Macworld July 2024

Well, that was fast. The M3 chip, introduced last October, is already yesterday’s news. We’re living in an M4 world, courtesy of the surprising announcement that the new iPad Pro is powered by Apple’s next generation of chips. Even if you don’t care about iPads, this announcement will affect the trajectory of the Mac and iPhone in quite a few ways. The first question to answer is: Why so soon? The iPhone gets a new chip generation once a year when the new iPhones arrive. Apple likely wants the M series on a similar cadence, since the two chips are really variations of one another. The rush to the M4 breaks this cycle. A NEW CHIP ARCHITECTURE The answer is complicated and has a lot to do with the vagaries of…

The golden age of artificial intelligence has just begun, with AI tools now available that help people get more things done. But Apple’s presence in AI has been muted, to put it kindly. Apple needs to do something to make an impression and tell the world it’s keeping up with the times. That impression was made during Apple’s “Let Loose” event to showcase new iPads. The company also used the event to announce the new M4 chip, which has the fastest Neural Engine Apple has ever created—the Neural Engine is used to perform AI functions. It’s clearly Apple’s effort to keep up with the competition. Delivering the M4 chip at this time is a dramatic change from Apple’s typical chip cycle. The M3 arrived just a bit over six months ago,…

With the release of the iPad Pro, Apple has ushered in a new chip generation with the M4. The introduction of that chip disrupted Apple’s usual chip release cycle, however—the M3 was first released only six months ago in the MacBook Pro and iMac. The last device to get an M3 was the MacBook Air in January. What about the rest of the Mac lineup? In the recent edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that the Mac Studio and Mac Pro aren’t on Apple’s release schedule until mid-2025. In April, Gurman reported that Apple was testing a Mac Studio with “a still-unreleased M3-era chip” as well as a M4-series chip, which left its status for release in 2024 unclear. But now it appears that Apple has decided to…

I have an admission: Though I frequently review new Apple products, I don’t always buy them. Like many of you, I can’t afford to update every bit of Apple hardware every time the company revises one of its products. So I have to carefully measure when my stuff has now become too old and needs to be replaced with the shiny and new versions. Of course, Apple would love us all to buy new stuff all the time. But the company has to earn its sales the hard way. I might buy a new iPhone because of an upgraded camera or a new MacBook Air because of a new design and a faster processor. I might bypass the latest Apple Watch because the new features just don’t matter to me.…

There was a time when a trip downtown was filled with the hustle and bustle of people. And a lot of those people sported Timbuk2’s Classic Messenger Bag—not just bicycle messengers, but also commuters going to work, tourists sightseeing, and anyone else trying to get where they need to go. The Classic Messenger Bag became more than just a bag. It became an urban icon. Times change, though. Downtown isn’t what it used to be—there are fewer people going to the office, delivery from Uber and DoorDash has replaced bike messengers, and tourists aren’t packing the street like they once were. Timbuktu’s Classic Messenger Bag has changed, too, and while it was always a great bag, it’s become even more versatile for the times when you go out—downtown, the suburbs,…

The Anker 675 USB-C 12-in-1 Docking Station and Monitor Stand solves several of your laptop’s limitations in one user-friendly, stylish, friendly and functional product. A laptop is a wonderful device, but it comes up lacking in a few areas because of its portability. First, the screen is small and cramped for opening multiple files and applications. You can end up squinting at tiny text and having to keep open multiple tabs and layers of documents. Second, using a laptop is not great for your posture, neck, back, shoulders, eyes…basically, it’s not good for your body. Stooping over that small screen with hunched shoulders is not great for your neck, back, or arms. Thirdly, many laptops lack connections and extension ports to attach other devices, such as storage, displays, and wired…