Can MacBook Air take the heat?

Rival laptops challenge Apple's portable powerhouse.

Powered by Apple’s M3 chip, the latest MacBook Air delivers power and portability in a fantastic-looking package that makes it tough to beat.

However, PC laptops are nipping at the MacBook Air’s heels. Currently, the Dell XPS 15 gives Apple’s killer consumer machine a run for its money, as detailed in today’s comparison of the two popular laptops.

And soon, Microsoft plans to launch “AI PCs” that run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processors. The company reportedly thinks these new computers will outperform the MacBook Air, which Apple recently touted as the “world’s best consumer laptop for AI.”

Ever since Apple silicon arrived in 2020, Macs have been blowing minds — and blowing away the competition — by pairing exceptional performance with astonishing efficiency.

Is that dominance about to end? We should see in May, when Microsoft shows the world what its AI PCs can do.

Also in today’s newsletter:

  • Apple’s researchers are busy teaching AI how humans use iPhones. And that, in turn, could make iPhones better for us.

  • This $16 keychain charger can juice up your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods.

  • Fly Me to the Moon, an Apple TV+ film starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, dives into events that definitely did not happen during the 1969 moon landing. It’s part Mad Men, part NASA hoax ... and all comedy. Watch the trailer now.

  • QR codes are everywhere these days. Your iPhone gives you three easy ways to utilize them, and our how-to explains it all.

— Lewis Wallace, managing editor

MaxAI.me turns every click into AI magic. Instantly summarize articles, craft emails, and search the web with AI. #1 of the day and the week on ProductHunt.

A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team

A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team

Tweetz o’ the day

One more thing ...

The way that we’re going to ratchet up our species is to take the best and to spread it around to everybody, so that everybody grows up with better things and starts to understand the subtlety of these better things. And Microsoft’s just… It’s McDonald’s. So that’s what saddens me. Not that Microsoft has won, but that Microsoft’s products don’t display … more insight and more creativity.

— Steve Jobs, 1995.

Today’s poll

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Results from yesterday’s poll: What new Apple gear is next on your list?

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