Apple Upgrades The MacBook Pro, Releases M2 Pro & M2 Max

Those hoping to get their hands on the new HomePod will need to be patient: Wait time are currently multiple weeks in many countries, and up to 4 weeks or more in the United States. In some European countries, devices won't arrive until March.

Mark Gurman just released another round of his weekly newsletter, covering multiple topics – and two very important points: The future of HomePod's smaller cousin and Apple's plans for the iPad Pro. Some big innovations are pending for the latter, but we'll need to wait some time until they can be implemented.

Apple invited select journalists to an internal event where it presented the new HomePod – guests were provided the opportunity to construct a first impression of the recent second generation of the smart speaker.

There are plenty of good reasons to couple two HomePods for use as a stereo pair. However, it's not possible to pair the newest HomePod with its previous generation for surround sound usage. Apple has now clarified several concrete limitations.

This week, Apple did more than just start a new chapter and release Macs with new M2 variants, it also went so far as to close an old chapter. The Intel Mac mini is now history. Interestingly enough, the Mac mini M1 is also gone – despite Cupertino frequently letting older Macs remain in the lineup.

Although the recently presented Macs with the M2 Pro and M2 Max have yet to hit the market, several benchmark tests have already begun to circulate – as is usually the case. Apple technically forbids early testers from releasing bencharks, but they rarely obey and often find themselves enriching the Geekbench database.

Surprisingly, Apple just presented a new HomePod – making for the classic model's comeback. For those that remember, the original HomePod was removed from the Apple lineup after a persistent lack of success – with only the HomePod mini left. Now, there are 2 models again – with Apple taking another shot at the classic concept. There are also soon to be software updates for the HomePod mini.

Over the last few years, there have been many indications that Apple is set to follow a two-pronged strategy for a new line of AR products. However, Mark Gurman claims to have come across an internal change in plans – the expected Apple Glasses won't be part of the program.

According to a new report, Apple should upgrade all of its high-end products step-by-step with micro-LED panels. However, the transition will likely be time-consuming: It may be another few years until the first MacBook receives such a display.

Intel presented new processors at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show – alongside a 24-core monster of a laptop chip with a maximum clock rate of 5.6GHz. According to Intel, it's currently the fastest available mobile processor.

Now that the New Year has finally arrived, several Apple devices are likely to get a new look – and some new hardware, whilst other devices may need some dusting before a new generation arrives. The iPhone SE and iPad Pro are unlikely to receive an upgrade this year.

As far as the usage of World Cup-apps goes, users really shouldn't install any on their primary device with most of their data – as per drastic recommendations from the EU. The required apps are likely to make a grab for much more personal data than documented.

Qualcomm has announced the new Snapdragon series – the name of it's own in-house ARM processors for Smartphones. The release promises groundbreaking performance data – but how do things look in comparison to Apple's A16 or A15?

Apple's Mac, iPad, and iPhone processors come from the far east, where Cupertino's production partner TSMC produces them in Taiwan. In the not-all-too-far-off future, however, Apple's CPUs could come from assembly lines in the USA.

All signs indicate that there will no longer be any fall 2022 Apple event, however, that doesn't necessarily mean that we'll be left waiting very long for new hardware either. According to Mark Gurman, there could be releases in just a few days.

According to Mark Gurman, Apple is already working on switching its iPhones, iPads, AirPods, and all other Mac accessories to the USB-C standard – to satisfy current regulations in the EU. Now, it's possible that only one of the upcoming iPhone models could even come with a Lightning port.

Apple wanted to introduce a new series of displays as early as this summer. However, the company's production partner – Quanta, was still met with lockdowns. As per a well-known and highly reliable display expert, there won't even be the expected fall display announcement.

Discussions about the Apple Watch Ultra frequently make reference to the product page's claim of extreme robustness. Is it really fair to attribute the same qualities of more "rugged" watches to what is known as more of a "lifestyle" product? An intensive test investigates the question – with some impressive answers.

Three years after the release of the first generation of AirPods Pro, Apple has now supplied us with a new edition containing many improvements – however, do the company's claims about the device's sound quality, battery, and noise cancelling hold true?

The new Apple Watch Ultra has one more key than any of its previous iterations. The new "Action Button" can start programs and even entire processes. Meanwhile, it has also become apparent exactly how the button is used to operate the device.

Another iPhone generation has arrived yet again, and the bar for smartphone photography has been raised a peg. One professional photographer is now showing what's possible camera-wise with the iPhone 14 Pro – and comparing it with the iPhone 13 Pro.