Macworld May 2024

Macworld columnist Jason Snell recently wrote about how Apple should take more risks with its products—and I wholeheartedly agree, especially when it comes to the Mac. Makers of Windows PCs often implement odd features to stand out in a crowded marketplace—it’s something Apple doesn’t need to do because Apple relies on the Mac’s elegance, reliability, and role in an ecosystem that works well. But unique and daring features could breathe new life into the Mac and help it grow. So, taking cues from what’s in current PC laptops and what was shown at the recent Consumer Electronics Show, here are five features I’d like to see Apple interpret and use in its Mac products. Some of these are wild, and way out there, and they wouldn’t sell in huge numbers—kind of…

The $1,999 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro System on a Chip is $400 more than the base 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 SoC. While that higher price tag looks like a lot, the $1,999 laptop ends up being a better value. You get a faster CPU and GPU, more memory to work with, and more flexible connectivity options. This review looks at how the $1,999 MacBook Pro compares to the $1,599 model. A full review of the $1,599 MacBook Pro M3 is available for a more in-depth analysis of that laptop. SPECIFICATIONS Apple offers two standard configurations of the 14-inch MacBook Pro with a M3 Pro chip. The model in this review is the $1,999/£2,099 version. Our guide to the M3 chips explains the differences in greater detail.…

More than four months after unveiling the M3 chip in the new 14-inch MacBook Pro, Apple has finally updated the other laptops in its family, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air. The new machines are essentially a specifications bump that should make buying a laptop a simpler process. Apple’s three plain-Jane M3 machines range in price from $1,099 to $1,599, and this time around you won’t need to be a computer scientist to figure out which one to buy. Here’s how the pricing breaks down at the simplest level: > M3 MacBook Air, 13-inch, 8-core CPU/8-core GPU, 256GB: $1,099 > M3 MacBook Air, 13-inch, 8-core CPU/10-core GPU, 512GB: $1,299 > M3 MacBook Air, 15-inch, 8-core CPU/10-core GPU, 256GB: $1,299 > M3 MacBook Pro, 14-inch: 8-core CPU/10-core GPU, 512GB: $1,599 Rounding…

Along with the launch of the new M3 MacBook Air in March, Apple shifted around its laptop range to make room for a new budget model. Gone is the M1 MacBook Air that had been in the lineup since 2020 and in its place is a new $999 model: the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air. While the price is the same, the newest budget laptop is a huge upgrade in value. The M1 model had Apple’s old design, chip, and screen, while the M2 model is an upgrade in every way. It has a newer design with slimmer bezels, a larger and brighter display with rounded corners, 1080p FaceTime camera, and spatial audio support. Apple is offering the M2 MacBook Air in the same four colors as the M3 models—midnight, starlight, space…

In the latest version of the paid edition of the “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple has OS redesigns in mind. The company is focused on one for iOS 18, which will debut this summer at Worldwide Developers Conference. Gurman also reports that a macOS redesign is in the works, too. However, the iOS 18 facelift is Apple’s priority (as usual), and the macOS one won’t be ready for WWDC. More likely, it’ll be introduced within the next two years. Since the macOS redesign has just begun, no specifics are provided as to what the redesign will entail. Apple last redesigned macOS with Big Sur in 2020, which would be more than five years old when this new design overhaul is expected to arrive. Apple’s approach isn’t…

Apple makes nice displays, but sheesh, they are expensive. So when a display like Dough’s Spectrum One with Gorilla Glass is released, it certainly catches a shopper’s eye. Priced at $898 (that’s $799 for the display and $99 for the stand), it’s considerably cheaper than the $1,599 Apple Studio Display. It’s easy to find a 27-inch, 4K display that’s cheaper than the Studio Display, but they are not usually on par with Apple’s quality. The Spectrum One, however, comes very close—so close that for a lot of people, it’s a viable alternative to the Studio Display. As you might expect, a few compromises are made, but you also get a few features that you either can’t find or have to pay extra for in the Studio Display. If you are…