Top Stories: M3 Macs as Early as October, Beats Studio Pro, and More

[dandyryan]

dont see m3 macbooks happening until next year considering 15" just dropped last month and the pros this january. not like theyre in a rush lmao

and the m1 imac lives. the m1 is still so good theyve made it clear they dont need the m2 and wont rush the m3 considering battery life wont even matter for the imac

 

[darngooddesign]

I agree, they just released the 15 inch MacBook Air with M2 not even a full two months ago. I just can’t see them having that fast of an upgrade cycle on the Air.

The MBPs will get the M3 before the Airs do. I think Apple will upgrade both Airs to M3 after at least a year has passed since the 15" 's release.

 

[darngooddesign]

I hate hearing this ****, Ive been waiting for a MBA 15" for years and I'm getting ready to buy one as soon as my case comes on the mail in 10 days. I don't want to get started on the M2 and then have to turn around in a few months and have to sell it and buy the M3. And very stupid to put it in the 13" first. 13" is too small.

Why would you have to sell it just because the M3 comes out?

 

[jimbobb24]

While it was already reported earlier in the year that the Apple Watch 9 update would be mostly iterative, typically as we get closer to September, new rumours start to surface. Besides finally getting a new processor, I've not heard anything else.

Has Apple really run out of ideas or are their current developments for the watch so ambitious that they simply need more time to flesh them out? Either way, this is a very long time (arguably 3-4 years) that the watch updates have been "iterative".

Are you not counting the Ultra?

 

[eoblaed]

Has Apple really run out of ideas or are their current developments for the watch so ambitious that they simply need more time to flesh them out? Either way, this is a very long time (arguably 3-4 years) that the watch updates have been "iterative".

I think it's important for us to realize that there's only so much you can do in/with these small form factors (phones, watches, etc) without turning them into grotesque Swiss-army knife hacks bristling with useless gimmickry.

To that end, making sure they do things that are useful, and they do those things well, and that they extend working functionality into new integrations (e.g., having the watch act as an implicit 'key' for more things, etc) is going to be the focus once you've figured out all the core use cases.

It's unlikely we're going to see many truly new features in something like a watch. Periodically you'll get something new-enough to catch some attention (the recent satellite SOS features, for example), but those will absolutely be the exception. Of course, even iterative improvements add up over time.

Mostly iterative is where it's going to be, and that's inevitable.

 

[Gix1k]

Guess I shouldn't buy an M2 Air now.

 

[klky]

Are you not counting the Ultra?

Was referring to the regular watch.

 

[darngooddesign]

It's not neglected at all. The 2021 iMac is still a technological marvel and design masterpiece, no competitor came even close to and even other Macs can't match. Mac mini and Mac Studio are just overpriced alumium boxes without display, keyboard and mouse. The MacBooks with their boring colors and obnoxious notches are an insult to Apple design. Who will still celebrate the return of inverted T arrow keys, HDMI and MagSafe in 20 years time? There's nothing to love about these uninspiring retro designs. People get carried away by their admiration for M-series chips and can't admit that the MacBooks are truly neglected.

My 16" MBP is my favorite Mac laptop since my TiBook.

I kind of wish it came in the iMac colors, but then I remember how easily Apple's coatings scratch so silver is the best choice if you keep your laptops for five or more years and want them to look as nice as possible.

 

[klky]

I think it's important for us to realize that there's only so much you can do in/with these small form factors (phones, watches, etc) without turning them into grotesque Swiss-army knife hacks bristling with useless gimmickry.

To that end, making sure they do things that are useful, and they do those things well, and that they extend working functionality into new integrations (e.g., having the watch act as an implicit 'key' for more things, etc) is going to be the focus once you've figured out all the core use cases.

It's unlikely we're going to see many truly new features in something like a watch. Periodically you'll get something new-enough to catch some attention (the recent satellite SOS features, for example), but those will absolutely be the exception. Of course, even iterative improvements add up over time.

Mostly iterative is where it's going to be, and that's inevitable.

I totally get what you're saying and I agree with your points.

I also understand that Apple Watch has become a pretty mature platform. But unless Apple have suddenly become really good at keeping things under wraps, isn't this at least a little bit eyebrow raising? Serious question: what have others heard beyond an updated chip? Even this very article makes no mention of the watch whatsoever.

To be clear, I'm personally not clamouring for any new features. I'm quite happy with my Series 6 but would like to see some signs that Apple aren't abandoning the regular watch in favour of the Ultra.

 

[Gudi]

My 16" MBP is my favorite Mac laptop since my TiBook.

The 16-inch is the only model with speaker grills and decent audio quality. Every other Apple laptop sounds noticeably worse. And for that they are too expensive.

 

[darngooddesign]

The 16-inch is the only model with speaker grills and decent audio quality. Every other Apple laptop sounds noticeably worse. And for that they are too expensive.

Sounds like speaker holes are the only thing you value in a laptop'; luckily the 14" also has those and good audio quality which I have side-by-side compared. Compared to the 13" Air, the 15" Air has noticeably better audio quality despite not having speaker holes because it has big speakers which reflect the sound against the screen, just like the third, midrange/bass speaker in the 12" Powerbook.

Regardless, audio quality is just one of the many reason why the 16" MBP is my favorite MacBook since the TiBook. I like its design, ports, quiet cooling system, return of MagSafe and SD, screen quality, tiny top bezel which the easily hidden notch provides. But to be fair, every new Powerbook and MacBook I've owned is my favorite, probably because I skipped the USB-C ThrottleBooks, but I prefer the design of my new one to the AlBook, MacBook, and previous design MacBook Pros.

 

[switz]

Just out of interest, I priced a new 14" MBPro fully loaded and then asked for the trade in value for my over $6,000 fully optioned December 2019 Intel powered 16" MBPro (64GB and 8TB SSD with best video cardY. The offer was $850.

I plan to continue to use it until it is no longer supported by Apple along with my M1 14" MBPro Max and M1 Studio Ultra. It will be covered by extended Apple care so Apple has to take care of it for years if I pay the premium for the Apple care. I will continue to use my 2018 Intel mini as a file server as well since it has 64GB of ram which is great for caching incoming data to the backup raid.

 

[eoblaed]

I totally get what you're saying and I agree with your points.

I also understand that Apple Watch has become a pretty mature platform. But unless Apple have suddenly become really good at keeping things under wraps, isn't this at least a little bit eyebrow raising? Serious question: what have others heard beyond an updated chip? Even this very article makes no mention of the watch whatsoever.

To be clear, I'm personally not clamouring for any new features. I'm quite happy with my Series 6 but would like to see some signs that Apple aren't abandoning the regular watch in favour of the Ultra.

When I upgraded from my Series 4 to 7, I wasn't planning on upgrading again for a couple/few years. But then less than a year later I saw the Ultra and was like 'awwww, man'. Something about the new form factor and promised increased specs and functionality really appealed to me. I do a fair bit of trail running here in the mountains and, while I'm not extreme athlete by any stretch, the alert signal, better GPS mapping, etc, also appealed.

And I have to say, having had it for a while now, I love it. It's interesting. Even though the screen is only a little bigger, and a little brighter, and ... flatter, the combination of those things leads to such an increased sense of experience while using it, it feels like a huge feature bump. For me, it really rejuvenated my interactions with the watch in a way I hadn't expected.

Finally, I'll say that the watch is one of the areas that Apple has generally been more successful at keeping the rumors from spreading on. Who knows what the next generation or two will bring.

 

[Gudi]

Compared to the 13" Air, the 15" Air has noticeably better audio quality despite not having speaker holes …

That’s true, but the 15" Air is also notably worse than the 14" Pro, which in turn is notably worse than the 16" Pro. Apple's laptops have four very different levels of speaker quality. I’m not surprised that at $2,500+ the quality is decent. I also don’t care about this price range. At $1,200+ the sound is muffled by missing speaker grills.

 

[darngooddesign]

That’s true, but the 15" Air is also notably worse than the 14" Pro, which in turn is notably worse than the 16" Pro. Apple's laptops have four very different levels of speaker quality. I’m not surprised that at $2,500+ the quality is decent. I also don’t care about this price range. At $1,200+ the sound is muffled by missing speaker grills.

I've side by side compared the two and the 14" is not notable worse than the 16"; it has a b it less bass which is what happens when the speaker is smaller. Based on my experience with a variety of MacBook Pros, the existence of speaker holes does not guarantee better sound quality. The 13" Air has speaker holes, they're just not on the top plate, and the main thing affecting sound quality is its small size not having enough internal space for big speakers.

 

[Gudi]

I've side by side compared the two and the 14" is not notable worse than the 16"; it has a b it less bass which is what happens when the speaker is smaller. Based on my experience with a variety of MacBook Pros, the existence of speaker holes does not guarantee better sound quality. The 13" Air has speaker holes, they're just not on the top plate, and the main thing affecting sound quality is its small size not having enough internal space for big speakers.

Sure, the size of the sound box and the speakers themselves also matters, as well as the size and placement of speaker holes. Ideally there would be no cover between the speakers and your ears. Speaker grills are already a compromise between sound quality and protection. Using the keyboard keys as speaker holes is another compromise. Aren't they sealed with silicon caps to protect the key mechanic from dust and liquids? Whatever the reason, you can hear a noticeable difference even with an untrained ear.

 

[darngooddesign]

Sure, the size of the sound box and the speakers themselves also matters, as well as the size and placement of speaker holes. Ideally there would be no cover between the speakers and your ears. Speaker grills are already a compromise between sound quality and protection. Using the keyboard keys as speaker holes is another compromise. Aren't they sealed with silicon caps to protect the key mechanic from dust and liquids? Whatever the reason, you can hear a noticeable difference even with an untrained ear.

You seem to be confused as to where the speakers are on the M2 Air. The speaker grilles/openings are in the hinge and sound is reflected off the screen back towards the user; the 12" Powerbook used a similar system for its extra sub-woofer which wasn't present in the larger Powerbooks, that little guy had really nice sound for the time. The 15" air has the same design, but its bigger size allows for a much larger speaker system which is why it sounds better. The 13" Air's size is the reason why it doesn't sound as good as the larger laptops, not the lack of grilles in the top plate.



You are placing too much emphasis on the MBP top plate speaker grilles as the actual openings are quite small. In the Verge article, iFixit believes that most of the sound comes from the bottom/side vents. Just holding/rotating my MBP confirms this; the mids and the full bass sound comes through the bottom/side vents with the grilles being responsible for the highs.

The new MacBook Pro’s speaker grilles are mostly cosmetic

Don’t worry, the speakers still sound great

www.theverge.com

TLDR - On the current Mac laptops, the size and complexity of the speaker system is primarily responsible for the sound quality, while the speaker opening locations affect it to a lesser degree.

 

[Gudi]

You seem to be confused as to where the speakers are on the M2 Air.

No, you seem to be confused that the speaker quality on the Air is still poor, regardless of all these details we've all heard and forgot about years ago.

 

[darngooddesign]

No, you seem to be confused that the speaker quality on the Air is still poor, regardless of all these details we've all heard and forgot about years ago.

Years ago? Except for one mention of a Powerbook, everything I posted is about the current laptops. Sound quality on the 13" Air is a compromise due to its size; if you want better audio, buy a larger laptop like the 15" Air or the 14" Pro. The top-plate grille is irrelevant because the 13" M1 Air does not have better sound quality than the 13" M2 Air; the M1's audio might be wider, its directed up as opposed to at the user, but the M2 has a bit better midrange and bass.

 

[Gudi]

Years ago? Almost everything I posted is about the current laptops.

The 3rd generation MacBook Pro from 2012 introduced the bottom/side vents, where you say most of the sound comes from. Using the openings in the hinge for audio is also not new, but I can't remember when I first heard about that.

Sound quality on the 13" Air is a compromise due to its smaller size; if you want better audio, buy a larger laptop, or ironically Apple's smallest laptop the 12" MacBook.

Or I don't pay up and buy a heavy, expensive laptop I don't want and complain about Apple's current offerings. From time to time they come up with an entry level device that is smaller and slower, but not in any way worse in quality than their flagship product. I'll just wait it out.

The top-plate grille is irrelevant because the 13" M1 Air has similar sound quality to the 13" M2 Air; the M2's audio is less wide, it's directed more towards the user, but the M2 has a little better midrange and bass.

Everybody makes their own comparisons. For me it's the speakers of the iMac. Also a 11.5 mm thin design with hidden speakers that fire towards the desk. But the sound is so amazing! I just can't fall in love with the MacBook Air and all its little disappointments.

 

[darngooddesign]

The 3rd generation MacBook Pro from 2012 introduced the bottom/side vents, where you say most of the sound comes from. Using the openings in the hinge for audio is also not new, but I can't remember when I first heard about that.

So why are you fixated on the speaker grille?

Or I don't pay up and buy a heavy, expensive laptop I don't want and complain about Apple's current offerings. From time to time they come up with an entry level device that is smaller and slower, but not in any way worse in quality than their flagship product. I'll just wait it out.

Everybody makes their own comparisons. For me it's the speakers of the iMac. Also a 11.5 mm thin design with hidden speakers that fire towards the desk. But the sound is so amazing! I just can't fall in love with the MacBook Air and all its little disappointments.

I find the iMac disappointing as a portable computer. It has horrible battery life, keeps falling off my lap, and those downward facing speakers are useless when not on a desk.

 

[switz]

My 27" iMac was certainly not a portable device nor a lap device. The only battery was for the internal clock

 

[Gudi]

So why are you fixated on the speaker grille?

Because they are also a design element, which helps to conceal the fact that Apple uses the same size keyboard on all sizes of laptops. In the past the 17" looked especially ridiculous. I think the 15" Air would've looked and sound a lot better with grills.

 

[JimmyG]

There's a gaping hole in their lineup...27" M-series iMacs.

Shouldn't be any harder to do than it was for you slapping M-chips into the mini and the pro, Tim.

 

[unWoke_inLA]

Why would you have to sell it just because the M3 comes out?

M3 is faster