receive to our even collection of our Apple Breakfast column , including all of the Apple news you missed this workweek in a ready to hand insect bite - sized roundup . We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a morning loving cup of coffee or tea leaf , but it ’s cool if you want to give it a read during dejeuner or dinner hour too .
Don’t get seduced by a laptop you don’t need
In arecent installmentof this column , I discussed the mere idea that the price and the quality of Apple ’s products , especially Macs , do n’t always surmount at the same rate . At the entry story , a small extra disbursal of $ 200 or $ 300 will see a huge improvement in your experience , whereas at the top end , a mass of extra money pull in you relatively fiddling obvious gain unless you ’re a very high - end user . In terms of bang for your buck , sure dollar are more sagely spend than others .
That ’s the logic on which we base our passport that you should n’t buy thedeeply compromised $ 1,199 M2 MacBook Air , when a slenderly gamey - specced configuration proffer much better performance . But it also means you should be cautious about jump out a level to the insurance premium model , where your dollars have far less event . The sweet smear , as ever , is theinbetweener — at the extreme of the range you ’re either arrive too little or paying too much .
The mirror image of the service line Air at the top of Apple ’s laptop range is the MacBook Pro . arrange aside the confounding 13 - inch MacBook Pro for a moment , the 14 - in and 16 - inch Pros , even in their cheapest constellation , make out in ateye - lacrimation pricesthat can easily creep into the high $ 3,000 reach , yet the average user will notice very piffling difference in day - to - day economic consumption compared to a $ 1,499 aura .
That was n’t always the subject . Before Apple silicon come along , the carrying into action difference between the Air and the Pro was much wider , and it made sense for many moderate user to pass a trivial more to get a machine that would n’t just do better when they bought it but several years later as well . ACore i7 15 - inch MacBook Prowas expensive but also guaranteed to last a lot longer than aCore i3 MacBook AirorCore m3 MacBook .
These daylight the upgrade specs in the Pro machines are truly for pro exploiter – or to be more precise , a charge that will show up in only the most demanding apps used by only the most demanding users , for a proportionately gamy number of bucks . The M1 Pro and M1 Max chips available in these machine arefasterthan the newer M2 , and that ’s before you factor out in their extra RAM . The Pros also deliver better screens and sound systems , more ports , and the pick of far more storage . In other watchword , these are serious motorcar with serious spec lists .
Apple ’s chip shot are so good now , the question is n’t whether the specification are good or even whether they ’re goodenoughto justify the price . It ’s whether they fit your requirement . It ’s easy to be suckered in by premium spectacles and an enthusiastic sales helper , but for anyone who is n’t a gamey - end video producer on the move , an M1 Pro or Max MacBook Pro is likely to be overkill . Even if you have $ 1,999 or $ 2,499 to drop on a laptop , your money would be good do elsewhere . Maybe special memory on an M2 Air for instance .
( The garish 13 - column inch M2 MacBook Pro is something off an outlier and it ’s hard to recommend outside of agood deal . It ’s nowhere most as expensive as a 14 - incher , but as ourreviewexplains , in most respects and for most customer this is a debile alternative to the MacBook Air , with a small display , heavier frame and few color options . )
Ultimately , we end up with two component when decide which MacBook is the right pick . The first is the inconsistent family relationship between cost and quality , which will run to make inbetweener product better economic value than either budget or premium alternative . The second is the necessity of examining not just what you’re able to afford , but what you actually ask from a laptop .
And for most laptop computer buyer , both factors should lead you to the same conclusion . You do n’t need a MacBook Pro no matter how much you may want one .
The iPhone 14 go fromdoom to boomfaster than anA16 benchmark , notes the Macalope .
With the launch of the latestSamsung Galaxy Z Fold , a folding iPhone feelsfurther aside than ever .
Apple’snext iPhone SEneeds thesefive Google Pixel 6a feature .
No , strangulation and overheatingisn’t a problem on theM2 MacBook Air .
We love theMac minibut it ’s aseriously uncollectible timeto buy one .
Jony I ve has reveal Steve Jobs’one - tidings advice on designand evince hisanger about much current design .
The rumor mill
This spill ’s launch schedulewill bring thebiggest devices Apple has ever made – literally .
The ordinary selling terms of the iPhone 14 cooking stove couldtop a thousand dollars . Here ’s why you’llprobably ante up morefor your iPhone this year .
It looks like theiPhone 14 announcementwill beanother virtual event , with Apple still skittish about in - someone assemblage .
Thefull - size HomePod is on the direction back ! Apple is reportedly developingsmart speakers , cameras , and displays .
Apple will reportedlyswitch all AirPods case to USB - Cin 2023 , asLightning continues to vanishfrom the company ’s products .
bear in mind you , Apple is even preparing toditch USB - C , if report of abrand - newfangled 4 - pin connectoron the next iPad Pro are exact .
Podcast of the week
Is asmart home revolutionin the oeuvre at Apple ? On this episode of the Macworld Podcast , we talk about Apple ’s efforts in the overbold home market and what we could see from the troupe in the nigh future . dumbfound around !
you may catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast onSpotify , Soundcloud , thePodcasts app , orour own site .
Software updates, bugs & problems
bear on to your hats : Apple isbringing backthe iPhone’sbattery percentage indicator ! Althoughthis option designis a bit nice .
Asmall changein the latest beta of iOS 16 paint a picture updating your AirPods is about toget a lot easier .
Apple has fixed aplayback bugin iMovie and Final Cut Pro X. We explainhow to update .
