it all in the free mag (which you can download from the App Store) or in the links below.

Jake Weisler is a professional wedding photographer and a content creator for Full Time Filmmaker, which produces crash courses about filmmaking. So having lots of storage — a whopping 56 terabytes — is key to his success.

At the center of this setup is the incredible 27-inch iMac Pro. Weisler uses a Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard with the additional Numeric Keypad. He also sports an Azio Retro Classic Mouse, which actually has a leather topping for some genuine comfort. As an editor, he needs both a trackpad and a mouse because he uses them simultaneously to scroll, click and swipe.

All the cables, chargers and other stuff we need to keep our digital devices running can create a lot of clutter. But BentoStack’s cleverly designed boxes keep all your accessories neat, tidy — and charged.

Designer and photographer Michael Evins’ desk is loaded with Apple gear. Almost everything on this setup was designed by Apple in California.

“I have been using Mac for about 12 years now,” Evins said, “I just like how everything works together in harmony.”

The lifeblood of his rig is the 2015 iMac. For peripherals he, of course, has the Magic Keyboard and Trackpad. An iconic duo.

This week on The CultCast: We bring you a huge list of great iOS 14 features that Apple did not mention onstage during this week’s WWDC keynote, and there’s a lot here to love.

Plus: Why iOS 14’s new Home screen widgets aren’t as powerful as you might think. And get ready to log into websites with Face ID or Touch ID.

Today’s episode is supported by CleanMyMac X, an all-in-one utility that takes care of your Mac’s health: It’s a macOS cleaner, a performance monitor, a malware remover and, occasionally, a lifesaver. And until July 5th, you can go to macpaw.com/cultofmac to get CleanMyMac X with a 30% discount.

You don’t have to spend much to pick up an iPhone that’s fully compatible with iOS 14. You can bag an iPhone 6s right now for under $115, while Amazon is offering renewed iPhone 7 units for as little as $187.99.

Bag yours today before they’re all gone.

Apple software chief Craig Federighi just answered a question that’s puzzled people for years: Why doesn’t the iPad come with a calculator app?

In a video posted Friday, he also explained why the iPad lacks a weather app.

To ensure Apple TV+ has new shows for later this year, Apple revealed on Friday that bought the international rights to Losing Alice, an eight-episode series the company calls “a neo-noir psychological thriller.”

Apple showcased some major changes and improvements for iOS 14 during its big WWDC 2020 keynote on Monday — and it was just the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much more that we didn’t get to see.

We’re now discovering what some of those things are, thanks to the first beta release, which is already available to registered developers. Here are our picks for the best hidden features in iOS 14.

Microsoft is pulling the plug on its chain of retail stores, the company announced Friday. All stores are going to be shuttered for good, although four — in New York City, London, Sydney, and its Redmond campus — will be turned into experience centers that don’t sell products.

Amazon is buying Zoox, a self-driving car startup that employs at least 17 people who previously worked on Apple’s Project Titan.

The Information first reported the purchase of Zoox, and Amazon confirmed it Friday in a blog post. The deal could set Amazon back upward of $1 billion.

Videos are a great way to share our thoughts and talents, document experiences and precious memories, and just plain communicate. Too bad they can be so finicky to record.

This hands-free smart gimbal makes it easier to get the best possible video. It uses image-processing technology to make sure you capture the best shot each time.

Apple exec Craig Federighi says the company’s production team “moved mountains” to put together this week’s online-only WWDC keynote. And, while he won’t go so far as to commit to future virtual keynotes, he did say that Apple was very happy with it — and will be looking see what aspects of the presentation it can use in the future.

That’s one of the insights gained from listening to the latest episodes of Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee’s Waveform podcast, which features an interview with Federighi, Apple’s senior VP of software engineering.