invest – Latest Apple News https://www.latest-apple-news.com You can stay up-to-date on all the latest news, trends, and updates from the world of Apple. Our website is dedicated to bringing you the most comprehensive and reliable coverage of everything Apple, from the latest iPhone models to the newest Mac releases. Fri, 30 Jun 2023 14:38:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 https://www.latest-apple-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cropped-pngwing.com_-32x32.png invest – Latest Apple News https://www.latest-apple-news.com 32 32 First Phase of Apple’s New North Carolina Campus Will Total 900,000 Square Feet https://www.latest-apple-news.com/2023/06/30/first-phase-of-apples-new-north-carolina-campus-will-total-900000-square-feet/ Fri, 30 Jun 2023 14:38:07 +0000 https://www.macrumors.com/2023/06/30/apple-north-carolina-campus-first-phase/ invest over $1 billion in North Carolina with over half of that investment going towards a new engineering and research center in the Research Triangle area of Raleigh and Durham, the company has finally filed development plans for the first phase with local authorities.

Assemblage of seven properties in Research Triangle Park owned by Apple

As shared by the Triangle Business Journal, the 41-acre initial phase at Research Triangle Park will include six buildings and a parking garage totaling 700,000 square feet of office space, 190,000 square feet of accessory space, and almost 3,000 parking spaces.

Among the structures in the first phase are three office buildings with the largest coming in at around 242,000 square feet and the other two measuring just over 230,000 square feet each. All three buildings are listed as having heights of 73 feet.

Three smaller accessory buildings will join a parking garage for the initial phase, which does not yet have a disclosed starting date for construction. A starting date does appear to be close, however, as Apple has begun some initial site preparations and is moving forward on obtaining various approvals.

While this initial phase covers 41 acres, Apple owns a total of 281 acres at the site and the company's filed plans allude to future phases. Apple had said in its announcement about the North Carolina investment that it will eventually create at least 3,000 new jobs in "machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and other cutting-edge fields" with average salaries ultimately approaching $200,000.

At full buildout, Apple's Research Triangle Park campus is likely to become one of the company's largest employment centers in the United States after its Silicon Valley headquarters area and a major existing campus in Austin, Texas, that is itself seeing significant investment and expansion. Other major Apple employment centers in the U.S. include Southern California, the Seattle area, and New York City.

As Apple prepares to construct its major new campus in Research Triangle Park, the company has already been building up its presence in the region with temporary space, headlined by a takeover of one building of a three-building complex in neighboring Cary that had been built for insurance company MetLife.

Amid the rise in remote work, MetLife was recently able to consolidate operations into two buildings of the complex, freeing up the third to be used by Apple. Apple has also been working to acquire additional temporary space in the area as it will be several more years before its own campus is ready.
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 More than two years after Apple announced plans to invest over $1 billion in North Carolina with over half of that investment going towards a new engineering and research center in the Research Triangle area of Raleigh and Durham, the company has finally filed development plans for the first phase with local authorities.

Assemblage of seven properties in Research Triangle Park owned by Apple

As shared by the Triangle Business Journal, the 41-acre initial phase at Research Triangle Park will include six buildings and a parking garage totaling 700,000 square feet of office space, 190,000 square feet of accessory space, and almost 3,000 parking spaces.

Among the structures in the first phase are three office buildings with the largest coming in at around 242,000 square feet and the other two measuring just over 230,000 square feet each. All three buildings are listed as having heights of 73 feet.

Three smaller accessory buildings will join a parking garage for the initial phase, which does not yet have a disclosed starting date for construction. A starting date does appear to be close, however, as Apple has begun some initial site preparations and is moving forward on obtaining various approvals.

While this initial phase covers 41 acres, Apple owns a total of 281 acres at the site and the company’s filed plans allude to future phases. Apple had said in its announcement about the North Carolina investment that it will eventually create at least 3,000 new jobs in “machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and other cutting-edge fields” with average salaries ultimately approaching $200,000.

At full buildout, Apple’s Research Triangle Park campus is likely to become one of the company’s largest employment centers in the United States after its Silicon Valley headquarters area and a major existing campus in Austin, Texas, that is itself seeing significant investment and expansion. Other major Apple employment centers in the U.S. include Southern California, the Seattle area, and New York City.

As Apple prepares to construct its major new campus in Research Triangle Park, the company has already been building up its presence in the region with temporary space, headlined by a takeover of one building of a three-building complex in neighboring Cary that had been built for insurance company MetLife.

Amid the rise in remote work, MetLife was recently able to consolidate operations into two buildings of the complex, freeing up the third to be used by Apple. Apple has also been working to acquire additional temporary space in the area as it will be several more years before its own campus is ready.
This article, "First Phase of Apple's New North Carolina Campus Will Total 900,000 Square Feet" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

]]> TSMC sends more Taiwanese workers to finish Arizona plant https://www.latest-apple-news.com/2023/06/29/tsmc-sends-more-taiwanese-workers-to-finish-arizona-plant/ Thu, 29 Jun 2023 10:32:39 +0000 https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/06/29/tsmc-sends-more-taiwanese-workers-to-finish-arizona-plant?utm_medium=rss Apple’s processor supplier TSMC says that to ensure a “fast ramp up” of its new Arizona Factory, it is sending more workers from Taiwan for this “critical phase.”

TSMCTSMC

Even as TSMC objects to conditions imposed by the US — it effectively has to pay tax twice — it is continuing to invest in Arizona. The first chip fabrication plant there is due to open in 2024, and now the company says it needs the skilled expertise of more Taiwanese staff.

Read more…

]]> iOS 17 is finally tapping into the iPhone 6’s full potential https://www.latest-apple-news.com/2023/06/28/ios-17-is-finally-tapping-into-the-iphone-6s-full-potential/ Wed, 28 Jun 2023 10:30:00 +0000 http://www.latest-apple-news.com/?guid=b6a6fe72bcea09c85f1568f392950418 Macworld

Even for what is reputedly a somewhat smaller-than-usual annual update, iOS 17 still brings with it a host of new features. As the beta process begins, there’s plenty to investigate and try out ahead of the software’s full release this fall.

But as I perused the capabilities that are part of this latest upgrade, something interesting struck me: an older technology appears to be having its moment in the sun, as Apple embraces its utility in a bunch of new ways. That’s great not only because it means new features, but also because–as it’s something that’s been around for a while–those new features will be available on any iPhone that runs iOS 17.

I speak, of course, of the iPhone’s near-field communication (NFC) chip.

Pay to play

The iPhone’s NFC support goes back almost a decade, to the iPhone 6 family. At the time of its introduction, NFC was exclusively enabled for use with Apple Pay, which was rolled out at the same time. It wouldn’t be for another three years that third-party developers would be able to add limited support for using NFC within their own apps, and not until just last year that the company finally allowed third-party payment apps to use NFC for accepting transactions. (For which you can probably, at least in part, thank the European Commission for an antitrust investigation.)

Using Apple Pay
Apple Pay is the most commonly-used feature that involves NFC.

Apple

Other than handling payments, however, Apple has been slow to figure out other ways to use NFC’s capabilities, in large part because it seemed focused on technologies that required buy-in from other companies. One big push, for example, has been to allow using your iPhone as a key for various things: your car, your home, your hotel room, your dorm, and your office. But not only does that require car companies, makers of smart locks, hotels, and more to update their hardware and software for compatibility, it also often requires users to invest in new infrastructure as well. And very few people are buying a new car just so they can use their phone as a key.

Likewise, Apple announced in September 2021 that it would be partnering with eight states to add driver’s licenses to Apple Wallet, enabling them to be scanned via NFC, as well as making them available to the TSA at select airports. But adoption of this feature has been glacial: almost two years later, only half of those states have actually rolled out support, and there’s still only one airport where TSA is offering the feature (and even there, only at select checkpoints).

With all of that, it seemed as though perhaps NFC really wasn’t destined to have much use beyond mobile payments.

Just dropping in

So it was a bit of a surprise at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference when Apple introduced no less than three new features that take advantage of NFC.

The features–including NameDrop, which lets you exchange contact information with another iPhone brought into proximity, as well as NFC support for starting AirDrop transfers or SharePlay sessions–use NFC to streamline interactions that might otherwise be annoying or convoluted.

The key in all of these cases is the interplay between Apple’s own devices, as opposed to relying on third parties. With almost a decade of NFC adoption under its belt, the company can essentially guarantee that almost any iPhone currently in use supports the technology–and certainly any iPhone running iOS 17, since the oldest models it supports date from 2018. This means users don’t have to spend time worrying about whether or not their iPhone will work with these features. (Or risk looking silly as they wave their phone near their friend’s and hope something will happen.)

watchOS 10 NameDrop feature

With iOS 17’s new NameDrop feature, you’ll be able to share your contact information with a tap thanks to the power of NFC.

Apple

Everything old is new again

So, almost a decade on, NFC is poised to potentially become even more of a key technology in the iPhone, demonstrating that sometimes these things lurk beneath the surface for some time before becoming the latest hotness. The good news is that means there’s still time for some of these other technologies that haven’t yet come into their own to take off. (I’m looking at you, ultra-wideband.)

I can’t deny that this slew of new NFC-based features feels a little bit like it stems from the easing of pandemic restrictions and a hopeful view from Apple that maybe we will be interacting more in close proximity again, exchanging virtual business cards at conferences, sharing pictures with each other at shared experiences, and even listening to music together. It’s kind of pleasant to see technology enabling human contact.

That’s not to say it’s all upside. The biggest concern with almost any features like these, however, is discoverability. Yes, other smartphones have supported proximity-based data transfer features in the past, but after years of not being able to do this on an iPhone, it will be interesting to see whether users actually end up adopting these new features, or whether they just end up, well, dropping them.

iOS, iPhone

]]> Apple opposes UK bill that could mandate backdoor scanning in iMessage https://www.latest-apple-news.com/2023/06/27/apple-opposes-uk-bill-that-could-mandate-backdoor-scanning-in-imessage/ Tue, 27 Jun 2023 17:24:46 +0000 https://macdailynews.com/?p=263866 Apple is the Online Safety Bill as it could be used to force encrypted messaging tools like iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal and other to scan;

The post Apple opposes UK bill that could mandate backdoor scanning in iMessage appeared first on MacDailyNews. Apple is the Online Safety Bill as it could be used to force encrypted messaging tools like iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal and other to scan messages for, ostensibly, child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Apple’s opposition comes as 80 organizations and tech experts have written to UK Technology Minister Chloe Smith urging a rethink.

Apple logo lock

Chris Vallance for The Beeb:

Apple told the BBC the bill should be amended to protect encryption.

Police, the government and some high-profile child protection charities maintain the tech – used in apps such as WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage – prevents law enforcement and the firms themselves from identifying the sharing of child sexual abuse material.

But in a statement Apple said: “End-to-end encryption is a critical capability that protects the privacy of journalists, human rights activists, and diplomats.
“It also helps everyday citizens defend themselves from surveillance, identity theft, fraud, and data breaches. The Online Safety Bill poses a serious threat to this protection, and could put UK citizens at greater risk.

“Apple urges the government to amend the bill to protect strong end-to-end encryption for the benefit of all.”

Several messaging platforms, including Signal and WhatsApp, have previously told the BBC they will refuse to weaken the privacy of their encrypted messaging systems if directed to do so.

Signal said in February that it would “walk” from the UK if forced to weaken the privacy of its encrypted messaging app.

Apple’s statement now means that some of the most widely used encrypted apps oppose this part of the bill.

In 2021 Apple announced plans to scan photographs on people’s iPhones for abusive content before they were uploaded to iCloud but these were abandoned after a backlash. It has now clearly signalled its opposition to any measure that weakens the privacy of end-to-end encryption.

MacDailyNews Take: As Apple should. (Here’s why.)

The open letter signed by over 80 civil society organizations calls on the UK government to protect digital security and private communications by removing provisions from the Online Safety Bill that would require communications service providers to add “backdoors” to encrypted messaging services, undermining safety for all. Here it is, verbatim:

To: Chloe Smith, Secretary of State,

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

cc: Tom Tugendhat, Minister of State for Security, Home Office Paul Scully, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay

Dear Ms Smith,

Online Safety Bill: Civil society organisations urge UK to protect global digital security and safeguard private communication.

We are over 80 national and international civil society organisations, academics and cyber- experts. We represent a wide range of perspectives including digital human rights and technology. We are writing to you to raise our concerns about the serious threat to the security of private and encrypted messaging posed by the UK’s proposed Online Safety Bill (OSB).

The Online Safety Bill is a deeply troubling legislative proposal. If passed in its present form, the UK could become the first liberal democracy to require the routine scanning of people’s private chat messages, including chats that are secured by end-to-end encryption. As over 40 million UK citizens and 2 billion people worldwide rely on these services, this poses a significant risk to the security of digital communication services not only in the UK, but also internationally.

End-to-end encryption ensures the security of communications for everyone on a network.

It is designed so that no-one, including the platform provider, can read or alter the messages. The confidentiality between sender and recipient is completely preserved. That’s why the United Nations, several human rights groups, and anti-human trafficking organisations alike have emphasised that encryption is a vital human rights tool. [i]

In order to comply with the Online Safety Bill, platform providers would have to break that protection either by removing it or by developing work-arounds. Any form of work-around risks compromising the security of the messaging platform, creating back-doors, and other dangerous ways and means for malicious actors and hostile states to corrupt the system. [ii] This would put all users in danger.

The UK government has indicated its intention for providers to use a technology that would scan chats on people’s phone and devices – known as client-side scanning. The UK government’s assertion that client-side scanning will not compromise the privacy of messages contradicts the significant evidence of cyber-security experts around the world. This software intercepts chat messages before they are encrypted, and as the user is uploading their images or text, and therefore confidentiality of messages cannot be guaranteed. It would most likely breach human rights law in the UK and internationally. [iii]

Serious concerns have also been raised about similar provisions in the EU’s proposed ‘Child Sexual Abuse Regulation’, which an independent expert study warns is in contradiction to human rights rules. [iv] French, Irish and Austrian parliamentarians have all also warned of severe threats to human rights and of undermining encryption. [v]

Moreover, the scanning software would have to be pre-installed on people’s phones, without their permission or full awareness of the severe privacy and security implications. The underlying databases can be corrupted by hostile actors, meaning that individual phones would become vulnerable to attack. The breadth of the measures proposed in the Online Safety Bill – which would infringe the rights to privacy to the same extent for the internet’s majority of legitimate law-abiding users as it would for potential criminals – means that the measures cannot be considered either necessary or proportionate. [vi]

The inconvenient truth is that it is not possible to scan messages for bad things without infringing on the privacy of lawful messages. It is not possible to create a backdoor that only works for “good people” and that cannot be exploited by “bad people”.

Privacy and free expression rights are vital for all citizens everywhere, in every country, to do their jobs, raise their voices, and hold power to account without arbitrary intrusion, persecution or repression. End-to-end encryption provides vital security that allows them to do that without arbitrary interference. People in conflict zones who rely on secure encrypted communications to be able to speak safely to friends and family as well as for national security. Journalists around the world who rely on the confidential channels of encrypted chat, can communicate to sources and upload their stories in safety.

Children, too, need these rights, as emphasised by UNICEF based on the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child.vii Child safety and privacy are not mutually exclusive; they are mutually reinforcing. Indeed, children are less safe without encrypted communications, as they equally rely on secure digital experiences free from their data being harvested or conversations intercepted. Online content scanning alone cannot hope to find out the serious cases of exploitation, which require a whole-of-society approach. The UK government must invest in education, judicial reform, social services, law enforcement and other critical resources to prevent abuse before it can reach the point of online dissemination, thereby prioritising harm prevention over retrospective scanning. [viii]

As an international community, we are deeply concerned that the UK will become the weak link in the global system. The security risk will not be confined within UK borders. It is difficult to envisage how such a destructive step for the security of billions of users could be justified. [ix]

The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has said that the UK will maintain freedom, peace and security around the world. With that in mind, we urge you to ensure that end-to-end encrypted services will be removed from the scope of the Bill and that the privacy of people’s confidential communications will be upheld.

Signatories

Access Now
ARTICLE 19: Global Campaign for Free Expression
Asociația pentru Tehnologie și Internet (ApTI)
Associação Portuguesa para
a Promoção da Segurança da Informação (AP2SI)
Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
Big Brother Watch
Centre for Democracy and Technology
Chaos Computer Club (CCC)
Citizen D / Državljan D
Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)
Community NeHUBs Africa
cyberstorm.mu
Defend Digital Me
CASM at Demos
Digitalcourage
Digitale Gesellschaft
DNS Africa Media and Communications
Electronic Frontier Finland
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Electronic Frontier Norway
Epicenter.works
European Center for Not-for-Profit Law
European Digital Rights (EDRi)
European Sex Workers Rights Association (ESWA)
Fair Vote
Fight for the Future
Foundation for Information Policy Research
Fundación Cibervoluntarios
Global Partners Digital
Granitt
Hermes Center for Transparency and Digital Human Rights
Homo Digitalis
Ikigai Innovation Initiative
Internet Society
Interpeer gUG
ISOC Brazil – Brazilian Chapter of the Internet Society
ISOC Ghana
ISOC India Hyderabad Chapter
ISOC Venezuela
IT-Pol
JCA-Net (Japan)
Kijiji Yeetu
La Quadrature du Net
Liberty
McEvedys Solicitors and Attorneys Ltd
Open Rights Group
OpenMedia
OPTF
Privacy and Access Council of Canada
Privacy International
Ranking Digital Rights
Statewatch
SUPERRR Lab
Tech for Good Asia
UBUNTEAM
Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia UK
Professor Paul Bernal
Nicholas Bohm
Dr Duncan Campbell
Alan Cox
Ray Corrigan
Professor Angela Daly
Dr Erin Ferguson
Wendy M. Grossman
Dr Edina Harbinja
Dr Julian Huppert
Steve Karmeinsky
Dr Konstantinos Komaitis
Professor Douwe Korff
Petr Kučera
Mark A. Lane
Christian de Larrinaga
Mark Lizar
Dr Brenda McPhail
Alec Muffett
Riana Pferfferkorn
Simon Phipps
Dr Birgit Schippers
Peter Wells
Professor Alan Woodward

Notes

[i] Human rights, encryption and anonymity in a digital age: report of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression: www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2015/06/human-rights-encryption-and-anonymity-digital-age
Encryption: a matter of human rights, Amnesty International: www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol40/3682/2016/en/ Quotes from Polaris anti-trafficking project in news article: www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/wickr-amazon-aws-child-messaging-app-sex-abuse-problem-rcna20674
[ii] Bugs in Our Pockets: The Risks of Client-Side Scanning: arxiv.org/abs/2110.07450
[iii] Internet Society, Client-side scanning: What it is and why it threatens trustworthy, private communication, May 2023, staging.internetsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Client-side-Scanning-Fact-Sheet-EN.pdf
Open Letter from Public Interest Technologists in relation to the European Commission’s proposed Regulation on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA): www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/10/Experts-letter-encryption-CSA.pdf
Safety Tech Challenge Fund Evaluation Report, see comments on human rights compliance p2: bpb-eu-w2.wpmucdn.com/ blogs.bristol.ac.uk/dist/1/670/files/2023/02/Safety-Tech-Challenge-Fund-evaluation-framework-report.pdf
[iv] Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament and European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), Complementary Impact Assessment to the proposed EU Regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse: www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2023/740248/EPRS_STU(2023)740248_EN.pdf
[v] Irish and French parliamentarians sound the alarm about EU’s CSA Regulation: edri.org/our-work/irish-and-french- parliamentarians-sound-the-alarm-about-eus-csa-regulation/
Binding Resolution of the Austrian Parliament against the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation: epicenter.works/document/4393 vi Index on Censorship, Opinion from Matthew Ryder KC. Surveilled and Exposed: How the Online Safety Bill Creates Insecurity:
www.indexoncensorship.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Surveilled-Exposed-Index-on-Censorship-report-Nov-2022.pdf
[vii] Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF: www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/convention-text-childrens-version
[viii] CRIN: Privacy and Protection: A children’s rights approach to encryption: home.crin.org/readlistenwatch/stories/privacy-and-protection; and Ross Anderson: Chat Control of Child Protection: www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2022/10/13/chatcontrol-or-child-protection/
[ix] Rishi Sunak, Statement 14 March 2023: www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-statement-at-aukus-trilateral-press-conference

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]]> The best AI stock could very well be Apple https://www.latest-apple-news.com/2023/06/22/the-best-ai-stock-could-very-well-be-apple/ Thu, 22 Jun 2023 13:50:37 +0000 https://macdailynews.com/?p=263774 What's the best AI stock? Artificial intelligence hype is off the charts, but who will win in this market in the long term? The simple…

The post The best AI stock could very well be Apple appeared first on MacDailyNews. What’s the best AI stock? Artificial intelligence hype is off the charts, but who will win in this market in the long term? The simple answer may be Apple, as it builds AI models into devices and make on-device AI accessible to developers.

Apple logo

In this video, Travis Hoium discusses how to think about Apple and AI.

Travis Hoium via YouTube:

It may not get the attention that an Nvidia does, that a Microsoft does, but, I think in the future, more people are going to be using Apple devices and Apple software to interact with artificial intelligence than you would think today. And that puts the company in a great position.

MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote earlier this week, Apple has made significant strides in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning over the years and its efforts are accelerating. Some of Apple’s notable achievements include:

• Core ML: Apple’s Core ML is a framework that allows developers to integrate machine learning models into their iOS apps. Core ML supports a variety of popular machine learning tools and techniques, such as neural networks and decision trees.

• Face ID: Apple’s facial recognition technology, Face ID, uses AI and machine learning to recognize a user’s face and authenticate their identity. Face ID is used on the iPhone and iPad, and is considered one of the most secure forms of biometric authentication.

• Siri: Apple’s voice-activated personal assistant, Siri, is one of the company’s most well-known AI applications. Siri uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to understand and respond to spoken requests from users.

• Apple Neural Engine: Apple’s custom-designed Neural Engine is a chip that is used in some of the company’s devices, including the iPhone and iPad. The Neural Engine is designed specifically for machine learning tasks, and is used to power features like Face ID and Siri.

• Machine Learning Research: Apple also conducts research in the field of machine learning, with a particular focus on developing techniques that can be used to improve user privacy. For example, Apple has developed a technique called “differential privacy,” which allows data to be analyzed without revealing individual users’ personal information.

Overall, Apple has made significant contributions to the field of artificial intelligence, and continues to invest in AI research and development.

Please help support MacDailyNews. Click or tap here to support our independent tech blog. Thank you!

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]]> Many of Apple’s products and features are powered by AI https://www.latest-apple-news.com/2023/06/21/many-of-apples-products-and-features-are-powered-by-ai/ Tue, 20 Jun 2023 22:30:01 +0000 https://macdailynews.com/?p=263723 Apple’s next-gen iPhone operating system, iOS 17, due this fall, will feature an update to autocorrect, powered by AI, that will no longer…

The post Many of Apple’s products and features are powered by AI appeared first on MacDailyNews. Apple’s next-gen iPhone operating system, iOS 17, due this fall, will feature an update to autocorrect, powered by AI, that will no longer change the F-word to “duck.”

Many of Apple's products and features are powered by AI

Caroline Mimbs Nyce for The Atlantic:

Apple’s much-maligned spelling software is getting upgraded by artificial intelligence: Using sophisticated language models, the new autocorrect won’t just check words against a dictionary, but will be able to consider the context of the word in a sentence.

The next generation of autocorrect was one of several small updates to the iPhone experience that Apple announced earlier this month. The Photos app will be able to differentiate between your dog and other dogs, automatically recognizing your pup the same way it recognizes people who frequently appear in your pictures. And AirPods will get smarter about adjusting to background noise based on your listening over time.

All of these features are powered by AI—even if you might not know it from how Apple talks about them. Its conference unveiling the updates included zero mentions of AI, now a buzzword for tech companies of all stripes. Instead, Apple used more technical language such as machine learning or transformer language model. Apple has been quiet about the technology—so quiet that it has been accused of falling behind… But Apple is pushing forward with AI in small ways, an incrementalist approach that nonetheless still might be the future of where this technology is headed…

Like the rest of Silicon Valley, Apple may soon take bigger swings. Daniel Ives, a technology analyst at Wedbush Securities, thinks Apple’s new AI features amount to “just the appetizer before the main entrée.” His team has estimated that the company has spent $8 to $10 billion on AI in the past four or five years—the same amount that Microsoft invested in OpenAI in January — and Apple is reportedly on the hunt for AI talent.

MacDailyNews Take: Apple has made significant strides in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning over the years and its efforts are accelerating. Some of Apple’s notable achievements include:

• Core ML: Apple’s Core ML is a framework that allows developers to integrate machine learning models into their iOS apps. Core ML supports a variety of popular machine learning tools and techniques, such as neural networks and decision trees.

• Face ID: Apple’s facial recognition technology, Face ID, uses AI and machine learning to recognize a user’s face and authenticate their identity. Face ID is used on the iPhone and iPad, and is considered one of the most secure forms of biometric authentication.

• Siri: Apple’s voice-activated personal assistant, Siri, is one of the company’s most well-known AI applications. Siri uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to understand and respond to spoken requests from users.

• Apple Neural Engine: Apple’s custom-designed Neural Engine is a chip that is used in some of the company’s devices, including the iPhone and iPad. The Neural Engine is designed specifically for machine learning tasks, and is used to power features like Face ID and Siri.

• Machine Learning Research: Apple also conducts research in the field of machine learning, with a particular focus on developing techniques that can be used to improve user privacy. For example, Apple has developed a technique called “differential privacy,” which allows data to be analyzed without revealing individual users’ personal information.

Overall, Apple has made significant contributions to the field of artificial intelligence, and continues to invest in AI research and development.

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]]> Best iPad for students 2023 https://www.latest-apple-news.com/2023/06/19/best-ipad-for-students-2023/ Mon, 19 Jun 2023 16:29:31 +0000 http://www.latest-apple-news.com/?guid=429ae01e508a8ae67d27ceead63878dd Macworld

Preparing for student life can be exciting and stressful. To make things easier, it’s good to know that you’ve got the right tech to help you write your essays, take notes in lessons, and kick back with Netflix and games when the work is done. The iPad has evolved in recent years to something that can now act as a laptop replacement for many students, with accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil making it one of the most versatile devices you can buy. 

Choosing the best iPad can be tricky, as Apple currently offers a wide range of models with different prices and features. But that’s not a problem for Macworld readers. Here’s our guide to buying an iPad for your student days. 

Before you decide, you should also know that you can get money off a new Apple product by shopping in Apple’s education store. In a separate article, you can read all about how to get an Apple Student Discount. Apple offers money off new iPad purchases to students in higher education all year round.

Plus, if you’re a student and you buy an iPad (or a Mac) from Apple, you might be able to get a free gift such as a pair of AirPods or vouchers while the company’s “Back To Uni” event is running. (This usually runs from June to September in the U.S. and Canada, and from July to October in the U.K. and January to March in Australia)

Click on the following links for the Education stores in the countries where most of our readers reside:

If you’re a student, you can also get Apple Music for half price with free Apple TV+ included.

How much can students save on an iPad?

You can save as much as $50 in the U.S., £60 in the U.K., $90 in Australia, and $70 in Canada if you buy from the education store.

Product U.S. U.K. Australia Canada
iPad (9th gen) MSRP $329 £369 $549 $449
iPad (9th gen) Student Price $309 £349 $519 $419
iPad (10th gen) MSRP $449 £499 $749 $599
iPad (10th gen) Student Price $419 £469 $699 $559
iPad mini MSRP $499 £569 $829 $679
iPad mini Student Price $449 £509 $749 $609
iPad Air MSRP $599 £669 $999 $799
iPad Air Student Price $549 £609 $919 $729
iPad Pro 11-inch MSRP $799 £899 $1,399 $1,099
iPad Pro 11-inch Student Price $749 £839 $1,309 $1,029
Apple’s discounted price for students compared to the usual price.

How to get an iPad student discount

Apple offers a student discount via its country-specific education stores. To recap:

Depending on your location you may only need to sign up with details of your student status and course and prove your identity. Some countries have less stringent checks than others. In the U.K. you need to be registered with UNiDAYS in order to even see the student prices. We explain how to do this in our article How to get an Apple student discount.

To qualify for a discount you also need to meet Apple’s conditions. You either need to be a student in higher education, or a teacher at a teaching institution. The only way to get a discount for a child still at school is to be home educating them or to be a teacher yourself.

If you can’t get a student discount that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get money off a new iPad though. Read our round-up of the best iPad deals. You will also find links to the best deals for each iPad below.

Best iPad for students

iPad 10.2in (9th gen, 2021): Best low-cost iPad

iPad 10.2in (9th gen, 2021): Best low-cost iPad

Pros

  • Low price (in U.S.)
  • Centre Stage support for FaceTime
  • Compatible with any Bluetooth keyboard

Cons

  • 64GB storage may be too little
  • Price hike outside U.S.





Best Prices Today:



$269.99 at Amazon$269.99 at Best Buy$319.99 at Adorama

Since we expect that students are likely to be looking to save money where they can, we’d suggest that the 10.2in iPad (9th gen) is the closest you can get to a bargain iPad–especially once you apply the student discount. True, it has suffered from the price increases that Apple has recently applied around the world (except in the U.S. where it got a price cut), making it not quite the bargain it used to be. But if you want an iPad to cover the basics, it remains the most affordable option.

While this is the cheapest iPad, it still offers enough performance and features to make it an excellent choice for many students. This 2021 model features the more than adequate A13 that previously powered the iPhone 11 range, plus it gained significant improvements to the front-facing camera compared to the previous generation, with an Ultra-Wide lens and support for Center Stage. 

It can happily run the Microsoft Office apps for iPad if that is what you want to use, but there are free productivity apps from Apple and others that will make note-taking and working on assignments a doddle. Add a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and you have a very workable laptop that should cope with most coursework demands. Support for Apple Pencil (gen 1) means you can annotate documents, sketch, and of course practice your handwriting. 

The iPad 10.2-inch is a great pick if your demands aren’t too onerous. It will handle academic life with ease, and provide plenty of entertainment when lessons are over. One word of caution, though. The base model comes with only 64GB of storage, which in this day and age seems pretty mean. With that in mind, we’d recommend opting for the 256GB version as it would be more practical, albeit more expensive.

Get the best deal on a new 10.2-inch iPad

Read our full

Apple iPad 10.2in (2021) review

iPad mini (6th gen, 2021): Most portable iPad

iPad mini (6th gen, 2021): Most portable iPad

Pros

  • Small and light
  • Centre Stage for FaceTime calls

Cons

  • 64GB storage may be too limiting





Best Prices Today:



$399.99 at Amazon$399.99 at Best Buy$499.00 at Apple

If the most important factor to you is portability there’s one iPad in particular that you might want to consider.

The iPad mini, updated in September 2021 with an A15 Bionic and a brand-new design, is the smallest and lightest iPad you can buy. It weighs in at 293g, whereas the 9th generation iPad is 487g, the 10th generation iPad is 477g, and the iPad Air is 461g. Of course, the low weight is a result of the iPad itself being smaller, thanks to the 8.3-inch display (which is bigger than it used to be since Apple got rid of the Home button and relocated Touch ID to the power button on the top edge). The result is a compact but powerful device that doesn’t feel too small. We think this screen size is perfect for reading books or taking notes (especially with an Apple Pencil), so it may well be ideal if that’s how you intend to use your iPad.

And don’t let the diminutive form fool you: the A15 Bionic chip is the same as that found in the iPhone 13 Pro Max, so there’s no shortage of power on tap. Connectivity is top-notch too, with support for Wi-Fi 6 and LTE 5G networks available, depending on the model you choose. 

The front-facing camera is an Ultra-Wide lens, so it can track you and keep you in the center of the frame on video calls thanks to Center Stage, while the 12MP Wide camera on the back can capture great photos and videos that could be used in presentations or for media-based assignments. 

There are two storage options available (64GB and 256GB) and, as with the 10.2in iPad, we’d recommend the larger of the two as it allows you to store more apps, music, movies, photos, and videos. 

One disadvantage is that the mini only works with Bluetooth keyboards, rather than Apple’s range of iPad-specific keyboards–but whether that’s a significant disadvantage is debatable. It will definitely save you money.

Prices start at $499/£569 for the 64GB model, with the 256GB option raising the cost to $649/£749. This is an increase over the previous generation, and the late-2022 price bump outside the U.S. doesn’t help, but you do get some serious up-to-date tech in the new iPad mini.  

Get the best deal on a new iPad mini.

Read our full

Apple iPad mini (2021) review

iPad (10th gen, 2022): Best all-rounder

iPad (10th gen, 2022): Best all-rounder

Pros

  • New Air-style design
  • 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display
  • Camera is now in landscape
  • A14 processor

Cons

  • High-ish price (especially with Magic Keyboard Folio)
  • 64GB storage on base model
  • Requires dongle to power Apple Pencil (gen 1)




The newest kid on the block is the iPad 10.9-inch (10th gen), which arrived in October 2022 and features the same design approach as the iPad mini and iPad Air. This means you don’t have the traditional Home button, as it’s been replaced with swipe gestures, and the Face ID sensor has been embedded in the power button on the top edge. This makes room for a larger display than on its predecessor, the iPad 10.2-inch (9th gen), which Apple has kept in its catalog for those who want a cheaper device that’s still equipped with a Home button (see above).

On the new iPad, there’s a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display which, like all the other devices that are called iPad (rather than mini, Air or Pro) is unlaminated. This means there’s a slight air gap between the glass and the digitizer beneath. You probably won’t notice it at all, but if you intend to use the Apple Pencil for notes (gen 1 is supported) then you may experience slight delays in the tracking.

One welcome addition is that the front-facing camera is located on the longer end of the panel, meaning it offers a true landscape view that’s centrally located. No more awkward side views from the portrait cameras that appear on all other iPads. That new landscape 12MP Ultra Wide camera has a f/2.4 aperture that delivers a 122-degree view; it’s also compatible with the Center Stage feature that keeps you in the center of the frame even if you move about while on FaceTime calls. Apple bestows its new iPad with the same 12MP f/1.8 rear camera as on the iPad Air, so you can get some great shots and shoot video 4K video at 60fps. If your course requires any kind of video content, then either the front or back optics of the new iPad should prove more than sufficient–plus you can call home and look good doing so.

An A14 Bionic processor is at the heart of the new iPad, which is the same chip that powered the iPhone 12 devices (including the Pros). So there’s more than enough power for word processing, note-taking, coding, and most other education apps, not to mention gaming and entertainment duties. The switch from a Lightning port to USB-C also opens up the ability to use various peripherals and even power an external display if you want the iPad to become more like a fully-fledged computer.

As with all the other iPads on this list, Apple kits out the baseline model with 64GB, which remains a paltry amount and needs to be increased in the next year or so if Apple wants to keep charging its high prices. With this in mind, we’d recommend you opt for the 256GB version, although it does push the price from $449/£499 (64GB) to $599/£679 (256GB). The extra space will serve you better in the long run.

There are four colors to choose from (Blue, Yellow, Silver, and Pink) so you should be able to find one that suits your personality, and for extra functionality, you could invest in the new two-piece Magic Keyboard Folio, although the $249/£279 price tag does seem very high. Of course, a standard Bluetooth keyboard will get you the same results for a lot less money. As mentioned above, the new iPad supports the first-generation Apple Pencil, but as the charging port is now USB-C you’ll need an adaptor from Apple if you’ve already bought the Pencil. Otherwise, the dongle is now included in the box when you buy a new Apple Pencil (1st gen).

As you can see, there are a few caveats (mainly around the increased price), but with its modern design, solid processor, and larger display, the new 10.9-inch iPad (10th gen) is a great all-rounder that would prove a wise investment for those heading off to pursue their studies.

For more information, you can read our iPad 10.9-inch (10th gen) guide.

iPad Air (2022): Best high-power option

iPad Air (2022): Best high-power option

Pros

  • Bigger screen
  • Touch ID in Power button
  • Lots of color options

Cons

  • Avoid the 64GB model





Best Prices Today:



$499.99 at Amazon$499.99 at Best Buy$599.00 at Adorama

Yes, the iPad Pro range includes the most powerful iPads available, but for what a typical student needs they are overpriced and overpowered. We think the iPad Air, last updated in March 2022, with its 10.9-inch display, modern design, low weight (461g), great cameras, and hugely powerful processor, is a great choice for students.

Unfortunately, it’s not as cheap as it once was, especially outside the US, with the updated format and construction methods bringing the costs up to $599/£669 for the 64GB model and $749/£849 for the 256GB variant (which is the one we’d recommend).  

Because of the price increase, it’s no longer our top choice for students, but if you can afford it then it really is worth the investment. 

There are lots of things that the iPad Air has going for it. The design allows for a bigger screen and slimmer bezels, as the Home button is replaced by Touch ID embedded in the power button on the side of the chassis. There are plenty of colors to choose from, but the biggest feature of the 2022 model is the inclusion of the M1 processor. This is the same chip that powered the previous generation of iPad Pro models, not to mention several of the new Macs. In an iPad Air, it makes the device fly. 

The camera is a 12MP Wide lens (also like on the iPad Pro), which can record video up to 4K/60fps, and as with other iPads on this list, the front-facing camera has been upgraded to the 12MP Ultra-Wide that allows for Center Stage. Unlike the iPad 10.9-inch (10th gen) the camera isn’t on the longer side of the chassis, so you still have the slightly off-center angle, but that’s about the only advantage the less expensive model has over the Air.

Essentially, the iPad Air is an iPad Pro for a cheaper price. The only major feature it’s missing is the 120Hz ProMotion screen refresh rate, but that’s hardly something most people will even notice. 

We highly recommend the iPad Air for students who need premium performance and the best iPad you can buy without the Pro name.

Get the best deal on a new iPad Air.

Read our full

Apple iPad Air (2022) review

Should students buy an iPad or a laptop?

Before you go ahead and buy your iPad you may want to consider its suitability for your purpose.

As a student you probably have a few requirements:

  • Low price
  • Great apps for things like note-taking, recording lectures and revision
  • Light enough to carry around all-day
  • Keyboard and stylus support
  • Suitable for making video calls home

You might be wondering whether a tablet or a laptop would be better for those needs, and if you lean towards the latter, take a look at our guide to the best Macs for students.

We think, however, that an iPad is a great choice. It runs many of the apps you’ll find on a laptop, including Office apps like Word and PowerPoint and the Apple equivalents, and in some cases, an iPad is actually more powerful than a laptop thanks to the super-fast processors Apple uses.

Another benefit is that you can have all the books you need for your course on your iPad and carry them with you to lectures and tutorials. You could even photograph pages from books in the library and use optical character recognition to save the text to your iPad.

Not only do you not need to lug all your books around with you, but an iPad is also far lighter than even the lightest laptop, so you won’t be getting backache from carrying it to lectures and the library.

Best iPad for Students: Working on iPad Pro

With battery life of 10 hours–plenty for a day on campus–you aren’t going to need to find a space beside a plug socket in order to get through a day at uni.

Think that having an iPad will mean you have to type on an on-screen keyboard. No! You could sync any Bluetooth keyboard or plug in one of Apple’s own iPad keyboards and effectively turn your iPad into a laptop. There’s also the Apple Pencil, which could come in useful if you wanted to jot down some notes on your iPad screen in a lecture. See Best stylus for iPad.

And when you’ve finished studying there are loads of games, and apps for video calling your parents.

Still not sure? We have more information comparing a MacBook laptop and an iPad.

Are iPads good for students?

The next question you might want some reassurance on is whether the iPad is the best option for a student. There are a lot of other tablets available, many of which are cheaper than an iPad. So you might be thinking of saving some money.

We think if you do so you will regret it. There are many reasons why Apple’s iPads are so popular:

  • The App Store is heaving with great apps designed specifically for the iPad.
  • Many of those apps will be ideal for students: note-taking apps, apps for converting handwriting to text, apps for recording lectures, timetable management, and of course video calling (so you can stay in touch with mum and dad).
  • There is an ecosystem of great accessories designed to work with the iPad.
  • Apple’s iPadOS is stable and easy to use, especially if you already have an iPhone.
  • If you’ve got a Mac you can use an iPad as a second screen, provided you’re running Big Sur or later. 

Further reading

That’s all of our student-related buying advice, but if you’re buying for someone younger, check out our guide to the best iPad for kids.

iPad

]]> How to start a smart home using Apple Home https://www.latest-apple-news.com/2023/06/14/how-to-start-a-smart-home-using-apple-home/ Wed, 14 Jun 2023 12:45:00 +0000 https://www.theverge.com/23751656/apple-home-smart-devices-gadgets-homepod-mini
Illustration by Samar Haddad for The Verge

My smart home journey began, like so many others, with a poorly placed light switch. My partner and I had just bought our first house, and the switch that illuminated the kitchen was in the laundry room all the way on the other side, meaning we had to wander through darkness to get to it. I hated that light switch.

So what to do? Well, I could spend a bunch of money I didn’t have to hire someone to move it, try to do it myself and accidentally burn my house down with a bad wiring job, or take the plunge on a smart home. I took the path of least resistance (that’s an electricity joke) and got started on smartening up my house.

I started out with an Amazon Echo Dot and quickly found that I hated the skills system Amazon uses; plus, the sound quality of its little black puck was terrible. So I got a Google Home Mini. It looked nicer but had invisible touch controls, and the app felt half-finished. I could’ve stopped there, but driven by the sunk cost fallacy, I gave Apple Home a shot.

White HomePod Mini on a flowered table cloth in front of a planter shaped like a pink duck.
After you start your Apple-centric smart home, the HomePod Mini can add more convenient voice controls.

Apple Home, formerly known as HomeKit (which still refers to its smart home APIs), is Apple’s nine-year-old smart home platform, started in 2014 as a Siri-driven experience. Amazingly, it had no app until two years later and no smart speaker until the company finally released the first HomePod in 2018. The Verge’s Nilay Patel loved the HomePod’s audio chops but said it suffered in many other ways, not least of which is its place in Apple’s infamous walled garden, making it a “lonely” device. It couldn’t distinguish between voices, couldn’t operate your TV, and could only handle one timer at a time. But I just wanted my lights to turn on and off, and for me, it seemed to do that better than the others, so I stuck with it. Apple has closed the gap since then in all of the big, meaningful ways, but it’s been a slow process.

Today, Apple Home’s advantages are mostly two-fold. First, there’s Apple’s easy-to-use, attractive Home app. I found Apple Home to be a breath of fresh air after using Amazon’s Alexa smart home app, which perplexingly hides most of its actual smart home controls in a tab.

Second is being so locked into the company’s ecosystem that you benefit from its strict requirements for Apple Home-compatible devices. Those requirements include the ability to control devices locally — which means you still get basic control from your phone if your internet service goes out — and features like HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV), which gives users encrypted cloud video storage and facial recognition based on users’ Apple Photos library, among other things (more on this later). Admittedly, though, this is a double-edged sword since compliance with Apple strictures has resulted in a more limited, spendy product choice.

Apple’s system has, among the big smart home platforms, also seen perhaps the most enthusiastic support for the new Matter protocol, which is partially based on Apple’s platform and still in its early days. If you’ve invested in almost any recent Apple Home Hub — that is, an Apple TV or a HomePod — you’ll find that device is also a Thread border router. That’s important because Thread is the wireless standard to be used in many inexpensive smart home devices going forward. For more, our own Jennifer Tuohy has a great introductory guide on the subject.

Starting your smart home

If you’re going to go with Apple Home, you may want to start with an Apple Home Hub — as mentioned above, either an Apple TV (ideally from 2021 or newer) or a HomePod. If you’re planning to purchase a HomePod, be aware that If you get the newest version, you’re essentially only paying for better sound (which, again, is stellar) because the $99 HomePod Mini, at only a third of the price, brings all of the same functionality. The 2022 Apple TV 4K, starting at $129, is a powerful TV streaming box and probably the best such product for most people to buy anyway, though you won’t get Thread support, as it’s reserved for the 128GB version.

Whichever you choose, buying an Apple Home Hub enables you to control your smart home when you’re away and lets you share access with others, provided they have an iPhone. Without a Home Hub, things get less convenient, but you can still add and control smart home products with your Apple devices.

Light bulb in metal lamp with green inside lining in a blue room with a guitar in background.
Smart light bulbs are a great way to add to expand your repertoire.

As for smart devices, start small. Smart light bulbs are a great jumping-off point, and I’ve generally had the best experience with Philips Hue, though setup is a little more involved for Hue bulbs than for, say, Nanoleaf’s Essentials A19. Both brands offer bulbs compatible with Apple’s Adaptive Lighting feature, which gradually tunes the warmth of the bulb throughout your day to be cooler or warmer, depending on the time.

For smart plugs, I’ve tried a few, and all have been iffy at one time or another. The best, though, have been my Eve Energy smart plugs. Eve’s plugs are not cheap but feel worth it, as they offer a built-in power meter function that tracks how much power is flowing through them, even offering an estimate of what that’ll cost you based on the last week, day, or minute of usage. The Eve app also succeeds where Apple’s Home app fails by showing how your Thread network is structured, which helped immensely when I had to troubleshoot responsiveness issues with my Thread devices a few weeks ago.

Smart home security cameras can be a good go-to next, though picking the right one is tricky. Go for one that supports HKSV if you have an iCloud Plus subscription, as that gets you 10 days of video history, the ability to set detection zones, and object recognition for people, animals, vehicles, and even packages. In addition to being able to view camera notifications on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, an Apple TV can show picture-in-picture streams from your cameras, which comes in handy when I’m watching TV in my basement and can’t hear knocks on my front door (of course, notifications can be turned off as well).

I use a pair of EufyCam 2C cameras, though there are reasons to be cautious about Eufy’s security practices. Otherwise, Netatmo and Logitech both make well-liked alternatives, as do Eve and Aqara. Be careful not to confuse Apple Home compatibility with HKSV support, though. Arlo makes fantastic cameras, for instance, but their support is limited to live video streaming and basic motion detection in the Apple Home app.

White motion sensor next to a leather record player.
Motion sensors like this Aqara motion sensor P1 can offer peace of mind.

If you want to add peace of mind beyond what cameras offer, you can look for door and window sensors like those for Ecobee thermostats. The Aqara water leak detector actually saved my bacon once when a leak I’d patched in my basement sprung open in the middle of the night — my iPhone alerted me to it, waking me up so I could stop the leak before it got to anything important. Door / window and motion sensors can also be great for setting up automation, so your lights are on right after you walk in the room.

Finally, with enough HomePods (Mini and above) in your home, you actually may not need separate humidity or temperature sensors, as those are built in, though in my experience, they’re not as accurate as dedicated sensors. In addition, their built-in alarm recognition means you can be notified if your smoke detector goes off when you’re out of the house. Those features aren’t unique to HomePods, but having all of them in one device is. Some Amazon Echo speakers have temperature sensors and can detect sounds like smoke alarms but lack humidity sensors, while Google’s Nest speakers can detect alarms, but only if you pay for its Nest Aware subscription, and lack built-in temperature and humidity sensors.

Black smart thermostat on wall.
Ecobee thermostats can work with door and window sensors.

I set up my own Apple Home system by slowly identifying pain points in my house that I thought a smart device would make better. I now have a mix of smart lights and smart dimmers; various environmental, motion, and leak sensors; outdoor smart security cameras; a smart garage door opener module (that is, shockingly, compatible with my ancient Automatic Doorman opener); and more. I don’t even know how many devices I own at this point because many of them are Zigbee devices that rely on various hubs, like my Aqara and Hue hubs, to connect to Apple Home.

I collect information like I once did Pogs, and I love being able to find out the conditions in every part of my house — and being able to check on things there when I’m away. Various sensors have also allowed me to adjust my dampers for the best air distribution and helped me know where to place humidifiers and dehumidifiers for the best result.

Making it better

As I said earlier, Apple’s onerous certification program has resulted in a more limited selection and higher prices, which can be a big pain in the butt when you’re looking for smart home devices. But as Matter is rolled out more, we should see a lot of those limitations fall away as basic smart devices like light bulbs, switches, plugs, and sensors become more commoditized. It also means no more looking for HomeKit certification for device makers, as Matter is intrinsically cross-platform.

But there are other things Apple could do better. Improvements to Siri are always welcome, as right now, it often refers me to my phone for certain queries, such as web searches or business information (though other times it gives me the answers I’m seeking through the speaker), and my phone never seems to be aware it’s supposed to be showing me something. It would also be great to see more third-party support for Apple’s assistant — two years after opening Siri to other developers for use, Ecobee is still the only company actually taking Apple up on the offer.

There are ways to get around Apple’s lack of third-party support, such as Home Assistant, an open-source project that adds customizable HomeKit support to far more devices than do so natively. I’ve never tried this myself, partially because I haven’t had a need and partially because it’s time-consuming and I’ve just never gotten around to it.

I’d also love to see some fun or more granular automations injected into Apple Home. There are hacky ways to get this to happen, but they’re obscure and require more technical know-how than many people possess. For instance, I have a scene that flashes green and yellow lights on a pair of Nanoleafs and plays Todd Rundgren’s “Bang on the Drum All Day’’ whenever I yell “Go pack!” at Siri — but frankly, I won’t touch that scene ever again because I still have no idea how I got the lights to actually do what I wanted them to.

Should you use Apple Home?

If you want more choice and don’t want to wait for Matter to truly take over (assuming it really does), Google and Alexa are your options — that is, unless you’re willing to invest your time, energy, and brain power into Home Assistant integration, an open-source project that adds customizable HomeKit support to far more devices than do so natively.

But if you want to have a smart home and you’re concerned about privacy and security, then Apple has the best track record for those things. And as the Matter protocol matures, choice and affordability limits will fall away. If you’re already in the Apple ecosystem, it’s almost no contest, as the company’s famous interoperability extends to its smart home platform, making for a much more synchronous experience.

Photography by Wes Davis / The Verge

]]> When to buy a Mac: Should you buy a Mac or MacBook now? https://www.latest-apple-news.com/2023/06/13/when-to-buy-a-mac-should-you-buy-a-mac-or-macbook-now/ Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:08:05 +0000 http://www.latest-apple-news.com/?guid=4b74c2f835490b093e3554686abc834b Macworld

Whether you are updating your old MacBook laptop or planning to buy your first Mac part of the decision of which model to buy should be based on timing. Before you part with your money you should check that the model you are buying isn’t about to be upgraded by Apple. There is nothing worse than buying a new MacBook Air only to see Apple update the models a month later. Luckily you are here reading this article so the chance of you making a mistake like that is slim (although you should check the date this article was last updated!)

In this article we’ll tell you the best time to buy a MacBook, when to buy a Mac, at what time of year Apple usually updates its Macs, and whether an update is expected soon. We’ll also mention if there are any particular configurations to avoid.

We will run through each Mac and MacBook Apple currently sells and assess whether now is a good time to buy one based on educated guesses as to when the next one will launch. Sometimes if you wait a month or two you can get more for your money – provided Apple keeps its prices the same.

Before you make the decision of which Mac to buy you should also check out our Mac buying guide and our MacBook buying guide. 

Should I wait for Black Friday deals?

If you are thinking of buying a new Mac and the last few months of the year are approaching, you should hold on to take advantage of deals season. From October onwards is when we tend to see the most deals, with everyone saving their best discounts for the weeks around Black Friday at the end of November. If you are wondering whether to wait until Black Friday itself or take advantage of an early deal that’s marked as being ‘early Black Friday’ or similar, our advice is to just go for it! In the past lots of retailers have started their Black Fridays sales a long time before the day itself and promised that prices won’t go any lower on Black Friday itself.

It’s unlikely that Apple will offer any discounts for Black Friday though. The company tends to offer vouchers with qualifying sales around Black Friday, and we don’t expect that to change: here’s what Apple is likely to be doing for Black Friday 2023. So don’t expect Apple to offer discounts on Black Friday, but you might be able to get money off Apple products from another reseller. We see many resellers offering Black Friday deals on Apple products, so come back around Black Friday and check out our best Apple Black Friday deals to see how much you can save.

But we don’t only see prices cut for Black Friday, we see deals on Apple products all year round – so don’t assume you can’t get money off a new Apple product when you need to buy one. Check out our round-ups of the best Apple deals:

There are other ways to save money too:

When will Apple launch new Macs?

There are a couple of things that can help when predicting when a new model might land. One is to be aware of when Apple last updated the range. The other is to note when Apple has previously to announced updates to that range.

Most recent/current launches:

  • Mac Studio M2 Max and M2 Ultra – June 2023
  • Mac Pro M2 Ultra – June 2023
  • 15-inch MacBook Air M2 – June 2023
  • 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, M2 Pro and M2 Max – January 2023
  • Mac mini M2 and M2 Pro – January 2023
  • 13-inch MacBook Pro, M2 – June 2022
  • 13-inch MacBook Air, M2 – July 2022
  • 24in iMac, M1 – April 2021

As for the times when a Mac launch is most likely. In the past the most likely times to see Mac updates were: WWDC in June for professional Mac models (e.g. 27-inch iMac, 16-inch MacBook Pro and Mac Pro) and October for consumer-focused Macs (e.g. MacBook Air and Mac mini). However, as you will see when you read on, this is not a rule that Apple abides by particularly, nor does Apple always launch new Macs at special events: it often just takes the Apple Store offline for a few hours and then when it returns new Mac models are available.

It used to be easier to predict when Apple would launch new Macs because updates were often tied to the launch of the next generation of Intel processors. Now that Apple has transitioned from Intel to its own series of processors, it is no longer tied to Intel’s upgrade cycle. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the updates happen more frequently though. For example, Apple still hasn’t updated the iMac and it’s been more than two years since the M1 model launched and the M2 chip has been available for more than a year.

We do, however, think that updates for the following Macs are likely to arrive in the next few months:

  • 24-inch iMac: The iMac still has an M1 chip, despite Apple being well into the M2-series now. It’s time for an update, but Apple may be waiting for the M3. See: New 23-inch iMac rumors.
  • 27-inch iMac: Apple discontinued the larger-screened iMac, but there are rumors that it could make a comeback. Read about the new iMac Pro.
  • MacBook Air: In June 2023 Apple introduced a new 15-inch MacBook Air but the M2 chip it is powered by arrived a year previously. The M3 MacBook Air is expected to arrive in early 2024.

Let’s take a look at each Mac and MacBook on the market and assess if you should consider buying it now. Check the date at the top of the article to see when we last updated this information.

Should I buy a MacBook Air now or wait?

Should I buy a MacBook Air now or wait?





Best Prices Today:



$1,098.96 at Amazon$1099.00 at Apple$1099.00 at Best Buy

  • Last update: June 2023
  • Next update: Spring 2024

There are three versions of the MacBook Air available to buy right now. There are two 13-inch models: one with an M1 chip that launched in November 2020 and one with an M2 chip that went on sale in July 2022. There is also a 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 that joined the lineup in June 2023.

In our review of the M1 MacBook Air 2020 we said: There is no doubt at all that the M1 MacBook Air offers a significant improvement compared to its predecessor in every way that matters, the highlights being much better battery life, software improvements to the FaceTime camera, and the significantly faster operation. There are still some areas for improvement though, for example, the fact that you can’t plug in more than one other monitor (unless you read this: How to connect two or more external displays to Apple Silicon Macs).

The M2 MacBook Air, with its brand-new design, arrived in the summer of 2022. It has the same issue with plugging in external monitors, but it does at least gain a MagSafe charging port, so both your USB-C ports are available. In our 13-inch M2 MacBook Air review we described it as “just right for nearly every user” thanks to its improved display with thinner bezels, full-size function row, killer battery life and outstanding performance in its class.

Now there is another MacBook Air to consider. A larger MacBook Air arrived in June 2023 and in our review of the 15-inch MacBook Air we said that the 15-inch MacBook Air is “exactly like the 13-inch MacBook Air introduced last year, only with a bigger display (and thus chassis) and better speakers”. But if you prefer larger laptops then the 15-inch MacBook Air will save you thousands compared to the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Is now a good time to buy a MacBook Air?

The M1 MacBook Air is an excellent machine, and we do recommend it. It is the cheapest Mac laptop right now, which is a good reason to buy one. However, the 13-inch MacBook Air with M2 chip only costs $100/£150 more now that Apple has dropped the price on that model, so our advice would be to pay a little extra for the new design and better specs.

If you prefer a larger screen then the 15-inch MacBook Air costs a bit more than the 13-inch model, but considerably less than the other Mac laptops with larger screens (the smaller 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,999/£2,149 while the 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,299/£1,399, for example.

We go into more detail about whether to buy a MacBook Air here: Should I buy a MacBook Air now?

Our recommendation is that if you can find a good discount on the price of the MacBook Air right now, and even if you can’t, then it’s a great time to buy.

Read our full Apple 15-inch MacBook Air (2023, M2) review

Read our full

Apple 13-inch MacBook Air (2022, M2) review

Should I buy a 13-inch MacBook Pro now or wait?

Should I buy a 13-inch MacBook Pro now or wait?





Best Prices Today:



$1149.00 at Best Buy$1,267.94 at Amazon$1299.00 at Adorama

  • Last update: June 2022
  • Next update: Spring 2024

We are suspicious that the days of the 13-inch MacBook Pro are numbered. It has a slower processor than the other MacBook Pros, a smaller screen than either of the MacBook Airs and a six-year-old design.

What it has that the MacBook Air hasn’t is a fan, so the laptop can cope a bit better with processor-intensive applications. It also features the Touch Bar (which is something some people love, and others hate). Battery life runs to 20 hours, compared to the 18 hours of the MacBook Air models. But there are things the 13-inch MacBook Pro lacks that the MacBook Air has: The Air has a better FaceTime camera and better speakers, is lighter, and has a MagSafe charging port.

When we reviewed the M2 MacBook Pro we found that, as expected the M2 provides speed and graphics boosts and we noted that the build-in fan means this Mac can sustain performance better than the MacBook Air, but we noted that other MacBooks have displays with better quality and smaller bezels and we felt the mediocre 720p FaceTime camera isn’t good enough.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro was last updated in June 2022 when it gained the M2 chip. There are rumors that it will gain an M3 chip in 2024, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Apple just forgets about it altogether.

Is now a good time to buy a 13in MacBook Pro?

The M2 MacBook Pro is a good laptop and we recommend it if the kind of applications you use will benefit from the improved cooling provided by the fan. But if you need something more powerful, or that supports more RAM, the 14-inch MacBook Pro is a better option.

If you want to buy now check out our round-up of the Best MacBook Pro deals.

Read our full

Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro (M2, 2022) review

Should I buy a 14-inch MacBook Pro now or wait?

Should I buy a 14-inch MacBook Pro now or wait?





Best Prices Today:



$1799.00 at Best Buy$1,947.50 at Amazon$1999.00 at Adorama

  • Last update: January 2023
  • Next update: 2024

Apple introduced the 14in MacBook Pro with M1 Pro (or M1 Max as a build-to-order option) in October 2021 and then upgraded it with the M2 Pro and M2 Max in January 2023, so we don’t expect to see its successor for a long time – probably it won’t arrive until 2024.

We reviewed the M2 Pro model and found it had good performance boost over its predecessor, we appreciated the HDMI upgrade and its expanded external display options. Our main criticism was that the FaceTime camera lacks Centre Stage, which isn’t really a big deal.

Is now a good time to buy a 14in MacBook Pro?

The 14in MacBook Pro offers a solution to all of the things that hold back the 13in MacBook Pro, the only disappointment is the fact that the starting price is a little higher than it was back in the Intel days, and in general the price of the range is a lot higher than it used to be.

Now that the 15-inch MacBook Air is here it is no longer necessary to pay $2,000/£2,000 to get a larger screen. However, you do get a lot for your money and this is a very powerful pro Mac that will leave the MacBook Air for dust.

We saw some great deals for the 14in M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro, so it may be that we see similar discounts on the M2 Pro and Max. Check out our round-up of the Best MacBook Pro deals. Also read: 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro: Buy now or wait?

Read our full

Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M2 Pro, 2023) review

Should I buy a 16-inch MacBook Pro now or wait?

Should I buy a 16-inch MacBook Pro now or wait?





Best Prices Today:



$2,249.00 at Amazon$2299.00 at Best Buy$2499.00 at Adorama

  • Last update: January 2023
  • Next update: 2024?

Alongside the 14in MacBook Pro, in January 2023, Apple introduced a 16in MacBook Pro with M2 Pro or M2 Max. When we reviewed it was said that the M2 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro was a “successful follow-up to the M1 Pro model. If you’re still using an Intel-based MacBook Pro, it’s time to upgrade. Heck, the HDMI 2.1, Wi-fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3 upgrades may tempt M1 Pro MacBook Pro owners to invest.”

For more advice read our comparison of all the MacBook Pro models.

Is now a good time to buy a 16-inch MacBook Pro?

Now is a great time to buy the 16-inch MacBook Pro since it was only introduced in January 2023, so it will be a long time until it is updated again. The only consideration is whether to save a considerable amount of money and opt for the M2 Max in the Mac Studio or the M2 Pro in the Mac mini.

If the 16-inch MacBook Pro suits you then it’s a great time to buy–make sure to check out our round-up of the Best MacBook Pro deals.

Read our full

Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro (M2 Pro, 2023) review

Should I buy a 24-inch iMac now or wait?

Should I buy a 24-inch iMac now or wait?





Best Prices Today:



$1299.00 at Apple$1299.99 at Best BuyNot Available at Adorama

  • Last update: May 2021
  • Next update: 2023

Apple’s 24-inch iMac is eye-catching, both in terms of the quality of the 4.5K display and the colourful case. There’s a choice of seven different colors, with pink, blue, green, orange, yellow, purple and silver on offer, with all but silver offering a bold tone on the back that is complemented by a paler version on the front.

The iMac’s screen is larger than its predecessor, although it’s not quite the 24-inches that Apple insinuates by the name: this iMac has a 23-inch screen compared to the previous generation’s 21.5-inch display.

The M1 chip inside is the same as that which was used in the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro–but both of those have been updated to run on M2 chips (now for more than a year!). The Mac mini also runs on an M2 or M2 Pro chip. The iMac does offer the benefit of more efficient cooling and that may be of use in processor-intensive applications, but not much else.

Is now a good time to buy a 24in iMac?

The 24-inch iMac went on sale in May 2021, so it is now more than two years old. Apple’s failure to update the iMac to take advantage of the M2 chip, which has been out for more than a year, is negligent. With that in mind, we wouldn’t recommend that you buy one.

If you do want to buy one then do not pay full price, check our round-up of the best iMac deals. Also read: Should I buy an iMac?

If you need an iMac that is designed with creative pros in mind you should look at the Mac mini with M2 Pro, the Mac Studio with M2 Max, or wait to see if Apple revives the 27-inch iMac/iMac Pro.

Read our full

Apple 24-inch iMac (M1, 2021) review

Should I buy a Mac mini now or wait?

Should I buy a Mac mini now or wait?





Best Prices Today:



$597.50 at Amazon$599.00 at Adorama$599.00 at Best Buy

  • Last update: January 2023
  • Next update: 2024

Apple introduced the M2 Mac mini and M2 Pro Mac mini in January 2023. The Mac mini with M2 is a great successor to the M1 Mac mini but the big news is the arrival of the M2 Pro version, which sits nicely between the Mac mini and the Mac Studio. This is a pro version of the Mac mini that fills the gap left by the removal of the 27-inch iMac.

Is now a good time to buy a Mac mini?

We thoroughly recommend the M2 Mac mini. It offers the same specs as the other M2 Macs for much less money, the only difference being the absence of a screen. But since you can buy a decent 4K display for less than £300/$300 we don’t think that is a big problem.

The M2 Pro Mac mini is a great option for anyone who needs affordable power. There is now some competition from the Mac Studio with M2 Max and M2 Ultra, which starts at $1,999/£2,099 compared to the M2 Pro Mac mini at $1,299/£1,399. That’s quite a large $700 to jump up to the M2 Max from the M2 Pro.

If you want to buy a Mac mini check out our round-up of the Best Mac mini deals.

Read our full

Apple Mac mini (M2, 2023) review

Should I buy a Mac Studio now or wait?

Should I buy a Mac Studio now or wait?




Last update: June 2023
Next update: 2025

The Mac Studio arrived in March 2022 and we were impressed by its processing power, port flexibility and price. In our review we said “The Mac Studio offers exciting processing prowess,” and added: “It may even be a suitable replacement for an Intel Mac Pro in certain situations.” That model has now been replaced by a Mac Studio with M2 Max or M2 Ultra which is better than ever.

In our review of the model that arrived in June 2023, we said that: “The Mac Studio is the ideal Mac–it’s powerful, priced appropriately, has lots of ports for connecting devices, and it won’t take up a lot of desk space,” and described it as a “complete package of processing power, features, and design”. An HDMI upgrade fixes one of our biggest problems with the original Mac Studio, bringing 8K display support and support for more displays overall.

Is now a good time to buy a Mac Studio?

The Mac Studio with M2 Max and M2 Ultra arrived in June 2023 so it’s likely that there will be a wait before Apple updates this Mac again. We probably won’t see a new Mac Studio until 2025.

Therefore if you want to buy a Mac Studio it is a good time to do so. Your only consideration is really whether to spend less and get a Mac mini with M2 Pro, or spend more for a Mac Pro with M2 Ultra. Our testing showed that the M2 Max Mac Studio and the M2 Pro Mac mini have similar CPU performance, so if the apps you use are CPU dependent then you will probably be ok with the Mac mini. If you use GPU-dependent software then the Mac Studio is the better choice.

If you want to buy one now, take advantage of the Best Mac Studio deals.

Read our full

Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) review

Should I buy a Mac Pro now or wait?

Should I buy a Mac Pro now or wait?




  • Last update: June 2023
  • Next update: 2025

Apple launched the current Mac Pro in June 2023, three and a half years after the range was last updated in December 2019. That was the first update since December 2013 (which was a wait of six years!)

The main benefit of the 2019 Mac Pro design is shared by the design of the 2023 Mac Pro: it offers PCIe expansion slots (seven in total) and its modular design should mean that there is the potential for SSD upgrades down the line (although RAM won’t be upgradable and nor will the GPU or CPU).

The Mac Pro has a lot of competition in the form of the Mac Studio, which offers the exact same spec as the Mac Studio and is cheaper. The Mac Pro brings an extra fan, more ports and there is a rack-mounted option.

Is now a good time to buy a Mac Pro?

It’s been a long wait but Apple has finally updated the Mac Pro to run on its own silicon. It’s very likely we won’t see an update for a while, so now is a good time to buy, as long as it is what you need. To save money you could look at the Mac Studio.

Mac

]]> When to buy a Mac: Should you buy a Mac or MacBook now? https://www.latest-apple-news.com/2023/06/13/when-to-buy-a-mac-should-you-buy-a-mac-or-macbook-now/ Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:08:05 +0000 http://www.latest-apple-news.com/?guid=4b74c2f835490b093e3554686abc834b Macworld

Whether you are updating your old MacBook laptop or planning to buy your first Mac part of the decision of which model to buy should be based on timing. Before you part with your money you should check that the model you are buying isn’t about to be upgraded by Apple. There is nothing worse than buying a new MacBook Air only to see Apple update the models a month later. Luckily you are here reading this article so the chance of you making a mistake like that is slim (although you should check the date this article was last updated!)

In this article we’ll tell you the best time to buy a MacBook, when to buy a Mac, at what time of year Apple usually updates its Macs, and whether an update is expected soon. We’ll also mention if there are any particular configurations to avoid.

We will run through each Mac and MacBook Apple currently sells and assess whether now is a good time to buy one based on educated guesses as to when the next one will launch. Sometimes if you wait a month or two you can get more for your money – provided Apple keeps its prices the same.

Before you make the decision of which Mac to buy you should also check out our Mac buying guide and our MacBook buying guide. 

Should I wait for Black Friday deals?

If you are thinking of buying a new Mac and the last few months of the year are approaching, you should hold on to take advantage of deals season. From October onwards is when we tend to see the most deals, with everyone saving their best discounts for the weeks around Black Friday at the end of November. If you are wondering whether to wait until Black Friday itself or take advantage of an early deal that’s marked as being ‘early Black Friday’ or similar, our advice is to just go for it! In the past lots of retailers have started their Black Fridays sales a long time before the day itself and promised that prices won’t go any lower on Black Friday itself.

It’s unlikely that Apple will offer any discounts for Black Friday though. The company tends to offer vouchers with qualifying sales around Black Friday, and we don’t expect that to change: here’s what Apple is likely to be doing for Black Friday 2023. So don’t expect Apple to offer discounts on Black Friday, but you might be able to get money off Apple products from another reseller. We see many resellers offering Black Friday deals on Apple products, so come back around Black Friday and check out our best Apple Black Friday deals to see how much you can save.

But we don’t only see prices cut for Black Friday, we see deals on Apple products all year round – so don’t assume you can’t get money off a new Apple product when you need to buy one. Check out our round-ups of the best Apple deals:

There are other ways to save money too:

When will Apple launch new Macs?

There are a couple of things that can help when predicting when a new model might land. One is to be aware of when Apple last updated the range. The other is to note when Apple has previously to announced updates to that range.

Most recent/current launches:

  • Mac Studio M2 Max and M2 Ultra – June 2023
  • Mac Pro M2 Ultra – June 2023
  • 15-inch MacBook Air M2 – June 2023
  • 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, M2 Pro and M2 Max – January 2023
  • Mac mini M2 and M2 Pro – January 2023
  • 13-inch MacBook Pro, M2 – June 2022
  • 13-inch MacBook Air, M2 – July 2022
  • 24in iMac, M1 – April 2021

As for the times when a Mac launch is most likely. In the past the most likely times to see Mac updates were: WWDC in June for professional Mac models (e.g. 27-inch iMac, 16-inch MacBook Pro and Mac Pro) and October for consumer-focused Macs (e.g. MacBook Air and Mac mini). However, as you will see when you read on, this is not a rule that Apple abides by particularly, nor does Apple always launch new Macs at special events: it often just takes the Apple Store offline for a few hours and then when it returns new Mac models are available.

It used to be easier to predict when Apple would launch new Macs because updates were often tied to the launch of the next generation of Intel processors. Now that Apple has transitioned from Intel to its own series of processors, it is no longer tied to Intel’s upgrade cycle. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the updates happen more frequently though. For example, Apple still hasn’t updated the iMac and it’s been more than two years since the M1 model launched and the M2 chip has been available for more than a year.

We do, however, think that updates for the following Macs are likely to arrive in the next few months:

  • 24-inch iMac: The iMac still has an M1 chip, despite Apple being well into the M2-series now. It’s time for an update, but Apple may be waiting for the M3. See: New 23-inch iMac rumors.
  • 27-inch iMac: Apple discontinued the larger-screened iMac, but there are rumors that it could make a comeback. Read about the new iMac Pro.
  • MacBook Air: In June 2023 Apple introduced a new 15-inch MacBook Air but the M2 chip it is powered by arrived a year previously. The M3 MacBook Air is expected to arrive in early 2024.

Let’s take a look at each Mac and MacBook on the market and assess if you should consider buying it now. Check the date at the top of the article to see when we last updated this information.

Should I buy a MacBook Air now or wait?

Should I buy a MacBook Air now or wait?





Best Prices Today:



$1,098.96 at Amazon$1099.00 at Apple$1099.00 at Best Buy

  • Last update: June 2023
  • Next update: Spring 2024

There are three versions of the MacBook Air available to buy right now. There are two 13-inch models: one with an M1 chip that launched in November 2020 and one with an M2 chip that went on sale in July 2022. There is also a 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 that joined the lineup in June 2023.

In our review of the M1 MacBook Air 2020 we said: There is no doubt at all that the M1 MacBook Air offers a significant improvement compared to its predecessor in every way that matters, the highlights being much better battery life, software improvements to the FaceTime camera, and the significantly faster operation. There are still some areas for improvement though, for example, the fact that you can’t plug in more than one other monitor (unless you read this: How to connect two or more external displays to Apple Silicon Macs).

The M2 MacBook Air, with its brand-new design, arrived in the summer of 2022. It has the same issue with plugging in external monitors, but it does at least gain a MagSafe charging port, so both your USB-C ports are available. In our 13-inch M2 MacBook Air review we described it as “just right for nearly every user” thanks to its improved display with thinner bezels, full-size function row, killer battery life and outstanding performance in its class.

Now there is another MacBook Air to consider. A larger MacBook Air arrived in June 2023 and in our review of the 15-inch MacBook Air we said that the 15-inch MacBook Air is “exactly like the 13-inch MacBook Air introduced last year, only with a bigger display (and thus chassis) and better speakers”. But if you prefer larger laptops then the 15-inch MacBook Air will save you thousands compared to the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Is now a good time to buy a MacBook Air?

The M1 MacBook Air is an excellent machine, and we do recommend it. It is the cheapest Mac laptop right now, which is a good reason to buy one. However, the 13-inch MacBook Air with M2 chip only costs $100/£150 more now that Apple has dropped the price on that model, so our advice would be to pay a little extra for the new design and better specs.

If you prefer a larger screen then the 15-inch MacBook Air costs a bit more than the 13-inch model, but considerably less than the other Mac laptops with larger screens (the smaller 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,999/£2,149 while the 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,299/£1,399, for example.

We go into more detail about whether to buy a MacBook Air here: Should I buy a MacBook Air now?

Our recommendation is that if you can find a good discount on the price of the MacBook Air right now, and even if you can’t, then it’s a great time to buy.

Read our full Apple 15-inch MacBook Air (2023, M2) review

Read our full

Apple 13-inch MacBook Air (2022, M2) review

Should I buy a 13-inch MacBook Pro now or wait?

Should I buy a 13-inch MacBook Pro now or wait?





Best Prices Today:



$1149.00 at Best Buy$1,267.94 at Amazon$1299.00 at Adorama

  • Last update: June 2022
  • Next update: Spring 2024

We are suspicious that the days of the 13-inch MacBook Pro are numbered. It has a slower processor than the other MacBook Pros, a smaller screen than either of the MacBook Airs and a six-year-old design.

What it has that the MacBook Air hasn’t is a fan, so the laptop can cope a bit better with processor-intensive applications. It also features the Touch Bar (which is something some people love, and others hate). Battery life runs to 20 hours, compared to the 18 hours of the MacBook Air models. But there are things the 13-inch MacBook Pro lacks that the MacBook Air has: The Air has a better FaceTime camera and better speakers, is lighter, and has a MagSafe charging port.

When we reviewed the M2 MacBook Pro we found that, as expected the M2 provides speed and graphics boosts and we noted that the build-in fan means this Mac can sustain performance better than the MacBook Air, but we noted that other MacBooks have displays with better quality and smaller bezels and we felt the mediocre 720p FaceTime camera isn’t good enough.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro was last updated in June 2022 when it gained the M2 chip. There are rumors that it will gain an M3 chip in 2024, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Apple just forgets about it altogether.

Is now a good time to buy a 13in MacBook Pro?

The M2 MacBook Pro is a good laptop and we recommend it if the kind of applications you use will benefit from the improved cooling provided by the fan. But if you need something more powerful, or that supports more RAM, the 14-inch MacBook Pro is a better option.

If you want to buy now check out our round-up of the Best MacBook Pro deals.

Read our full

Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro (M2, 2022) review

Should I buy a 14-inch MacBook Pro now or wait?

Should I buy a 14-inch MacBook Pro now or wait?





Best Prices Today:



$1799.00 at Best Buy$1,947.50 at Amazon$1999.00 at Adorama

  • Last update: January 2023
  • Next update: 2024

Apple introduced the 14in MacBook Pro with M1 Pro (or M1 Max as a build-to-order option) in October 2021 and then upgraded it with the M2 Pro and M2 Max in January 2023, so we don’t expect to see its successor for a long time – probably it won’t arrive until 2024.

We reviewed the M2 Pro model and found it had good performance boost over its predecessor, we appreciated the HDMI upgrade and its expanded external display options. Our main criticism was that the FaceTime camera lacks Centre Stage, which isn’t really a big deal.

Is now a good time to buy a 14in MacBook Pro?

The 14in MacBook Pro offers a solution to all of the things that hold back the 13in MacBook Pro, the only disappointment is the fact that the starting price is a little higher than it was back in the Intel days, and in general the price of the range is a lot higher than it used to be.

Now that the 15-inch MacBook Air is here it is no longer necessary to pay $2,000/£2,000 to get a larger screen. However, you do get a lot for your money and this is a very powerful pro Mac that will leave the MacBook Air for dust.

We saw some great deals for the 14in M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro, so it may be that we see similar discounts on the M2 Pro and Max. Check out our round-up of the Best MacBook Pro deals. Also read: 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro: Buy now or wait?

Read our full

Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M2 Pro, 2023) review

Should I buy a 16-inch MacBook Pro now or wait?

Should I buy a 16-inch MacBook Pro now or wait?





Best Prices Today:



$2,249.00 at Amazon$2299.00 at Best Buy$2499.00 at Adorama

  • Last update: January 2023
  • Next update: 2024?

Alongside the 14in MacBook Pro, in January 2023, Apple introduced a 16in MacBook Pro with M2 Pro or M2 Max. When we reviewed it was said that the M2 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro was a “successful follow-up to the M1 Pro model. If you’re still using an Intel-based MacBook Pro, it’s time to upgrade. Heck, the HDMI 2.1, Wi-fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3 upgrades may tempt M1 Pro MacBook Pro owners to invest.”

For more advice read our comparison of all the MacBook Pro models.

Is now a good time to buy a 16-inch MacBook Pro?

Now is a great time to buy the 16-inch MacBook Pro since it was only introduced in January 2023, so it will be a long time until it is updated again. The only consideration is whether to save a considerable amount of money and opt for the M2 Max in the Mac Studio or the M2 Pro in the Mac mini.

If the 16-inch MacBook Pro suits you then it’s a great time to buy–make sure to check out our round-up of the Best MacBook Pro deals.

Read our full

Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro (M2 Pro, 2023) review

Should I buy a 24-inch iMac now or wait?

Should I buy a 24-inch iMac now or wait?





Best Prices Today:



$1299.00 at Apple$1299.99 at Best BuyNot Available at Adorama

  • Last update: May 2021
  • Next update: 2023

Apple’s 24-inch iMac is eye-catching, both in terms of the quality of the 4.5K display and the colourful case. There’s a choice of seven different colors, with pink, blue, green, orange, yellow, purple and silver on offer, with all but silver offering a bold tone on the back that is complemented by a paler version on the front.

The iMac’s screen is larger than its predecessor, although it’s not quite the 24-inches that Apple insinuates by the name: this iMac has a 23-inch screen compared to the previous generation’s 21.5-inch display.

The M1 chip inside is the same as that which was used in the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro–but both of those have been updated to run on M2 chips (now for more than a year!). The Mac mini also runs on an M2 or M2 Pro chip. The iMac does offer the benefit of more efficient cooling and that may be of use in processor-intensive applications, but not much else.

Is now a good time to buy a 24in iMac?

The 24-inch iMac went on sale in May 2021, so it is now more than two years old. Apple’s failure to update the iMac to take advantage of the M2 chip, which has been out for more than a year, is negligent. With that in mind, we wouldn’t recommend that you buy one.

If you do want to buy one then do not pay full price, check our round-up of the best iMac deals. Also read: Should I buy an iMac?

If you need an iMac that is designed with creative pros in mind you should look at the Mac mini with M2 Pro, the Mac Studio with M2 Max, or wait to see if Apple revives the 27-inch iMac/iMac Pro.

Read our full

Apple 24-inch iMac (M1, 2021) review

Should I buy a Mac mini now or wait?

Should I buy a Mac mini now or wait?





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$597.50 at Amazon$599.00 at Adorama$599.00 at Best Buy

  • Last update: January 2023
  • Next update: 2024

Apple introduced the M2 Mac mini and M2 Pro Mac mini in January 2023. The Mac mini with M2 is a great successor to the M1 Mac mini but the big news is the arrival of the M2 Pro version, which sits nicely between the Mac mini and the Mac Studio. This is a pro version of the Mac mini that fills the gap left by the removal of the 27-inch iMac.

Is now a good time to buy a Mac mini?

We thoroughly recommend the M2 Mac mini. It offers the same specs as the other M2 Macs for much less money, the only difference being the absence of a screen. But since you can buy a decent 4K display for less than £300/$300 we don’t think that is a big problem.

The M2 Pro Mac mini is a great option for anyone who needs affordable power. There is now some competition from the Mac Studio with M2 Max and M2 Ultra, which starts at $1,999/£2,099 compared to the M2 Pro Mac mini at $1,299/£1,399. That’s quite a large $700 to jump up to the M2 Max from the M2 Pro.

If you want to buy a Mac mini check out our round-up of the Best Mac mini deals.

Read our full

Apple Mac mini (M2, 2023) review

Should I buy a Mac Studio now or wait?

Should I buy a Mac Studio now or wait?




Last update: June 2023
Next update: 2025

The Mac Studio arrived in March 2022 and we were impressed by its processing power, port flexibility and price. In our review we said “The Mac Studio offers exciting processing prowess,” and added: “It may even be a suitable replacement for an Intel Mac Pro in certain situations.” That model has now been replaced by a Mac Studio with M2 Max or M2 Ultra which is better than ever.

In our review of the model that arrived in June 2023, we said that: “The Mac Studio is the ideal Mac–it’s powerful, priced appropriately, has lots of ports for connecting devices, and it won’t take up a lot of desk space,” and described it as a “complete package of processing power, features, and design”. An HDMI upgrade fixes one of our biggest problems with the original Mac Studio, bringing 8K display support and support for more displays overall.

Is now a good time to buy a Mac Studio?

The Mac Studio with M2 Max and M2 Ultra arrived in June 2023 so it’s likely that there will be a wait before Apple updates this Mac again. We probably won’t see a new Mac Studio until 2025.

Therefore if you want to buy a Mac Studio it is a good time to do so. Your only consideration is really whether to spend less and get a Mac mini with M2 Pro, or spend more for a Mac Pro with M2 Ultra. Our testing showed that the M2 Max Mac Studio and the M2 Pro Mac mini have similar CPU performance, so if the apps you use are CPU dependent then you will probably be ok with the Mac mini. If you use GPU-dependent software then the Mac Studio is the better choice.

If you want to buy one now, take advantage of the Best Mac Studio deals.

Read our full

Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) review

Should I buy a Mac Pro now or wait?

Should I buy a Mac Pro now or wait?




  • Last update: June 2023
  • Next update: 2025

Apple launched the current Mac Pro in June 2023, three and a half years after the range was last updated in December 2019. That was the first update since December 2013 (which was a wait of six years!)

The main benefit of the 2019 Mac Pro design is shared by the design of the 2023 Mac Pro: it offers PCIe expansion slots (seven in total) and its modular design should mean that there is the potential for SSD upgrades down the line (although RAM won’t be upgradable and nor will the GPU or CPU).

The Mac Pro has a lot of competition in the form of the Mac Studio, which offers the exact same spec as the Mac Studio and is cheaper. The Mac Pro brings an extra fan, more ports and there is a rack-mounted option.

Is now a good time to buy a Mac Pro?

It’s been a long wait but Apple has finally updated the Mac Pro to run on its own silicon. It’s very likely we won’t see an update for a while, so now is a good time to buy, as long as it is what you need. To save money you could look at the Mac Studio.

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