The rumored microLED Apple Watch Ultra project may have lost another key supplier, according to Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young.
In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, manufacturing equipment company Kulicke & Soffa said that one of its “strategic customers” has canceled a project related to the “advanced display” market:
Previously referred to as Project W, the Company has been engaged with one of its strategic customers (the “Customer”) to support the Customer with the development and future mass production of certain technologies relating to advanced display (the “Project”). In connection with the Customer’s strategic review of its business, the Customer has informed the Company that it has cancelled the Project.
In a social media post on Monday, Young suggested that “Project W” was potentially related to the microLED Apple Watch. The company said it expects to incur charges of up to $130 million as a result of ceasing operations related to the project.
Kulicke & Soffa’s website advertises a “next generation LED die transfer” system for microLED and miniLED displays with “an unprecedented transfer rate at high precision.”
Earlier this month, Apple supplier AMS-Osram similarly announced it would “re-assess its microLED strategy” after a “cornerstone project” was “unexpectedly cancelled.” Young believes that project also related to the microLED Apple Watch, so there are now at least two major suppliers that have indicated they are no longer involved.
While the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are still around six months away from launching, there are already many rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped new features and changes expected so far. These are some of the key changes rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models as of March 2024:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with larger 6.3-inch…
Apple appears to be internally testing iOS 17.4.1 for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software update in our website’s logs this week. Our logs have revealed the existence of several iOS 17 versions before Apple released them, ranging from iOS 17.0.3 to iOS 17.3.1. iOS 17.4.1 should be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear when…
Earlier this week, Apple announced new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models, the first Mac updates of the year featuring M3 series chips. But there are other Macs in Apple’s lineup still to be updated to the latest M3 processors. So, where do the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro fit into Apple’s M3 roadmap for the year ahead? Here’s what the latest rumors say. Mac Mini Apple announced …
iOS 17.4 was released last week following over a month of beta testing, and the update includes many new features and changes for the iPhone. iOS 17.4 introduces major changes to the App Store, Safari, and Apple Pay in the EU, in response to the Digital Markets Act. Other new features include Apple Podcasts transcripts, an iMessage security upgrade, new emoji options, and more. Below, we…
Best Buy this weekend has a big sale on Apple MacBooks and iPads, including some of the first notable M2 iPad Pro discounts in months, alongside the best prices we’ve ever seen on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, and more. Some of these deals require a My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total membership, which start at $49.99/year. In addition to exclusive access to select discounts, you’ll get…
At this point, a $200 billion market cap seems almost quaint for Apple. Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
March 12, 2010: Apple passes Walmart and investment firm Berkshire Hathaway in value to take third place in market capitalization among publicly listed U.S. companies. The Apple market cap soars past $200 billion, fueled by intense excitement over the first-generation iPad.
Things look good for the company as it guns for powerhouses ExxonMobil and Microsoft.
Back in 2010, it didn’t take Apple long to catch up to market leaders ExxonMobil and Microsoft after passing Walmart. In May 2010, Apple overtook Microsoft, surpassing the tech giant that dominated Cupertino during the previous decade. A little over a year after that, on August 9, 2011, Apple blew past oil giant ExxonMobil to become the world’s most valuable company.
In all, it was an astonishing turnaround for a company that came perilously close to going out of business during the 1990s.
Did you follow Apple during its climb to the top of the stock market? Did you possess the foresight to invest before the Apple market cap shot sky-high? Let us know in the comments below.
Apple‘s walled garden is being further dismantled – in EU member states at least. Apple has announced that iPhone (and iPad) users in the EU will soon be able download apps directly from websites, just as you can on Windows or macOS.
The new options for app distribution (via MacRumors) also give developers more control over how in-app transactions are handled outside of the official App Store, as well as allowing third-party app stores to offer apps or games from a sole developer.
It’s the web downloads that are the biggest change here though, and they’ll be enabled via a software “later this spring” according to Apple – so probably March or April. The most recent iOS 17.4 update landed last week, enabling third-party app stores to run on the iPhone in the EU for the first time.
This is all in response to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU, which is forcing Apple to make it easier for other developers to distribute apps on the iPhone. None of these changes are coming to the US, Australia, or the UK – though the UK has its own version of the DMA in the pipeline.
Caveats attached
Apps are now available outside the App Store (Image credit: Apple)
The enabling of web app downloads on iOS (and iPadOS) doesn’t mean anyone will be able to stick an app online ready to download: developers must have been in the official developer program for at least two years, and have an app with more than a million installs in the EU in the year prior.
There will be ongoing requirements that need fulfilling too, such as being transparent about data collection policies and having a web domain registered with the App Store. Apple is still going to be able to exercise some control over the apps you can and can’t download through a web browser.
Apple’s line, as it has always been, is that opening up app access in this way threatens the privacy and security of users because it gives Apple less control over third-party apps. The company is complying with the DMA, but very grudgingly.
The EU has also just whacked Apple with a huge fine of €1.8 billion – about $1.96 billion / £1.54 billion / AU$2.98 billion – for preventing other music streaming services (like Spotify) from offering cheaper deals on iOS. That decision is currently being appealed.
Create a virtual card for your Apple Cash. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
You can get a temporary debit card number to pay with Apple Cash online in case you want to pay with your balance on a site that doesn’t accept Apple Pay. If you have a lot of money sitting in your Apple Cash account, this can be a convenient way to pay without using your other cards. (It’s also handy if you don’t have any credit or debit cards from other banks.)
In case it’s unclear, Apple Cash is what you receive when someone sends you money via iMessage. It’s not to be confused with the other products with similar names. Apple Card is a highly rated credit card you can apply for. (It’s a physical card, made of titanium.) Apple Card Savings is a high-interest savings account for people with a physical Apple Card. And Apple Pay is a payment method (secured by Face ID, Touch ID or your device’s passcode) that lets you pay with credit/debit cards from other banks.
Previously, you could only pay with your Apple Cash via Apple Pay (or transfer it to your bank). Now, you can tie your Apple Cash to a virtual card number to pay using your Apple Cash balance online. Here’s how to set it up.
Benefits of using an Apple Cash card number
Since this is a virtual card number, there are a few benefits to paying with your Apple Cash. The security code changes regularly and automatically, so it’s very hard for your card info to be stolen. And anytime you suspect fraud, you can refresh it with a new card number. Of course, you don’t need to wait for a new physical card to be made and mailed to your house — you can use it instantly.
You also don’t have to memorize a constantly changing security code or card number — it lives inside Safari autofill, so you you don’t really have to do anything.
How to pay with an Apple Cash card number
Time needed: 5 minutes
How to pay with an Apple Cash card number
Update to iOS 17.4
Apple introduced this feature in iOS 17.4. To use it, you need to update your iPhone. Go to Settings > General > Software Update to install the latest version of iOS.
Open Apple Cash settings in the Wallet app
Open the Wallet app and tap on the Apple Cash card. (It’s black with a sparkly design.) Tap the ⋯ menu and tap Card Number.
Create your card number
Tap Set Up Virtual Card Number at the top of the screen. You’ll see a pop-up screen explaining how it works. Authenticate with Face ID to confirm, then tap Done.
Pay with your Apple Cash card in Safari
When you tap on a credit card field in Safari, you should see a number pad keyboard with a list of cards above. Scroll through the list of saved cards until you see Apple Cash. Tap on that, authenticate with Face ID, and it will automatically fill it in. You also can enter your virtual Apple Cash card number manually by copying and pasting it from the Wallet app. Open Wallet, tap on your Apple Cash card, tap ⋯ > Card Number. You can see the full card number, expiration date and security code here. Tap on any of these to copy it. Then go back to Safari and tap to paste.
Change your Apple Cash card number or security code
To get a new card number, go back to Wallet > Apple Cash > ⋯ > Card Number. Authenticate with Face ID. Tap Request New Card Number and confirm by tapping Request to get a new number. It’ll authenticate with Face ID, then generate a new num. Every time you open the Wallet app or use Safari autofill, a new security code is automatically generated (and they expire after only 24 hours).
More iOS 17 how-tos
There are more great features in iOS 17, and its latest update:
Apple could be accelerating plans to introduce an ad-supported Apple TV+ tier, based on a number of recent hires by the company.
Business Insider reports that Apple recently recruited Joseph Cady, who worked as an ad executive for NBCUniversal for over 14 years. Cady’s focus was on data-driven and targeted advertising, including responsibility for the Comcast subsidiary’s partnerships with Amazon, Google, TikTok, and others, according to the report.
Cady is expected to work with Winston Crawford, Apple’s head of global ad sales. Apple’s TV+ team reports to Crawford, who also helped lead Apple’s Major League Soccer ad sales pitch with Todd Teresi, lead of Apple’s ads division.
The report also mentions several other recent recruits to Apple’s ads team, such as Chandler Taylor (formerly a video ads account manager with Peacock), Jacqueline Bleazey from FanDuel’s ad sales team, and Jason Brum, who has worked for DirecTV, NBCUniversal, and more.
Apple has not indicated one way or the other whether an ad-supported tier for TV+ is in the works, but it would make sense given that Netflix, Disney+, and Max all now offer ad-based plans at a discounted price.
Apple increased its TV+ subscription prices in October to $9.99 a month from $6.99 a month, while the annual subscription price increased from $69 per year to $99 per year, so a more affordable option would make sense from a competitive perspective.
One of the reasons I love Apple TV Plus so much is that, like the BBC broadcaster, the only ads it runs are those for its own programmes. It’s one of the most viewer-friendly streamers, which means when it recently hiked its prices dramatically that still felt better than going down the ad-supported route like Netflix, Prime Video or Disney Plus. As we reported at the time, Apple TV Plus is “one of the last bastions of ad-free cost-effective streaming services”. But now that appears to be under threat.
According to Business Insider, Apple has recruited a number of ad execs. Its most recent hire is NBCUniversal’s Joseph Cady, who was with the network for 14 years as the executive vice-president of advertising and partnerships with responsibility for both data-driven and targeted TV advertising. Apple has also reportedly been testing a new AI-powered tool, similar to one that Meta and Google utilize, for optimizing App Store ads.
It’s possible that after upping its prices by 31%, Apple may be looking at ads to introduce a lower-priced tier. But it’s also possible that like Amazon, Apple intends to bring ads to its standard subscription tier or like Disney, that it’s thinking of offering a new cheaper subscription. Either way, the approach was successful for Netflix after it reported that sign ups jumped considerably in the months following its ads tier rollout.
Ads nauseam
I think it’s pretty clear that it’s not a case of “will Apple bring ads to Apple TV Plus?” but “when will Apple bring ads to Apple TV Plus?” And the devil is going to be in the detail of how Apple does that, because Apple TV Plus, for all its joys, doesn’t have the sheer breadth of content that rival similarly priced streamers do – although it has to be noted that it did recently licensed 50 movies to be added to its catalog. By removing one of the premium planks – an ad-free experience – Apple TV Plus could stop feeling like a premium service.
I think there are three key issues with ad-funded streaming. The first, of course, is the ads. In many cases they’re inserted without care, interrupting key scenes apparently at random. The second is that the available content in ad-funded tiers is reduced, because not every rights owner wants their shows or movies to be shown alongside ads for washing powder and cashback sites. And the third is that ad-funded tiers typically deliver a lesser experience, for example with reduced picture quality and the removal of features such as Dolby Atmos.
Would Apple consider doing that too, taking what is currently a premium service and making it feel like just another ad-funded streamer? I hope not, but I’m not sure today’s Apple is as focused on the end user experience as the Apple of old: just open the App Store and you’ll see ads in your search results that make Apple money but that don’t exactly improve your search experience. And Apple has already built ads around its sporting content.
It’s long been said that Apple doesn’t need to get down in the dirt with rivals because it isn’t in the content business but the device business: every Apple TV Plus subscriber is a potential or actual Apple hardware purchaser, and of course Apple makes some of the best hardware margins in the business. But it looks like Apple has decided that it no longer wants to Think Different after all.
Apple is planning to expand its applied research and development labs in China, the company today announced.
In a statement shared with the South China Morning Post, Apple said that it plans to expand its research center in Shanghai “to support all of its product lines,” as well as open a new lab in Shenzhen later in 2024 that will work on testing and research of major products including the iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro headset. The company added that the new facility in Shenzhen will strengthen its collaboration with local suppliers and support local employees.
Apple’s vice-president and managing director of Greater China, Isabel Ge Mahe, said that the company is proud to cultivate deeper ties in China and expand its presence in the country. Apple has already invested $139.2 million into its Shanghai research center, she added. Last week, Apple announced plans to open a new Apple Storein Shanghai’s Jing’an district on March 21.
Apple appears to be internally testing iOS 17.4.1 for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software update in our website’s logs this week. Our logs have revealed the existence of several iOS 17 versions before Apple released them, ranging from iOS 17.0.3 to iOS 17.3.1. iOS 17.4.1 should be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear when…
Earlier this week, Apple announced new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models, the first Mac updates of the year featuring M3 series chips. But there are other Macs in Apple’s lineup still to be updated to the latest M3 processors. So, where do the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro fit into Apple’s M3 roadmap for the year ahead? Here’s what the latest rumors say. Mac Mini Apple announced …
While the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are still around six months away from launching, there are already many rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped new features and changes expected so far. These are some of the key changes rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models as of March 2024:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with larger 6.3-inch…
iOS 17.4 was released last week following over a month of beta testing, and the update includes many new features and changes for the iPhone. iOS 17.4 introduces major changes to the App Store, Safari, and Apple Pay in the EU, in response to the Digital Markets Act. Other new features include Apple Podcasts transcripts, an iMessage security upgrade, new emoji options, and more. Below, we…
Best Buy this weekend has a big sale on Apple MacBooks and iPads, including some of the first notable M2 iPad Pro discounts in months, alongside the best prices we’ve ever seen on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, and more. Some of these deals require a My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total membership, which start at $49.99/year. In addition to exclusive access to select discounts, you’ll get…
Apple Maps has expanded the availability of cycling routes in Europe by adding support for the country of Belgium.
Apple first added cycling directions to Apple Maps in iOS 14, providing specific directions for bike riders with bike lanes, bike paths, and bike-friendly routes that highlight steep inclines, stairs, and other obstacles.
Elsewhere in Europe, Apple Maps currently provides cycling routes across France and Germany, as well as in Barcelona, Spain, and London, England. Coverage is more widespread in other parts of the world, such as mainland China, Japan, the United States, and select cities in Canada.
Apple maintains a list of all of the areas where cycling directions are available on its website, but Belgium is yet to be added.
Apple appears to be internally testing iOS 17.4.1 for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software update in our website’s logs this week. Our logs have revealed the existence of several iOS 17 versions before Apple released them, ranging from iOS 17.0.3 to iOS 17.3.1. iOS 17.4.1 should be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear when…
Earlier this week, Apple announced new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models, the first Mac updates of the year featuring M3 series chips. But there are other Macs in Apple’s lineup still to be updated to the latest M3 processors. So, where do the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro fit into Apple’s M3 roadmap for the year ahead? Here’s what the latest rumors say. Mac Mini Apple announced …
Best Buy this weekend has a big sale on Apple MacBooks and iPads, including some of the first notable M2 iPad Pro discounts in months, alongside the best prices we’ve ever seen on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, and more. Some of these deals require a My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total membership, which start at $49.99/year. In addition to exclusive access to select discounts, you’ll get…
iOS 17.4 was released last week following over a month of beta testing, and the update includes many new features and changes for the iPhone. iOS 17.4 introduces major changes to the App Store, Safari, and Apple Pay in the EU, in response to the Digital Markets Act. Other new features include Apple Podcasts transcripts, an iMessage security upgrade, new emoji options, and more. Below, we…
While the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are still around six months away from launching, there are already many rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped new features and changes expected so far. These are some of the key changes rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models as of March 2024:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with larger 6.3-inch…
Apple in collaboration with other browser engine developers has announced the release of Speedometer 3.0, described by Apple as “the best way yet to measure browser benchmark performance.”
Apple’s WebKit team is excited to introduce Speedometer 3.0, a major update that better reflects the Web of today. It’s built together by the developers of all major browser engines: Blink, Gecko, and WebKit with hundreds of contributions from companies like Apple, Google, Intel, Microsoft, and Mozilla.
Apple’s WebKit team originally released the benchmark tool in collaboration with the Google Chrome team in 2014, but this is the first time the Speedometer benchmark has been developed through a cross-industry collaboration supported by each major browser engine.
The goal of developing and releasing Speedometer under a joint multi-stakeholder governance model is to “create a shared understanding of web performance so that improvements can be made to enhance the user experience,” according to the announcement. The latest version improves how Speedometer captures and calculates scores, shows more detailed results and introduces a wider variety of workloads.
“A few tests and workloads can’t simulate the entire web,” admit the contributors. “But while building Speedometer 3 we have established some criteria for selecting ones that are critical to user’s experience. We are now closer to a representative benchmark than ever before.”
Speedometer 3.0 takes into account the most common versions of popular frameworks including React, Vue, Angular, Preact, Lit, Backbone, and Svelte. It also features an updated set of simulated workloads to measure more of the work the browser does in response to user actions, such as painting and asynchronous tasks.
In addition, there is improved developer tooling so that browser engineers can better understand results, profile, and customize the test. The test runner architecture has also been redesigned to make it easier to write and maintain complex test cases.
Now that the third generation of Apple’s in-house silicon, the M3 chip, has come to the MacBook Air, the company’s laptop lineup looks a little different. The M1-powered machines have been phased out and the M2 chip is only available in the 13-inch MacBook Air. After testing out configurations of every model Apple offers, our recommendation for most people is the MacBook Air with the M3 chip. But we still think the M2-powered Air is an impressive machine with plenty of life left (plus it has a new lower price).
Apple does things a little differently than PC makers, so we put together this guide to help you make sense of the various chips, screen-sizes, memory and storage capacities, as well as which models we think will work best for different users. Here are the best MacBooks to buy right now..
Factors to consider when buying a MacBook
Compared to PCs, Apple computers tend to have more streamlined specifications. The company has long been known for this simplicity, and the M-series “system-on-a-chip” condenses things even further. The M1, M2 and M3 chips combine, among other technologies, the CPU, graphics card and unified memory (RAM). Apple’s Neural Engine is included too, which is a specialized group of processor cores that handles machine learning tasks such as image analysis and voice recognition. While a unified chip means you have fewer decisions to make when picking a MacBook, there are still a few factors to consider, including the number of CPU cores, amount of RAM, storage capacity, screen size, and, obviously, price.
CPU cores
Currently the lowest-specced chip in a MacBook is the M2 in the 13-inch MacBook Air. It comes with an 8-core CPU and either an 8- or 10-core GPU. At the other end of the spectrum, the M3 Max chip is built with up to a 16-core CPU and a 40-core GPU. Cores are, in essence, smaller processing units that can handle different tasks simultaneously. Having more of them translates to the computer being able to run multiple programs and applications at once, while also smoothly processing demanding tasks like video editing and high-level gaming. In short, more cores allow for more advanced computing and better performance. But if your needs fall below professional-level gaming and cinematic video and audio editing, getting the highest number of cores is likely overkill — and after all, more cores equals higher cost and more power usage.
RAM
Your options for RAM, or in Apple’s terminology, Unified memory, varies depending on the chip you choose. The M2 and M3 chips can be paired with 8, 16 or 24GB of RAM. The M3 Pro chip has 18 or 36GB memory options, while the most powerful M3 Max chip supports 48, 64 or a whopping 128GB of RAM.
You’ve likely heard the analogy comparing memory to the amount of workspace available on a literal desktop surface, whereas storage is the amount of drawers you have to store projects to work on later. The larger the worktop surface, the more projects you can work on at once. The bigger the drawers, the more you can save for later.
More RAM is ideal for people who plan to work in multiple programs at once. And the more demanding each program is, the more RAM will be required. Extra memory can also come in handy if you’re the type who likes to have infinite numbers of tabs open on your browser. If your daily workflow doesn’t involve simultaneously using a vast number of memory-intensive programs, you can save yourself money and buy the RAM configuration that you’re most likely to actually use.
For casual users, 8GB may be enough, however, if you can afford an upgrade to 16GB of RAM, we recommend going doing so, as modern browsers tend to be pretty memory-hungry. Investing in more RAM now will give your new MacBook a longer lifespan of reliable use. It’s also important to keep in mind that, unlike most PCs, the RAM in current-model MacBooks is not user-upgradable, so you’ll want to get what you plan on needing at the outset.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Storage capacity (SSD)
Storage options range from 256GB of SSD for the M2 MacBook Air and 8TB of storage for the MacBook Pros with the M3 Max chip. If you want to rotate between a long roster of game titles or keep lots of high-res videos on hand, you’ll want more storage. If you’re mostly working with browser- and cloud-based applications, you can get away with a smaller-capacity configuration. That said, we recommend springing for 512GB of storage or more, if it’s within your budget. You’ll quickly feel the limits of a 256GB machine as it ages since the operating system alone takes up a good portion of that space. Having 1TB will feel even roomier and allow for more data storage over the life of your laptop.
When Apple announced the iPhone 15, the company also announced new iCloud+ storage storage plans, with subscriptions that allow up to 12TB of storage. You could also transfer files to an external storage device. But if you don’t want to pay for a monthly subscription and prefer the convenience of having immediate access to your files, it’s best to get the highest amount of storage space your budget allows for at the outset.
Screen size
MacBooks come in 13-, 14-, 15- and 16-inch sizes. That might not seem like a huge difference, but, as Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham noted when he reviewed the now-retired 15-inch M2-powered MacBook Air, “a bigger screen makes a surprising difference.” That’s especially true if you plan to use your laptop as an all-day productivity machine and won’t be using an external monitor. More space means you can more clearly view side-by-side windows and have a more immersive experience when watching shows or gaming.
But screen size is the main factor influencing weight. The 13-inch MacBook Air M2 weighs 2.7 pounds, whereas the top-end 16-inch MacBook Pro weighs 4.8 pounds. If you plan to travel a lot or swap your work locations regularly, a smaller screen will make life easier in the long run.
All MacBooks feature IPS LCD panels (in-plane switching, liquid crystal display), which Apple markets as Retina displays. The MacBook Air M1 has a Retina display. A Liquid Retina display comes with the M2 MacBook Air and the Liquid Retina XDR display comes with the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros. “Liquid” refers to the way the lighted portion of the display “flows” within the contours of the screen, filling the rounded corners and curving around the camera notch. “XDR” is what Apple calls HDR (high dynamic range).
Compared to most other laptops, MacBook displays are notably bright, sharp and lush. But one feature worth pointing out is another Apple marketing term: ProMotion. It’s the company’s term to describe a screen with a higher, 120Hz refresh rate, which results in smoother scrolling and more fluid-looking graphics. Only the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros offer ProMotion; the other models max out at 60Hz, which is perfectly fine for everyday browsing and typical workdays. But if you want buttery-smooth motion from your display, you’ll have to shell out more money for an upgraded model.
Price
When the MacBook Air M3 came out, Apple dropped the price of the base-model, 13-inch, M2-powered Air with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. At $999, it’s now the least expensive new MacBook you can get. Alternatively, you can spend up to $7,199 for the 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max with 128GB of RAM and 8TB of storage. Chip type, screen size, memory and storage capacity all influence the final price, which is why guides like this can help you determine just what you need (and what you don’t) so you can get the most cost-effective machine for you.
We recommend the MacBook Air M3 for most people, the MacBook Air M2 for students and those on a budget, and the 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pros for professionals. If you have extra money to spare once you’ve picked your machine, we recommend upgrading to at least 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage to make your machine as future-proof as possible.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget
Screen size: 13” | Processor: M3 chip, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine | Storage capacity (SSD): 256GB | Memory: 8GB | Battery life: Up to 18 hours | Ports: MagSafe 3 charging, 3.5 mm jack, 2 x Thunderbolt/USB 4 | Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Read our full review of the MacBook Air M3
Our previous pick for the best overall MacBook was the MacBook Air with the M2 chip. The new M3-enabled MacBook Air isn’t a huge change from its predecessor — and that’s a good thing. Our laptop expert Devindra Hardawar reviewed the new model and confirmed that the latest MacBook Air builds on everything the M2 model got right: it has a great screen and full sound in a thin and lightweight aluminum unibody that feels premium. With the addition of the M3 chip, the performance is now more impressive, achieving even higher scores in our benchmark testing. There’s also support for Wi-Fi 6E in the new model, plus the Air can now handle two external displays instead of one, but only with the laptop lid closed.
The latest Air maintains the overall design of the previous model, with a uniformly thin profile (the wedge shape is officially gone from Apple’s lineup now that the M1 MacBook Air has been discontinued). Apple claims an 18-hour battery life with video playing and 15 hours of web browsing, and we can confirm that you’ll get significantly more than a single workday out of a charge. In Devindra’s tests, the machine dropped to 40 percent after ten straight hours playing fullscreen 4K video at full brightness.
Apple released both the M3-powered 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air simultaneously. We think the 13-inch model has the best combination of portability and performance. It weighs just 2.7 pounds and easily slips into a bag to take on the road. However, the 15-inch model may be worth it for those who constantly have dozens of windows open at once or dabble in media editing — though editing pros should probably opt for a MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro chip. The 15-inch model is also ideal for anyone dealing with visual impairment and would like an easier-to-read screen.
As for the screen itself, the 13-inch model has a Liquid Retina display with 2,560 x 1,664 resolution at 224 pixels per inch. That’s exactly the same as the M2 Air — but again, Apple didn’t mess with a good thing, sticking with a great-looking display that’s bright enough to use outside in sunlight. It still doesn’t have ProMotion, which means the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz. If you need that silky-smooth scrolling, you’ll have to bump up to a MacBook Pro.
To get the most out of the new chip, we recommend upgrading to 16GB of RAM. That will enable not just a full day of productivity, it’ll also let you play more serious games. Devindra was able to play both Lies of P in 1080p+ and the director’s cut of Death Stranding with smooth graphics at good resolutions — though he did note that you can’t crank up the graphics settings too high. The speakers are best-in-class and the webcam is great for video conferencing — particularly with Apple’s background blurring and brightness adjustments. Finally, the responsive keyboard and smooth trackpad are the ideal interface for what adds up to be a great computer.
Pros
Lightweight yet sturdy design
Fast performance from the M3 chip
Excellent speakers, keyboard and trackpac
Bright and clear screen
Cons
No USB-C on the right side
Limited to 60Hz refresh rate
$1,099 at Amazon
Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget
Processor: M2 chip, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine | Storage capacity (SSD): 256GB | Memory: 8GB | Battery life: Up to 18 hours | Ports: MagSafe 3 charging, 3.5 mm jack, 2 x Thunderbolt/USB 4 | Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3
Read our full review of the MacBook Air M2
Before the release of the M3-enabled MacBook Air, the MacBook Air M2 was our pick for the best Apple laptop you can buy. Now it’s an extremely capable budget pick starting at $999 — the same list price as the now-retired M1 MacBook Air. In his review, Devindra called the M2 Air a “near-perfect Mac,” awarding it a high score of 96. This model received a complete refresh in 2022, and since the M3 is largely the same as the M2 from a design perspective, Engadget’s Dan Cooper says that the best thing about the new M3 Air may be the price drop it ushered in for the M2 model.
The M2’s gorgeous 13.6-inch Liquid Retina screen can hit up to 500 nits of brightness, making it easy to use outside. The 60Hz refresh rate doesn’t deliver the butter-smooth scrolling you get on Pro models, but it’s still lovely. The quad speaker array pumps out great sound, filling a room at max volume without distortion, and the three-mic array does a good job of picking up your voice for video calls. The 1080p webcam is an improvement over previous generations, and it even beats our top Windows laptop, Dell’s XPS 13 Plus, which still sports a 720p camera.
The M2 Air hangs on to its 3.5mm headphone jack and includes two USB-C Thunderbolt ports, for accessories like an external display, plus a MagSafe connector. The battery life is ample, lasting 16 hours and 30 minutes in our rundown test, which should be more than sufficient for a day (or two) of work.
The M2 processor finally gave the Air enough speed to play games, particularly those from Apple Arcade. Streaming and cloud gaming work well through Safari, and you’ll find a handful of compatible titles on Steam. However, if gaming is your main goal, you may want to upgrade to an M3 model, or go outside Apple’s offerings all together as not every AAA release is natively compatible with macOS. Our review unit performed well in benchmark tests, beating the Air M1 and nearly matching the performance of the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2. It’s a fanless system which means it’s quiet, but to keep things cool, the CPU does have to be throttled occasionally.
Overall, it’s an excellent choice for everyday use and can handle most tasks. Of course, if you’re planning on doing intensive video editing, you’ll likely want something more powerful, such as the MacBook Pro M3, but the Air is an affordable, multipurpose, ultraportable laptop.
For $999 you get the M2 chip with an 8-Core GPU, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. We did notice better performance when the RAM was upped to 16GB, but if you’re trying to keep things under $1,000, the base model is still plenty capable for everyday productivity. You can also look into a refurbished model, which you can buy directly from Apple with a year-long warranty.
The 15-inch MacBook Air M2 is no longer officially part of Apple’s lineup, but many retailers still have some backstock of the larger model, and again, taking advantage of refurbished offers is a good way to go in this case. In his review, Engadget’s Nate Ingraham said the extra couple inches on the 15-inch screen made a surprising difference.
Pros
Bright and colorful screen
Clear and full sound
Thin and light design
Speedy performance for everyday use
Cons
Refresh rate only 60Hz
Webcam image is drab
$980 at Amazon
Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget
Processor: M3 chip, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU | Storage capacity (SSD): 512GB | Memory: 16GB | Battery life: Up to 22 hours | Ports: MagSafe 3 charging, 3.5 mm jack, 2 x Thunderbolt/USB 4, HDMI, SDXC slot | Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Read our full review of the Apple MacBook Pro M3
During a late-night, pre-Halloween event, Apple revealed its new M3 chip along with the new MacBook Pros that would house it. They also officially discontinued the 13-inch touch bar MacBook Pro. There’s a new base model Pro with 8GB of memory, 512GB of storage and the standard M3 chip (the M2 generation was only available with the M2 Pro or M2 Max chips). It sells for $1,599, making it the most affordable 14-inch Pro model yet.
Unfortunately we don’t recommend you grab that one. You’ll at least want to spring for a model with 16GB of RAM to get the most out of your new M3 machine. Beyond that, it’s hard to go wrong with these new MacBooks. As Devindra points out in his review, these new chips are “incredibly efficient and powerful” and the laptops themselves are as “elegant as ever.”
For multimedia professionals, we recommend bumping up to the M3 Pro chip with an 11-core CPU and 14-core GPU. You can grab one with a 14-inch screen, 18GB of memory and 512GB of SSD for $1,999. If you’ve got demanding video and/or audio projects with big timelines, you may want to jump up to the 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro with a 14-core CPU and 30-core GPU. That configuration will run you $3,499 paired up with 36GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. For something in between those two picks, you could go for the 14-inch M3 Pro with a 12-core CPU and 18-core GPU paired with 18GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. It combines the speed of the M3 Pro chip, without the higher price of the Max chip, running you a more palatable $2,399.
Apart from the chips, the hardware on the M3 MacBook Pros remains largely the same. You still get a bright and vibrant MiniLED Liquid Retina XDR display with a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and animations.
The crisp, punchy sound from the six-speaker array is better than what most laptops can deliver and the built-in mics are great for video calls. It has the same array of ports as the M2 Pros, including an SD card slot, headphone jack, HDMI port and three Thunderbolt 4 sockets plus the MagSafe charging port.
As for battery life, our rundown tests outperformed Apple’s listed estimates by a couple hours, getting 24 and a half hours on the 14-inch model and 20 more minutes than that with the 16-inch Pro. In real-world use, it took two days before needing to hook the laptops back up to the grid.
March 12, 2010: Apple passes Walmart and investment firm Berkshire Hathaway in value to take third place in market capitalization among publicly listed U.S. companies. The Apple market cap soars past $200 billion, fueled by 
