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Scary Fast: Full coverage

Scary Fast: Full coverage

Everything you need to know, without the Apple spin

Leander Kahney
October 31, 2023

I quite enjoyed Apple’s ‘Scary Fast’ event yesterday evening, although on reflection, there were a couple of things that were strange.

Why did Apple keep comparing the new M3 chips to the M1 and not the M2?

It’s obviously because the numbers look better, but it’s a bit of a sleight of hand. The M3s are still very fast and capable chips, and the new 3nm manufacturing process pays off.

Also, Apple claims the whole thing was shot with an iPhone 15, but if you look at the behind-the-scenes video, you can see the iPhone in question is surrounded by tons of Hollywood equipment, including huge lighting rigs and pro-level gimbals. Saying it was shot entirely on iPhone isn’t quite the whole story.

Still, it was a fun and engaging product event, and if you don’t have time to watch it all, check out our amusing 90-second video. I LOL-ed really hard at one point — see if you find it funny too.

Also in today’s newsletter:

Buyer’s guide: Should you get one of the new machines?
Apple Watch faces a ban in December after a ruling went against Apple. This could be big.
The new USB-C AirPods Pro 2 (which are truly great) are again heavily discounted.
These are fab EDC-style Apple Watch bands, now in orange and green.
What? No USB-C update for the Magic Keyboard and Mouse. Very disappointing.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

3 new M3 MacBook Pro models promise blazing speed

Apple's new top-tier laptops pack three versions of the speedy new M3 chip for serious power, plus a new space black color option.

Apple rolls out updated iMac with M3

At today’s “Scary Fast” event, Apple rolled out a simple update to the iMac, the perennial all-in-one desktop computer, with the new M3 chip.

Good riddance: 13-inch MacBook Pro discontinued

Apple discontinued the M2-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and a decidedly dated design.

^{A message from the Cult of Mac deals team}

AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C are now an amazing 24% off

The new AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C case, which adds a couple of other new features, is on sale for a tempting $60 off the retail price.

Apple M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max boost Mac performance up to 50%

Apple broke with tradition and unveiled the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max processors together. They offer significant performance improvements over their predecessors

Watch Apple’s ‘Scary Fast’ event in just 90 seconds

Yesterday’s “Scary Fast” Apple event, debuting the MacBook Pro and iMac with the M3 family of chips, was a short affair at just 30 minutes — but what if you only have a minute and a half?

^{A message from the Cult of Mac Store}

Get Mifa's cool tactical Apple Watch band in orange or green

People love the tactical look of Mifa's EDC Nylon Sports Leather Apple Watch Band -- now in orange and green.

Fail: No USB-C update for Magic Mouse or Keyboard

There are no updated versions of the Magic Mouse, Trackpad or Keyboard. New iMac buyers won't be able to the Lightning port yet.

M1 vs. M3 24-inch iMac comparison: What's changed?

Looking to buy or upgrade to the M3 24-inch iMac? What has Apple changed beside the switch to a faster chip? Find out in this comparison.

Should you buy the new MacBook Pro or iMac?

The new MacBook Pro and iMac are already available to order — so is it time for you to upgrade? That all depends on which devices you have, so I’ve put together a buying guide with sharable images and a video to help you decide.

How Apple’s ‘Scary Fast’ event was shot on iPhone [Updated]

Apple recorded its entire 'Scary Fast' Mac-focused event using an iPhone 15 Pro Max, including footage of all presenters, location, and drone shots.

Today in Apple history: iTunes video takes world by storm

October 31, 2005: Less than three weeks after launching video downloads with iTunes 6, Apple reveals that it has already sold more than 1 million music

Apple Watch threatened with sales ban in December

An ITC ruling against Apple Thursday for patent infringement could mean a ban on most Apple Watch imports and sales as of December 26.

Tweetz o’ the day

Looks like Apple snuck a HUGE price hike into the new MacBook Pro.
The high end MacBook Pro used to be $3499, and came with the best (and only) Max chip.
But with M3 Max this price now gets you a completely lame 14-core CPU and measly 30-core GPU — fewer GPU cores than my M1… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
— Erfon Elijah (@erfon)
4:28 PM • Oct 31, 2023

Just bought an M3 MacBook!!! Can’t wait to get it in 🔥🔥
— Michael  (@NTFTWX)
2:35 AM • Oct 31, 2023

I asked chatGPT to create 8-bit/pixelated interpretations of famous artworks in DALL·E 3. The results are lovely.
1. “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat
— Artificial World (@ARTiV3RSE)
10:54 PM • Oct 30, 2023

One more thing ...

❝

Your thoughts construct patterns like scaffolding in your mind. You are really etching chemical patterns. In most cases, people get stuck in those patterns, just like grooves in a record, and they never get out of them.

— Steve Jobs, 2011.

Today’s poll

What did you think of the Scary Fast event?

Results from yesterday’s poll: TK?

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