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Apple's Mac blitz

Apple's Mac blitz

Faster chips, Thunderbolt 5 and the smallest Mac mini ever!

Lewis Wallace
November 02, 2024

Apple delivered some truly great new Macs this week during its three-day product reveal. The format worked well for the company, allowing Macs to dominate the tech news cycle for days on end — and giving Apple fans time to digest all the great updates.

Chief among them: blazing-fast new M4 processors and a shockingly small Mac mini (with one really odd design quirk).

If you didn’t get a chance to watch all three events, I recommend you watch our 90-second recap video that hits all the high points. And if you want more info, check out our in-depth coverage in the special sections below devoted to the new M4 MacBook Pros, iMac and Mac mini.

Also in this edition of The Weekender:

The first M4 Pro and M4 Max benchmarks are 🔥!
iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1 arrived this week to give us our first taste of Apple Intelligence. (Tim Cook says iOS 18.1 is a big hit, BTW.)
Unfortunately, Apple missed a chance to fix one of the biggest design crimes of all time.
And finally, a sneak peek at season two of Silo should whet your appetite for the sci-fi show’s return to Apple TV+ later this month.

Enjoy your weekend!

— Lewis Wallace, managing editor

TL;DR

Watch Apple’s M4 Mac announcements in just 90 seconds

Apple’s announcements this week of the first M4 Macs were impressive and full of surprises. Watch our edit of it all in just 90 seconds.

M4 MacBook Pros

M4 MacBook Pros deliver big performance and battery life gains

M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max chips give MacBook Pros a big speed boost and 24-hour battery life. What you need to know about M4 MacBook Pro launch.

Plus, more on M4 MacBook Pros:

M4 iMac

New M4 iMac delivers major speed boost

Apple's M4 iMac is official, packing 16GB of unified memory as standard and seven fresh color options. It will retail for the same $1,299.

Plus, more on M4 iMacs:

M4 Mac mini

Mac mini radically redesigned with M4 and M4 Pro chip

Apple announces a radical new Mac mini, powered by the M4 and the new M4 Pro chip. It features a new, smaller design.

Plus, more on M4 Mac mini:

How-tos

How to use the (somewhat) new and improved Siri

Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.1 brings the long-awaited new Siri, but we don't get all the features yet. Here's what you can try now.

How to update your AirPods Pro to add hearing aid functionality

Here's how to see if you have the latest AirPods Pro 2 firmware with hearing aid functionality, plus what you can do to force an update.

How to share an iCloud Photo Library

Skip the hassle of manually sending your family all the vacation photos — enable a shared iCloud Photo library instead.

How to use advanced Apple Watch sleep stage tracking

Apple Watch sleep stage tracking might help you get to the bottom of what’s going on with your sleep if you have insomnia or sleep apnea.

News

iOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1 usher in Apple Intelligence

Apple Intelligence arrives! Find out what's in iOS 18.1, macOS Sequoia 15.1 and iPadOS 18.1.

Plus: iOS 18.1 is a smash hit, thanks to Apple Intelligence

iPhone 17 could use Apple's new Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip

A reliable analyst says Apple will switch to its own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips with the iPhone 17 in the second half of 2025.

Plus, more Apple rumors:

New Magic Keyboard, mouse and trackpad spell end for Lightning

The switch to USB-C marks the (near) death of Apple's Lightning connector.

Apple’s first Thunderbolt 5 cable: Blazing fast and great for hi-res displays

The fancy new cable goes with Apple’s first Thunderbolt 5-capable computers.

Apple acquires brilliant image-editing app Pixelmator

What does this mean for the popular image-editing software for Mac, iPad and iPhone?

Shocker! Apple doubles RAM in M2 and M3 MacBook Air.

And with no price increase! Here’s why Apple stopped being chintzy with RAM.

Inside Apple's Audio Lab: Creating the 'interface to the ear'

Here’s where Apple developed the technologies behind the new Hearing Health features for AirPods Pro 2.

Deals

This USB-C travel hub is your new vacation bestie

This USB-C travel hub has it all: 10 USB ports, high-power USB PD charging, memory card slots and even wireless MagSafe charging.

Plus, more hardware from Cult of Mac Deals:

Save up to $90 on latest iPad Magic Keyboard from Apple

Save a bundle on the Apple Magic Keyboard for your iPad and unlock its full potential to act as both a tablet and a laptop.

This $40 lifetime subscription gives you access to ChatGPT, Mistral AI and more, all in one place

Get an AI tool that brings top AI models like ChatGPT, Mistral AI and more together in one interface. Enter 1minAI, the all-in-one AI tool.

Plus, more software and services from Cult of Mac Deals:

Reviews and recommendations

Extra small 4-in-1 iPhone/Mac charging cable fits on a keychain [Review] ★★★★☆

Although the size of a finger, inCharge XS squeezes in enough connectors to ensure you can juice up virtually any Apple device.

First 5 minutes of ‘Silo’ season 2 dig into horrifying past

If you can't wait for the November 15 streaming date, check out the harrowing "Silo" season 2 sneak peek video.

Setups

MacBook Pro rig relies on very unusual charger

This MacBook Pro user keeps an Anker Prime Charging Station front and center in his minimal but productive computer setup.

Stuffed penguin rocks to Edifier speakers

There's nothing like an affordable but well-made set of powered speakers when you want to rock your MacBook Air setup.

Cool teleprompter boosts MacBook Pro user's Zoom calls

This MacBook Pro workstation includes a teleprompter setup that helps the user with Zoom calls.