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Apple recently updated the MacBook Pro with the M4 series of chips and a series of other upgrades including a 12MP camera, a nano-texture display option, and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. The new machines follow updated MacBook Air models with the M3 chip that were released earlier in 2024, so how do the latest models compare?

Despite now being similar in appearance, the ‌MacBook Air‌ and the ‌MacBook Pro‌ are very different devices, so should you consider purchasing the 13- or 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌, which start at $999, to save money, or do you need one of the higher-end 14- or 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, which cost at least $600 more? Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two popular laptops is best for you.

‌MacBook Air‌	‌MacBook Pro‌
M2: 13.6-inch display M3: 13.6- or 15.3-inch display	14.2- or 16.2-inch display
LCD Liquid Retina display	Mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display
60hz refresh rate	ProMotion for refresh rates up to 120Hz
Up to 500 nits brightness	Up to 1,000 nits brightness and 1,600 nits peak HDR brightness
	Nano-texture display option
1080p FaceTime HD camera	12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View
Apple M2 or M3 chip	Apple M4, M4 Pro, or M4 Max chip
M2: Enhanced 5nm node (N5P) based on A15 Bionic chip from iPhone 13 (2021) M3: 3nm node (N3B) based on A17 Pro chip from iPhone 15 Pro (2023)	‌3nm‌ node (N3E) based on A18 chip from iPhone 16 (2024)
M2: 3.49 GHz CPU clock speed M3: 4.05 GHz CPU clock speed	M4: 4.4 GHz CPU clock speed M4 Pro and M4 Max: 4.5 GHz CPU clock speed
8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores	M4: 10 CPU cores with 4 performance and 6 efficiency cores M4 Pro: Up to 14 CPU cores with 10 performance and 4 efficiency cores M4 Max: Up to 16 CPU cores with 12 performance and 4 efficiency cores
Up to 10-core GPU	M4: 10-core GPU M4 Pro: Up to 20-core GPU M4 Max: Up to 40-core GPU
Updated GPU architecture	Updated GPU architecture with improved efficiency
M2: 16-core Neural Engine, 15.8 trillion operations per second M3: 16-core Neural Engine, 18 trillion operations per second	16-core Neural Engine, 38 trillion operations per second
16GB or 24GB unified memory	M4: 16GB, 24GB, or 32GB unified memory M4 Pro: 24GB or 48GB unified memory M4 Max: 36GB, 48GB, 64GB, or 128GB unified memory
LPDDR5 memory	LPDDR5X memory
100GB/s memory bandwidth	M4: 120GB/s memory bandwidth M4 Pro: 273GB/s memory bandwidth M4 Max: 546GB/s memory bandwidth
Passive cooling	Active cooling
	High Power Mode on all M4 Pro and M4 Max models
M3 models only: Dynamic Caching Hardware-accelerated ray tracing Hardware-accelerated mesh shading Support for AV1 decode	Dynamic Caching Hardware-accelerated ray tracing Hardware-accelerated mesh shading Support for AV1 decode
M2: Wi-Fi 6 M3: Wi-Fi 6E	Wi-Fi 6E
Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports	M4: Three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports M4 Pro or M4 Max: Three Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports
	HDMI 2.1 port with support for multichannel audio output
	SDXC card slot
13-Inch: Four-speaker sound system 15-Inch: Six-speaker sound system with force-canceling woofers	High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers
Three-mic array with directional beamforming	Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming
M2: Support for one external display M3: Support for up to two external displays when the lid is closed	M4 or M4 Pro: Support for two external displays M4 Max: Support for up to four external displays
	Dedicated display engine
256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB of storage	M4: 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage M4 Pro or M4 Max: 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB storage
13-Inch: 52.6-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery 15-Inch: 66.5-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery	14-Inch: 72.4-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery 16-Inch: 100-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
18-hour battery life	M4 14-Inch or M3 Pro 16-Inch: 24-hour battery life M4 Pro 14-Inch: 22-hour battery life M4 Max 14-Inch: 18-hour battery life M4 Max 16-Inch: 21-hour battery life
30W, 35W, or 67W USB-C Power Adapter	67W, 96W, or 140W USB-C Power Adapter
Silver, Space Gray, Starlight, or Midnight color options	Silver or Space Black color options
M2 13-Inch: Starts at $999 M3 13-Inch: Starts at $1,099 M3 15-Inch: Starts at $1,299	M4 14-Inch: Starts at $1,599 M4 Pro 14-Inch: Starts at $1,999 M4 Pro 16-Inch: Starts at $2,499

Design

Both the ‌MacBook Air‌ and ‌MacBook Pro‌ share the same basic design with a flat top and rounded edges on the bottom, but they do have several minor details that differ. For example, while both MacBooks have displays with a "notch" at the top to facilitate the built-in webcam, the ‌MacBook Pro‌'s bezels are noticeably slimmer. The keyboard well of the high-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ is also all-black.

The ‌MacBook Air‌ is available in Silver and Space Gray, but the ‌MacBook Air‌ is also offered in Starlight and Midnight color options, so if you are looking for a particular aesthetic with one of these finishes, you will need to get the ‌MacBook Air‌. Space Black is exclusive to the ‌MacBook Pro‌.

	‌MacBook Air‌ (13-Inch)	‌MacBook Air‌ (15-Inch)	‌MacBook Pro‌ (14-Inch)	‌MacBook Pro‌ (16-Inch)
Height	0.44 inches (1.13 cm)	0.45 inch (1.15 cm)	0.61 inches (1.55 cm)	0.66 inch (1.68 cm)
Width	11.97 inches (30.41 cm)	13.40 inches (34.04 cm)	12.31 inches (31.26 cm)	14.01 inches (35.57 cm)
Depth	8.46 inches (21.5 cm)	9.35 inches (23.76 cm)	8.71 inches (22.12 cm)	9.77 inches (24.81 cm)
Weight	2.7 pounds (1.24 kg)	3.3 pounds (1.51 kg)	3.5 pounds (1.61 kg)	4.8 pounds (2.15 kg)

Dimensions are also a key area of difference between the ‌MacBook Air‌ and ‌MacBook Pro‌. The 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ is considerably larger and heavier than the 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌, but it is important to not understate the difference between the 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ and the 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌. While the 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ offers a larger display than the ‌MacBook Air‌, its marginally larger footprint, added thickness, and an additional 0.8 pounds of weight do make for a noticeably less portable machine if you prefer to travel light.

Even so, the 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ offers a very good balance of portability and performance, so if you need its added capabilities, its size and weight should not hold you back. The 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ also provides a good balance of portability and display area, but users wary of its size should opt for the 13-inch model.

Ports and Connectivity

The selection of ports is an area of major difference between the two machines. The ‌MacBook Air‌ features just two Thunderbolt ports, while the M4 version of the ‌MacBook Pro‌ adds a third Thunderbolt 4 port plus an HDMI 2.1 port and SDXC card slot. When configured with the M4 Pro or M4 Max, the ‌MacBook Pro‌ upgrades those Thunderbolt ports to Thunderbolt 5, in addition to its HDMI 2.1 port and SDXC card slot. Both machines feature a 3.5mm headphone jack with support for high-impedance headphones.

All in all, the ‌MacBook Pro‌ is much more versatile in terms of physical connectivity, offering useful features for professionals who use SDXC cards from digital cameras, Thunderbolt 5 accessories, or even simply more USB peripherals.

Display Size

The smaller ‌MacBook Air‌'s display is 13.6 inches in size, which is a little smaller than the 14.2-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, and markedly smaller than the 16.2-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌. 13.6 inches is still bigger than the largest iPad Pro model, which comes in at 13 inches, and even all of the previous Intel-based ‌MacBook Air‌ and smaller ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, meaning that it should be adequate for most users. The 14.2-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ simply offers a little bit more screen real estate to those who need high-end capabilities.

The 15.3-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ and 16.2-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌'s displays will be better replacements for a desktop machine and provide much more screen space to arrange multiple windows and use professional applications that benefit from additional display area.

Display Technology

The display technologies of both machines are significantly different. Like most MacBooks in recent years, the ‌MacBook Air‌ has an LCD panel, but owing to its slim bezels and rounded corners, Apple calls it a Liquid Retina display. The 14- and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models feature Apple's more advanced mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR technology for deeper blacks, better dynamic range, and improved color accuracy.

The XDR display can get much brighter, reaching as high as 1,600 nits of brightness at its peak when showing HDR content. The 14- and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models also have ProMotion displays, allowing them to vary their refresh rate up to 120Hz. The ‌MacBook Air‌ does not have a display with a variable refresh rate.

It will be worth getting the high-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ models for viewing and editing HDR content, as well as watching high-framerate video such as sports. The display of the ‌MacBook Air‌ is sufficient for most users and some may not even notice a drastic difference. The ‌MacBook Pro‌'s deeper blacks and smoother on-screen motion simply offer a slightly better experience.

The ‌MacBook Pro‌ is also available with a nano-texture display for an additional $150, which significantly cuts down on glare in bright environments. No such option is offered with the ‌MacBook Air‌.

Chips

The ‌MacBook Air‌ contains the ‌M2‌ or M3 chip, while ‌MacBook Pro‌ customers can choose between the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips. The M4 Pro and M4 Max are scaled-up versions of the M4 chip that offer additional CPU and GPU cores.

For example, the M4 Max provides a CPU with up to eight additional cores and a GPU with up to 30 additional cores. The entry-level ‌MacBook Air‌'s ‌M2‌ chip is only a little less powerful than the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max in single-core tasks, but the M4 chips, and particularly the Pro and Max versions, are considerably better in multi-core and graphics tasks.

With significantly more transistors, performance CPU cores, and GPU cores, the M4 Pro and M4 Max are powerful chips designed for professionals with demanding workflows. The ‌M2‌ and M3, on the other hand, are more consumer-oriented chips focused on delivering surprisingly impressive performance and excellent efficiency to keep temperatures down and prolong battery life. The M4 series of chips also brought a dramatic improvement to Neural Engine performance for machine learning and artificial intelligence tasks.

It is also worth noting that the ‌MacBook Air‌ is passively cooled and contains no fan, which can slightly constrain peak performance compared to the ‌MacBook Pro‌, since the high-end machines have large fans to actively cool the system and push the chips harder.

The ‌M2‌ ‌MacBook Air‌ only supports a single external display. The limitations of the M3, M4, and M4 Pro chips also mean that ‌MacBook Air‌ and ‌MacBook Pro‌ devices configured with these chip support up to two external displays, whereas M4 Max machines support up to four external displays.

Memory and Storage

The ‌MacBook Air‌ can be configured with up to 24GB of unified memory and up to 2TB of storage, which should be more than enough for the vast majority of users. For those who need even more memory and storage, the ‌MacBook Pro‌ can be configured with significantly more memory and storage than the top-spec ‌MacBook Air‌.

The M4 Pro and M4 Max chips in the ‌MacBook Pro‌ also provide up to 273GB/s and 546GB/s memory bandwidth respectively – an enormous increase over the 100GB/s memory bandwidth with the ‌M2‌ and M3 models. All models now start with 16GB of memory as standard.

Speakers and Microphones

The 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ has a four-speaker sound system that is surprisingly full and balanced for such a small, slim device. The 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ and all of the ‌MacBook Pro‌ models take things to the next level with a six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers for dramatically bigger and deeper audio. Apple also describes the ‌MacBook Pro‌'s speaker system as "high-fidelity," which may be invaluable to users who work in professional audio production or simply listen to a lot of music out-loud.

The ‌MacBook Air‌ has a three-mic array with directional beamforming that is perfect for activities like video calls and voice notes. The ‌MacBook Pro‌ has what Apple calls a "studio-quality" three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming. While they are not as good as a dedicated microphone, the ‌MacBook Pro‌'s microphones are impressive and, at a push, are suitable for production purposes like podcasting.

Battery Life

The 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with the M4 Max chip has the same 18-hour battery life as the ‌MacBook Air‌, but all other ‌MacBook Pro‌ models offer better battery life. The M4 14-inch and M4 Pro 16-inch models offer up to 24-hour battery life – a significant increase over the ‌MacBook Air‌.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the ‌MacBook Air‌ is the best option for casual users, offering an excellent balance of features and performance in a highly portable design. The ‌MacBook Air‌'s $999 starting price is much more affordable compared to the ‌MacBook Pro‌, and with an education discount or an offer from our Apple Deals Roundup, it is possible to get that price down by at least $100. The additional $600 to get the ‌MacBook Pro‌ likely is not worth it for most ordinary users, and on the contrary, many will prefer the slimmer, lighter design of the ‌MacBook Air‌ and perhaps even its additional color options.

Professionals who require larger and more accurate displays, additional ports, more memory and storage, and a very high level of performance should look to the 14- and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, and the higher price points of these machines reflects this. The high-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ models are not targeted at everyday consumers, being clearly tailored to creatives and professionals who rely heavily on the capabilities of their machines. As such, these high-end models should only be a go-to option if you are a power-user or professional who can make use of its advanced features. The 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, in particular, is also potentially a good desktop replacement machine due to its large display.

• M2 vs. M3 MacBook Air Buyer's Guide: All Differences Compared
• 13-Inch vs. 15-Inch MacBook Air Buyer's Guide
• 14-Inch vs. 16-Inch MacBook Pro Buyer's Guide 2024

Alternatively, if you are considering the $1,299 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌, it may be worth paying more to get the M4 MacBook Pro. For just $300 more, the ‌M4 MacBook Pro‌ offers a considerably better Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion, a more powerful chip with active cooling, an extra Thunderbolt port, four extra hours of battery life, better speakers and microphones, an HDMI port and SDXC card slot, and more. In fact, if you configure the 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ with 512GB of storage to match the ‌M4 MacBook Pro‌, there is only a $100 between the two machines, so in this instance it is almost always worth getting the more powerful machine, unless maximizing screen size is your only priority.

Apple on Wednesday released Final Cut Pro 11 for the Mac, with key new features including AI-generated captions, spatial video editing, and a Magnetic Mask tool for isolating people and objects in videos. The update also includes some smaller new features, changes, and bug fixes, as outlined in the full release notes on Apple's website.

Many of these features were already outlined in Final Cut Pro 11's release notes on the App Store, but the notes on Apple's website are a little more comprehensive, revealing some specific new keyboard shortcuts and a list of bug fixes.

Apple also highlighted some new features in the Final Cut Pro user guide.

The full release notes:

Final Cut Pro 11.0 includes the following enhancements:

• Expand your creative freedom with the revolutionary AI-powered Magnetic Mask, and isolate people, objects, and shapes in any footage without a green screen or time-consuming manual rotoscoping (a Mac with Apple silicon recommended).
• Use Transcribe to Captions to automatically create captions from spoken audio in the timeline with a powerful AI language model built for speed and accuracy (Mac with Apple silicon and macOS Sequoia or later required).
• Import and edit spatial video clips from Apple Vision Pro or iPhone 15 Pro or later; add titles, color correction, and effects; and share captivating spatial projects that can be viewed on Apple Vision Pro (Mac with Apple silicon required).
• Edit in the timeline at 90, 100, and 120 fps.
• Reduce clutter in the browser by automatically hiding original clips when creating synced clips or multicam clips.
• Speed up your creative flow with new Picture in Picture and Callout effects.
• Create interesting visual reveals with new Modular transitions.
• Use Vertical Zoom to Fit to scale clip heights to fit in the timeline.
• Change the order of vertically stacked clips with a new keyboard shortcut.
• Quickly navigate clips in list view and edit clip text with a new keyboard shortcut.
• Increase efficiency with additional new keyboard shortcuts including Rename Clip, Show/Hide Audio Lanes, Expand/Collapse Subroles, Play Half Speed Forward/Reverse, Consolidate Motion Content, Paste Timecode, and Show Horizon.
• Install third-party Media Extensions to support playback and editing of more video formats (macOS Sequoia or later required).

Additional support and bug fixes:

• Improves performance in timelines that contain a high number of markers.
• Fixes an issue that caused the alert badge on an event to not disappear after all missing media was relinked.
• Fixes an issue that caused the Clouds generator to be partially transparent.
• Fixes an issue that caused the Collapse to Connected Storyline command to trim audio if the audio was leading video.
• Adds support for exporting uncompressed or ProRes MXF video with 32 kHz audio.
• Adds support for exporting directly to the Photos library.
• Updates FCPXML to version 1.13.

Final Cut Pro 11 is available now as a free update for existing users of the app. In the U.S., the app remains priced at $299.99 on the Mac App Store for new users. Some of the new features require a Mac with an M1 chip or newer.

Today we're tracking all-time low prices on both the 9th and 10th generation iPad, both of which are available on Amazon.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

You can get the 64GB Wi-Fi 9th generation iPad for $199.99 in Silver, down from $329.00. This is a match of the record low price on this version of the 2021 tablet.

Moving to the newer models, Amazon has the 64GB Wi-Fi 10th generation iPad for $299.00 in every color, down from $349.00. You can also get the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad for $449.00, down from $499.00.

Cellular models are also seeing all-time low prices this week. The 64GB Cellular 10th generation iPad has hit $449.00 ($50 off), while the 256GB Cellular model is available for $599.00 ($50 off).

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2024.

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Apple today announced it will be opening an all-new store at the La Vaguada shopping center in Madrid, Spain on Thursday, November 28.

To celebrate the occasion, Apple has released a special wallpaper for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac with a creative illustration of Apple's logo.

Apple La Vaguada will be the company's 12th store in Spain, and its first all-new location opened in the country in just over a decade. The official La Vaguada account today shared a short teaser video of the store's facade on Instagram Stories.

(Thanks, Filip Chudzinski!)

Google Maps has been given a fairly substantial update in time for the holidays, with the introduction of an in-app product search function to help users find specific items at nearby stores. The new feature allows shoppers to search for electronics, home goods, grocery items, and last-minute gifts directly within the Maps interface.

The update also brings navigation enhancements, with Google Maps now displaying real-time weather disruptions such as unplowed roads, flooded areas, and zones with low visibility. Public transit users can now also access crowdsourced delay reports and improved station information, including detailed subway entrance locations and alternative route suggestions.

Elsewhere, for electric vehicle owners, Maps has gained a synced route planning feature with charging stops, allowing users to send their planned routes directly to vehicles with built-in Google Maps. Meanwhile, a new trailer-friendly routing feature, currently available for select 2024 Chevrolet and GMC models, helps drivers avoid low bridges and tunnels by considering vehicle dimensions.

In an effort to reduce holiday stress, Maps has also enhanced its Popular Times feature with detailed traffic predictions and store crowd information. Google recommends avoiding peak travel times, particularly between 1.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. in the days leading up to Christmas.

The features are rolling out globally, although some functions like trailer-friendly routing are currently limited to specific vehicle models, with broader availability planned for the future.

Capcom's Resident Evil 2 remake will launch on Apple devices on December 10, making it the fourth Resident Evil title to arrive on Apple's mobile platforms.

The game will be available as a free download with a trial version, after which players can purchase the full game. While pricing hasn't been officially announced, it's likely to cost between $19.99 and $59.99, based on other Resident Evil titles on the App Store.

A deadly virus engulfs the residents of Raccoon City in September of 1998, plunging the city into chaos as flesh eating zombies roam the streets for survivors. An unparalleled adrenaline rush, gripping storyline, and unimaginable horrors await you. Witness the return of Resident Evil 2.

Resident Evil 2 requires an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 series model to run, along with iPads and Macs equipped with M1 chips or later. The game will support cross-progression across supported Apple devices, so players can continue their progress whether playing on iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Capcom says it will be a universal purchase, meaning a single purchase grants access across all compatible Apple devices.

Interested readers can pre-register for Resident Evil 2 on the App Store starting today, just note that the iPhone app will require 22.1GB of storage when it drops on December 10. [Direct Link]

Google has launched its dedicated Gemini artificial intelligence app for iPhone users, expanding beyond the previous limited integration within the main Google app. The standalone app offers enhanced functionality, including support for Gemini Live and iOS-specific features like Dynamic Island integration.

The new app allows iPhone users to interact with Google's AI through text or voice queries and includes support for Gemini Extensions. A key feature is Gemini Live, which wasn't available in the previous Google app implementation. When engaged in a conversation, Gemini Live appears in both the Dynamic Island and Lock Screen, letting you control your AI interactions without returning to the main app.

The app is free to download, and Google offers premium features through Gemini Advanced subscriptions available as in-app purchases. Gemini Advanced is part of a Google One AI premium plan costing $18.99 per month. Apart from Gemini in Mail, Docs, and more, it includes access to Google's next-generation model, 1.5 Pro, priority access to new features, and a one million token context window. Users need to sign in with a Google account to access the service.

The rollout follows an initial soft launch in the Philippines earlier this week, with availability now extending to additional regions including Australia, India, the US, and the UK.

Previously, iOS users could only access Gemini through a dedicated tab within the main Google app, which offered a more limited experience compared to the Android version. This standalone release, available on the App Store, brings feature parity closer between the two mobile platforms.

Apple is facing an almost £3 billion ($3.78 billion) lawsuit after British consumer group Which? on Thursday alleged that the company breached competition law by locking millions of its customers out of its iCloud service and charging them "rip-off prices."

Apple users receive 5GB of free storage to back up photos, messages, and other content, and are then encouraged to pay for the service once they exceed the limit. Prices for extra storage in the UK range from £0.99 a month for 50GB of space to £54.99 a month for 12TB.

Which? alleges that the company makes it difficult for customers to use alternative cloud storage providers "by giving its ‌iCloud‌ storage service preferential treatment," and "'trapping' customers with Apple devices into using ‌iCloud‌."

The consumer group filed the legal action with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, and said it was seeking damages for 40 million Apple users in the UK. If successful, the lawsuit could result in a £70 payout per customer. According to the Consumer Rights Act 2015, all those eligible are automatically included in the claim unless they choose to opt out.

Which? said it was urging Apple "to resolve this claim without the need for litigation by offering consumers their money back and opening up iOS to allow users a real choice for cloud services." Which? CEO Anabel Hoult commented: "Taking this legal action means we can help consumers to get the redress that they are owed, deter similar behaviour in the future and create a better, more competitive market."

Apple in a statement said it rejected the suggestion that its ‌iCloud‌ practices are anticompetitive, vowing to "vigorously defend against any legal claim otherwise." Apple said it works hard to make data transfer as easy as possible, and that nearly 50% of its customers do not need nor pay for an ‌iCloud‌+ subscription. It added that its pricing was in line with that of other cloud storage providers.

(Via Reuters.)

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple today announced the launch of major updates for its Final Cut Pro video editing software designed for Macs and iPads. Final Cut Pro has been version 10 since 2011, but after 13 years, Apple is finally ready to debut Final Cut Pro 11.

Apple first teased a new version of Final Cut Pro when introducing the new M4 Macs in October, and now the updated software is available for download with a number of "intelligent" improvements.

With Final Cut Pro 11, Apple is making sure to take advantage of the full power of its M-series chips. Magnetic Mask, a new AI-powered tool, lets video editors isolate people and objects in a video clip without a green screen or time-consuming rotoscoping.

Magnetic Mask is ideal for customizing backgrounds and environments, and it can be combined with color correction and video effects for more control over each project.

Another new AI feature, Transcribe to Captions, lets Final Cut Pro automatically generate closed captions in the timeline using an Apple-trained large language model that analyzes spoken audio in a video.

Final Cut Pro 11 now has support for editing spatial video. Users are able to import footage from the iPhone 15 Pro models, iPhone 16 models, or Canon's R7 camera with RF-S7.8mm F4 STM Dual Lens to make color corrections, add effects, and enhance video with titles and other features. The depth position of titles and captured footage can be adjusted using FCP, and there are different viewing modes for previewing left and right eye angles on the Mac.

When a Mac is paired with a Vision Pro, the Mac Virtual Display can be used for editing spatial video with the Final Cut Pro software. Spatial videos edited in Final Cut Pro can be exported directly to a user's Photos library to be viewed on Vision Pro, or they can be shared with others by uploading them to the visionOS Vimeo app. Other new Final Cut Pro features:

- Reduce clutter in the browser by automatically hiding original clips when creating synced clips or multicam clips.
- Use Vertical Zoom to Fit to scale clip heights to fit in the timeline.
- Speed up your creative flow with new Picture in Picture and Callout effects.
- Create amazing visual reveals with new Modular transitions.
- Increase efficiency with new keyboard shortcuts for common tasks in the browser and timeline.
- Install third-party Media Extensions to support playback and editing of more video formats.

Final Cut Pro for iPad 2.1 improves the touch-first editing experience by adding support for Enhance Light and Color, which refines color balance, contrast, and brightness in video or still images with one tap.

There's haptic feedback support for the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard, which means users will feel a light pulse when trimming clips, moving media, navigating the timeline, and resizing viewer clips to snapping points. Apple added four new inks for the Live Drawing feature on ‌iPad‌ for adding animations to videos. There are now watercolor, crayon, fountain pen, and monoline pen options.

Other improvements include a vertical pinch gesture for expanding or minimizing clip height in the timeline, an option for dynamically adjusting the size and position of the viewer in Picture in Picture mode, and timeline support for recordings at 90 to 120fps on the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro models. The content library features additional modular transitions, color-grading presets, and dynamic soundtracks.

Apple also updated Final Cut Camera to version 1.1, adding support for capturing Log-encoded HEVC video in either standalone or Live Multicam sessions, pairing the dynamic range of Log with reduced file sizes. Users can also enable a preview lookup table (LUT) while recording in Log.

‌iPhone 16‌ Pro users are able to record 4K 120fps footage for smoother cinematic slow motion and then import it into Final Cut Pro for ‌iPad‌ to edit. Other new features include an advanced level with roll and tilt indicators and a crosshairs indicator for top-down shots.

Along with these updates to Final Cut Pro, Apple refreshed Logic Pro for Mac and Logic Pro for ‌iPad‌, adding support for a new Quantec Room Simulator plug-in. There are also updates for Motion, Compressor, and iMovie.

The new versions of Final Cut Pro for Mac and ‌iPad‌, Final Cut Camera, and Logic Pro for Mac and ‌iPad‌ can be downloaded from the App Store. Final Cut Pro for Mac is priced at $299.99, while Final Cut Pro for ‌iPad‌ is priced at $4.99 per month or $49 per year. The version 11 update is available to existing users for free.

Logic Pro for Mac is priced at $199.99, while Logic Pro for ‌iPad‌ is priced at $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year.

Apple today released Logic Pro 11.1 for Mac and Logic Pro 2.1 for iPad, adding new features for songwriting, producing, and mixing. There's a new Quantec Room Simulator plug-in that uses the original algorithms and code from Quantec founder Wolfgang Buchleitner, allowing users to add naturalistic acoustic space to their music with Quantec QRS, or to select Quantec Yardstick for more accurate modeling of acoustic spaces.

Plug-in search lets Final Cut Pro users find and add any plug-in from the plug-in menu without clicking on a channel strip insert. Users can search by categories, company name, or part of a plug-in name.

There is a new Modular Melodies sound back that includes hundreds of loops crafted from patchable hardware synths and a collection of meticulously designed Alchemy synth patches.

Along with these features, the app also includes several enhancements.

• Drag channel strips to organize your mixer layout
• Send your mix directly to Voice Memos and preview on iPhone, ‌iPad‌ or Apple Watch
• Click on any plug-in slot while holding the command key to quickly remove plug-ins
• Quickly set input, output, side chain source, or bus routings using in-menu search
• Use key commands to move Marquee selections in all directions to speed up editing

Apple has also released a new version of Logic Remote with stability improvements and bug fixes.

Oura CEO Tom Hale doesn't believe that Apple has plans to get into the smart ring market because an Apple-designed smart ring might undercut sales of the Apple Watch.

In an interview with CBNC, Hale said that Apple is likely "unconvinced about the value of having a ring and watch together," and he said that while the company is likely keeping a close eye on both Oura and Samsung, an Apple smart ring probably won't happen because "it's hard to do this product category right."

Oura recently came out with the Oura Ring 4, a product able to track movement, fitness, health, stress, and sleep. Oura is one of the most well-known companies in the smart ring space, and it first came out with a ring back in 2015.

Rumors suggest that Apple has explored the idea of a smart ring, but the company reportedly has no plans to launch one at this time. Back in October, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that no ring is in active development.

Apple is said to be worried about cannibalizing sales of the Apple Watch because a smart ring would have many of the same features as the watch. Apple's industrial team proposed a smart ring that would be a lower-cost alternative to an Apple Watch, but Apple executives weren't interested.

Should smart rings pick up in popularity, Apple could decide to design one after all. Back in July, Samsung launched the Galaxy Ring, a device that works with Galaxy devices and tracks movement, sleep, heart rate, and respiratory rate, providing users with a daily sleep score and an energy score.

Apple has patented ring-like devices, resulting in "iRing" rumors, but Apple often patents all manner of products that never make it to launch.

In its Mac mini announcement video last month, Apple briefly mentioned an "upcoming" version of Final Cut Pro for the Mac. We believe that Apple will likely announce the update later today, as the annual Final Cut Pro Creative Summit conference begins today and involves a visit to Apple Park starting at 2 p.m. Pacific Time today. Final Cut Pro version 10.7 was shown off during the same Apple Park day of the conference last year.

Final Cut Pro received its most recent feature update to version 10.8 in June. New features included an Enhance Light and Color effect, a Smooth Slo-Mo option for slow-motion visuals, advanced search and filtering in the timeline index, and more.

Following a bug-fix update in August, Final Cut Pro is now on version 10.8.1. It is quite possible that the next version will be Final Cut Pro 11, rather than 10.9, given that Logic Pro went from version 10.8.1 to 11.0 earlier this year.

We recently recapped three new features that Apple already said are coming to Final Cut Pro for the Mac later this year, including spatial video editing, AI-generated video effects, and automatic AI-generated captions. An image of Final Cut Pro in the Mac mini announcement video last month also showed an unreleased "Magnetic Mask" feature that will likely allow users to isolate moving objects in the foreground of videos.

At least some of these features will likely extend to an updated version of the Final Cut Pro app for iPad. There could also be updates to the Final Cut Pro companion apps Compressor and Motion for the Mac, and to the Final Cut Camera app for the iPhone.

In the U.S., Final Cut Pro currently costs $299.99 on the Mac, while the iPad version is a subscription-based app priced at $4.99 per month or $49 per year.

Apple last week replaced the M3 Max MacBook Pro with the new M4 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌, and we picked up one of the new high-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ machines to see how it compares to the prior model with both benchmarks and real-world tests.

We tested an M4 Max with a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and 48GB RAM against an M3 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ with similar specs. The two machines look similar, but the display on the M4 version did get some improvements and it's a little bit brighter. There's an option for nano-texture too, which makes a big difference if you ever work outside.

Thunderbolt 5 ports instead of Thunderbolt 4 ports allow you to connect more displays (up to three 6K displays) and get faster transfer speeds. Unsurprisingly, the M4 Max performed better across the board on benchmarks, and those higher numbers did indeed translate to actual improvements in day-to-day performance.

Creating a slow motion clip from a standard clip in Topaz Labs AI took the M3 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ a little over six minutes, while the M4 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ was done in under five minutes.

Exporting a 6 minute 4K video with effects, plugins, LUTs, Roto AI masks, Motion VFX, and more from Final Cut Pro took the M3 Max 1:17, while the M4 Max did it in 1:07. It's only a 10 second savings, but that adds up with longer videos and over time.

Obviously you're not going to be upgrading to the M4 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ if you have an M3 Max machine, but it is interesting to see the year-over-year improvements. If you have something like an M1 Pro or an M1 Max and do a lot of CPU/GPU heavy tasks, upgrading to the M4 Max could end up saving you a good amount of time.

Let us know what you think of the M4 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌'s performance in the comments below.

A trio of Apple customers this month filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, accusing the Cupertino company of violating California consumer protection laws and false advertising for continuing to sell AirPods Pro models that had ongoing issues with crackling or static sounds.

A few months after the AirPods Pro came out in October 2019, buyers began to complain about crackling, rattling, popping, and static-like noises affecting the AirPods Pro. The sound seemed to show up when something caused an earbud to move or vibrate, such as walking or running.

Apple tried to fix the problem with software updates, but the company ultimately launched an AirPods Pro repair program in October 2020. Customers with affected AirPods Pro were able to bring them to Apple for a fix or a replacement, but unfortunately, many customers found that their replacement AirPods Pro also suffered from the same issue.

As a result, Apple is now facing a class action lawsuit, with the plaintiffs requesting "relief" due to the defective nature of the AirPods Pro. The complaint says that customers would not have purchased the AirPods Pro or would have paid less had Apple made the flaw clear.

Apple is also being accused of false advertising for highlighting features like "superior sound quality" and "pure, incredibly clear sound" when knowing there was an issue with crackling and static.

The court will need to decide if the arguments made here hold up, and whether the case deserves class action certification.

Apple today announced that an additional 15 games are coming to Apple Arcade during the upcoming holiday season, including three Final Fantasy titles, PAC-MAN 256, Boggle: Arcade Edition, Gears & Goo, and more.

Accessible through the App Store, Apple Arcade is a subscription-based service that provides access to hundreds of games across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro, all free of ads and in-app purchases. In the U.S., Apple Arcade costs $6.99 per month and is bundled with other Apple services in select Apple One plans.

Here is the full list of games coming to Apple Arcade through early January:

• Talking Tom Blast Park on December 5
• Boggle: Arcade Edition on December 5
• PAC-MAN 256+ on December 5
• Hot Wheels: Race Off+ on December 5
• Barbie Color Creations+ on December 5
• Little Cities: Diorama for Apple Vision Pro on December 5
• FINAL FANTASY IV (3D REMAKE)+ on December 9
• FF IV: THE AFTER YEARS+ on December 9
• Skate City: New York on January 9
• Gears & Goo for Apple Vision Pro on January 9
• Three Kingdoms HEROES on January 9
• FINAL FANTASY+ on January 9
• Trials of Mana+ on January 9
• Rodeo Stampede+ on January 9
• It's Literally Just Mowing+ on January 9

More details about some of the games are available in Apple's press release.

Amazon has a collection of the new M4 14-inch MacBook Pro on sale this week, with as much as $160 off select models. These deals aren't the only Mac-related Black Friday sales you can get right now, so be sure to check out our Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals guide for more information.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Starting with the 16GB RAM/512GB M4 14-inch MacBook Pro, you can get this model for $1,474.00 in both Silver and Space Black. This is a match of the all-time low price on the computer, and right now only Amazon has the sale.

Amazon also has the 16GB/1TB M4 14-inch MacBook Pro at an all-time low price of $1,654.00, down from $1,799.00. Finally, there's the 24GB RAM/512GB model for $1,839.00, down from $1,999.00, which is another record low price. Both of these computers are only available at these prices in Silver.

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2024.

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Leading artificial intelligence companies including OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic are facing "diminishing returns" from their costly efforts to build newer AI models, according to a new Bloomberg report. The stumbling blocks appear to be growing in size as Apple continues a phased rollout of its own AI features through Apple Intelligence.

OpenAI's latest model, known internally as Orion, has reportedly fallen short of the company's performance expectations, particularly in handling coding tasks. The model is said to be lacking the significant improvements over existing systems when compared to the gains GPT-4 made versus its predecessor.

Google is also reportedly facing similar obstacles with its upcoming Gemini software, while Anthropic has delayed the release of its anticipated Claude 3.5 Opus model. Industry experts who spoke to Bloomberg attributed the challenges to the increasing difficulty in finding "new, untapped sources of high-quality, human-made training data" and the enormous costs associated with developing and operating new models concurrently with existing ones.

Silicon Valley's belief that more computing power, data, and larger models will inevitably lead to better performance, and ultimately the holy grail – artificial general intelligence (AGI) – could be based on false assumptions, suggests the report. Consequently, companies are now exploring alternative approaches, including further post-training (incorporating human feedback to improve responses and refining the tone) and developing AI tools called agents that can perform targeted tasks, such as booking flights or sending emails on a user's behalf.

"The AGI bubble is bursting a little bit," said Margaret Mitchell, chief ethics scientist at AI startup Hugging Face. She told Bloomberg that "different training approaches" may be needed to make AI models work really well on a variety of tasks. Other experts who spoke to the outlet echoed Mitchell's sentiment.

How much impact these challenges will have on Apple's approach is unclear, though Apple Intelligence is more focused in comparison, and the company uses internal large language models (LLMs) grounded in privacy. Apple's AI services mainly operate on-device, while the company's Private Cloud Compute encrypted servers are only pinged for tasks requiring more advanced processing power.

Apple is integrating AI capabilities into existing products and services, including writing tools, Siri improvements, and image generation features, so it can't be said to be competing directly in the LLM space. However, Apple has agreed a partnership with OpenAI that allows Siri to optionally hand off more open-ended queries to ChatGPT. Apple has also reportedly held discussions with other LLM companies about similar outsourcing partnerships.

It's possible that the challenges faced by major AI companies pursuing breakthrough general-purpose AI models could ultimately validate Apple's more conservative strategy of developing specific AI features that enhance the user experience. In that sense, its privacy-first policy may not be the straitjacket it first seemed. Apple plans to expand Apple Intelligence features next month with the release of iOS 18.2 and then via further updates through 2025.

Mophie has three new Qi2 charging accessories available as of today from Apple retail stores, including a 3-in-1 Travel Charger, a Wireless Charging Vent Mount, and a Magnetic Vent Mount.

The $150 3-in-1 Travel Charger features a Qi2 MagSafe charging surface for the iPhone, which can provide up to 15W to a compatible iPhone. It also has an Apple Watch charger that offers up to 7.5W for fast charging Apple Watch Series 7 models and later, and a 5W AirPods charging surface.

A 40W wall adapter is included for charging all three devices at once, and it comes with international plug configurations for the United States, UK, European Union, and Australia. The iPhone charging surface can be used while flat or while lifted up, and in the lifted mode, it is compatible with StandBy.

The charger folds up in half so that it can easily be tucked away in a backpack or a suitcase when traveling, plus Mophie includes a Travel Case that holds the charger and the power adapter that comes with it.

Mophie's $70 Wireless Car Vent Mount provides up to 15W for charging a compatible iPhone with Qi2. It is designed to connect to a vent using an adjustable hook, and it has a wide base that holds the iPhone securely in place.

The mount can tilt and swivel so that the viewing angle can be optimally adjusted, and one hand can be used to mount the iPhone and remove it. The vent attachment works on car vents up to 41mm deep, and Mophie includes a USB-C to USB-C cable, a 20W USB-C car adapter, and two cable management clips.

If in-car charging isn't needed, Mophie also has a $30 Car Vent Mount that holds an iPhone in place via ‌MagSafe‌, allowing it to be used for navigation, hands-free calls, and more. With the exception of charging capabilities, it is identical to the Wireless Mount, featuring multiple viewing angles, one-handed operation, and a strong magnetic hold.

Mophie's new products can be purchased from the Apple online store or in Apple retail locations.