The M1MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini are the first of Apple's Macs to support WiFi 6, or 802.11ax. WiFi 6 support started rolling out in Apple devices with the March 2020 launch of the iPad Pro, but Apple did not include the feature in Macs refreshed earlier in the year.
WiFi 6 brings faster speeds, expanded network capacity, lower latency, and improved power efficiency, plus it is ideal for homes where there are many WiFi-connected smart home products in use. With more and more routers starting to offer WiFi 6 performance, the update is a welcome change to the Mac lineup.
None of the Macs refreshed today got major design changes, but the MacBook Air features an updated row of function keys that gains Spotlight search instead of Launchpad, and a dictation key and a Do Not Disturb key in place of the function keys that used to be available for adjusting keyboard brightness.
The Fn key at the bottom of the keyboard has also been updated to serve as an emoji key for bringing up emoji on the MacBook Air.
Aside from these function key updates, the M1 MacBook Air uses the same scissor switch keyboard that Apple added to the 2020 MacBook Air earlier this year. The scissor switch keyboard is more reliable than the prior-generation Butterfly Keyboard and not prone to failure due to exposure to crumbs and other small particulates.
The new M1 Macs are available for purchase as of today from Apple's online store, and the first orders are set to arrive to customers on November 17.
Alleged photos and videos of an unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 chip continue to surface on social media, in what could be the worst product leak for Apple since an employee accidentally left an iPhone 4 prototype at a bar in California in 2010. The latest video of what could be a next-generation MacBook Pro was shared on YouTube Shorts today by Russian channel Romancev768, just...
An alleged unboxing video for an unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip was uploaded to YouTube today by Russian channel Wylsacom. The video was later linked to on social media platform X by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. It is possible that this is the same MacBook Pro box shown in photos that were shared by leaker ShrimpApplePro in late September, as he claimed that this MacBook Pro...
Monday October 7, 2024 5:34 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's new Vitals app for watchOS 11 appears to be impressing some users with its ability to detect potential illness days before symptoms manifest, according to recent reports on Reddit. The Apple Watch app, which analyzes key health metrics measured during sleep over the last seven days, appears to be providing early warnings of impending sickness for at least some Apple Watch wearers...
Tuesday October 8, 2024 6:16 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Rumors strongly suggest Apple will release the seventh-generation iPad mini in November, nearly three years after the last refresh. Here's a roundup of what we're expecting from the next version of Apple's small form factor tablet, based on the latest rumors and reports. Design and Display The new iPad mini is likely to retain its compact 8.3-inch display and overall design introduced with...
Tuesday October 8, 2024 5:45 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
We're nearing the end of the iOS 18.1 beta testing process, but Apple is continuing to make tweaks to refine built-in features ahead of when the software launches. With testing winding down, there are fewer new additions, but Apple has made changes worth noting. The new beta is available for both developers and public beta testers. Control Center In the Control Center, Apple has added new...
Sunday October 6, 2024 6:40 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple will announce several new M4 Mac models around the end of October, with the company planning to launch at least some of them as soon as Friday, November 1, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple will launch a new M4 version of its low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro, as well as higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models...
Tuesday October 8, 2024 8:57 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The current Apple TV was released two years ago this month, so you may be wondering when the next model will be released. Below, we recap rumors about a next-generation Apple TV. In January 2023, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that a new Apple TV was planned for release in the first half of 2024:Beyond the future smart displays and new speaker, Apple is working on revamping its TV box....
