Apple shares closed at a new all-time high on Monday, rising 1.6% to finish the regular trading day at $183.79. It was Apple's first closing high since January 2022, barring an intraday record following Apple's Vision Pro unveiling last week.
Apple's stock gain this year has resulted in a market capitalization of $2.89 trillion, according to Bloomberg, putting it in range of hitting the $3 trillion valuation it briefly achieved early last year.
"Apple has a roadmap people are comfortable with, it has unbelievable cash flow, and you can't do better than this incredible business model," said Wayne Kaufman, chief market analyst at Phoenix Financial Services, speaking to Bloomberg. "We're seeing people come back following the bear market, and Apple is just one of the stocks where investors are comfortable owning it whether it goes up or down, because they're confident they'll make money over the long run.”
As for Vision Pro, Apple is playing the long game. Priced at $3,499, the mixed reality headset is not expected to launch until 2024, and will initially only be available in the Unites States, likely in limited quantities. A more affordable version of the headset is expected to arrive in late 2025.
With new product debuts, Apple fans in Australia and New Zealand are always the first to get their hands on updated devices on launch day due to time zone differences. It's officially Tuesday, June 13 in those two countries, which means customers who pre-ordered a new 15-inch MacBook Air, M2 Ultra Mac Studio, or Mac Pro last week have started receiving their shipments.
Apple introduced the new Macs at the WWDC keynote on June 5 and started accepting orders on that date. In addition to shipments being delivered on June 13, that date also marks the beginning of in-store availability. New Zealand does not have official Apple retail locations, so customers in Australia will be the first to be able to purchase an updated Mac in an Apple Store.
We aren't expecting product shortages, but available stock in Australia will give us an idea of what we can expect in other Apple Stores around the world.
The 15.3-inch MacBook Air is largely identical in design and performance to the 13.6-inch model that came out last June, but it is equipped with a larger display and a new six speaker sound system. It uses the same M2 chips that were introduced in the 2022 13-inch MacBook Air, and it has the same look.
As for the Mac Studio and the Mac Pro, neither have received design updates, but the machines are equipped with the newly introduced M2 Ultra chip. The M2 Ultra offers up to 20 percent faster CPU performance compared to the M1 Ultra chip.
Pricing on the 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,299, while the Mac Studio is priced starting at $2,000 for the base M2 Max version and $4,000 for the base M2 Ultra model. The Mac Pro is priced starting at $6,999, and all models ship with the M2 Ultra chip.
Following New Zealand and Australia, sales and deliveries of the updated Macs will kick off in Asia, Europe, and North America, respectively. Apple retail locations will be opening at their regular times for walk-in purchases and pickups of reserved devices.
Apple's new Mac Pro has a "Product of Thailand" label, but final assembly of the desktop computer still takes place in the U.S., according to an FCC filing.
We have been informed that the new Mac Pro is assembled at the same Austin, Texas facility where it has been assembled since 2013, and units distributed to U.S. customers continue to include components designed, developed, and manufactured by more than a dozen American companies. Apple has not indicated why a "Product of Thailand" label was added to the Mac Pro — this fine print does not appear on the previous model.
Fine print on 2023 Mac Pro models sold in the U.S. reads:
Designed by Apple in California. Product of Thailand. Final assembly in the USA.
Fine print on 2019 Mac Pro models sold in the U.S. read:
Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in USA.
All other Macs are fully manufactured and assembled in Asian countries.
The new Mac Pro features the same overall design as the 2019 model, but it has been updated with Apple's custom M2 Ultra chip. The computer can be ordered now, and will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores this Tuesday.
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Apple's updated Mac Studio with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips will launch in stores and begin arriving to customers this Tuesday. Ahead of time, the first reviews of the desktop computer have been shared by select media outlets and YouTube channels.
The new Mac Studio features the same overall design as the 2022 model, but now features Apple's latest M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips, faster Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, and support for high-impedance headphones. Pricing remains unchanged, with the M2 Max model starting at $1,999 and the M2 Ultra model starting at $3,999.
Apple has also updated the Mac Studio with an HDMI 2.1 port, enabling 8K external display support. Other ports remain unchanged.
Benchmarks
As expected, the M2 Ultra chip is a doubled-up M2 Max chip. It features a 24-core CPU, up to a 76-core GPU, a 32-core Neural Engine, and support for up to 192GB of unified memory. Apple says the M2 Ultra has a 20% faster CPU than the M1 Ultra, as confirmed by Geekbench 6 benchmark results that have already surfaced.
All of this helps widen the breadth of display support for the Mac Studio using M2 Ultra, increasing the maximum number of displays that can be connected at one time from five to eight—all at 4K resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate over DisplayPort via Thunderbolt 4. If you bring the display count down to six, then the panels can go up to 6K resolution at 60Hz. If you halve the connected displays from there, to three, they can all output up to 8K resolution at 60Hz.
If you need a faster refresh rate, you’ll need to use the included HDMI port, which can support up to 240Hz at 4K resolution. This connection also supports variable refresh rate, HDR, and multichannel audio.
I liked the Mac Studio a lot last year, and I still like it a lot. It performs well, it's dead silent, it will fit just about anywhere, and it's the rare Apple computer to put ports on the front, where they can actually be accessed. If you're eyeing an upgrade from an Intel Mac, the M2 Max version is a great step (at least performance-wise) for anyone used to a 27-inch iMac's performance level. The M2 Ultra can run circles around the Intel Mac Pro and should perfectly match the Apple Silicon Mac Pro, as it uses the same chip.
That leaves the $1,999 Mac Studio as the ideal machine for Apple power users. It'll be enough for video editing work, and it also comes standard with 32GB of RAM (it could use more than 512GB of storage, though). Step up to the $3,999 model with an M2 Ultra chip, and you've got a system that can destroy just about any task you put in front of it. The few professional users who need PCIe expansion can now opt for the M2 Ultra-equipped Mac Pro, which starts at an eye-watering $6,999.
Upcoming Apple TV+ show "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" is reportedly being shot in 3D format to make the most of the immersive cinematic experience afforded by Apple's Vision Pro headset.
According to ScreenTimes' Sigmund Judge, the live-action Godzilla and Titans TV series that's based on Legendary's Monsterverse franchise has been shooting in a three-dimensional format supported by Apple's newly announced headset, based on conversations with people familiar with its production.
If so, it would be the first confirmed TV+ show to support the 3D video-viewing capabilities of Apple's $3,499 headset. VisionOS, the software that runs on Vision Pro, supports a Cinematic Environment that allows users to experience shows and movies at the frame rate and aspect ratio chosen by the creator. The feature supports spatial audio, and can also make the virtual screen environment feel 100 feet wide.
Apple showed off the technology during last week's WWDC keynote and later to invited members of the press, using clips from James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water to demonstrate its additional ability to render even more immersive content using stereoscopic 3D.
Apple announced its order for the Godzilla TV series in January 2022, but has not yet revealed when it will arrive on TV+. The series takes place after the battle between Godzilla and the Titans leveled San Francisco, and will be produced by Legendary Television with co-creator Chris Black serving as executive producer and showrunner. Black is known for his work on "Star Trek: Enterprise" and "Outcast."
Samsung today launched a new pair of monitors, including the latest version of the iMac-like Smart Monitor M8. The monitor is priced at $699.99 for the 32-inch option and $649.99 for a new 27-inch option, although as of now Samsung is only taking orders on the former size.
New additions to the Smart Monitor M8 include HDR10+ support and portrait orientation. The monitor includes a 4K UHD flat LCD panel with 400 nits of brightness, a 60Hz refresh rate, and a new pivot stand so that you can turn the display 90 degrees for portrait orientation.
In terms of Apple-related features, the Smart Monitor M8 retains the previous generation's AirPlay support so that you can connect Apple devices to the monitor and view content on the display. There's also USB-C charging connectivity, an upgraded 2K SlimFit webcam, smart TV apps, a gaming hub, and more.
Both sizes have a 11.39mm thick chassis, which is 0.1mm thinner than Apple's iMac, and include a flat back, thin bezels, and a height and tilt adjustable stand. You can get the new 32-inch Smart Monitor M8 in white, blue, pink, or green from Samsung's website for $699.99 right now.
If you want to save a bit of money and don't need any of the upgrades to the new Smart Monitor M8, Samsung does still have the previous version at a discount. You can get this model of the Smart Monitor M8 for $449.99, down from $699.99, which remains the best price of the year so far on this device.
The other monitor that Samsung launched today is the 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 Curved Smart Gaming Monitor. It's available for pre-order right now at a discounted price of $2,199.99, down from $2,499.00. The monitor is expected to ship by the end of the month, around June 26.
The 49-inch monitor is aimed at enhancing gaming sessions with an OLED screen that features Samsung's Neo Quantum Processor Pro to provide whiter whites and deeper blacks. The display also curves around the user's field of view and features a 240Hz refresh rate, with easy access to numerous streaming services via the Gaming Hub.
You can pre-order the 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 Curved Smart Gaming Monitor today for $2,199.99 on Samsung's website. Anyone who opts to pre-order the monitor in this early order window will also get a $250 Samsung gift card for a limited time.
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Apple appears to be preparing an iOS 16.5.1 update for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software in our website's analytics logs last week. It's unclear when the update will be released, but it will likely be available either this week or next week.
Minor updates like iOS 16.5.1 are typically focused on bug fixes, stability improvements, and security patches, rather than new features. Apple's Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter does not work properly with iPhones running iOS 16.5, but the issue was resolved in the iOS 16.6 beta last month, so a fix is likely to be included in iOS 16.5.1 as well.
Apple released the first beta of iOS 17 at WWDC last week. The update will be publicly released later this year for the iPhone XS and newer, and has many new features, including a StandBy mode while an iPhone is charging in a landscape position, interactive Home Screen widgets, improved autocorrect, a Journal app, and more. For the first time, developer betas are available without a $99/year Apple Developer program membership.
Earlier this month, Apple revealed that 81% of all active iPhones were running iOS 16, but that percentage has surely declined following the iOS 17 beta. Apple will likely release iOS 17 in September, around the time that iPhone 15 models launch.
With the launch of the new Mac Pro, Apple has finally completed the transition to Apple silicon across the entire Mac lineup. Over the past decade, Apple has only released three new Mac Pros and the latest version starts at $6,999 – the highest starting price of any Mac Pro model to date – making it all the more important to consider if now is a good time to upgrade or even if an older model will suffice for your needs.
The 2023 Mac Pro is the first of its kind to feature Apple silicon and all previous models had Intel processors. While the machine loses support for eGPUs, it is around twice as powerful as the previous top-tier Mac Pro while maintaining a mostly modular design with seven PCIe slots. Even so, some first-time Mac Pro customers or users of the 2013 model may be able to obtain a 2019 Mac Pro second-hand or from a third-party retailer for a substantially lower price, so it will be important to weigh up exactly what was added with each new version of the machine.
See the breakdown below for each new feature, change, and improvement that was added with each Mac Pro compared to its direct predecessor:
Dedicated media engine for hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW with two video decode engines, four video encode engines, and four ProRes encode and decode engines
32-core Neural Engine
Seven PCI Express expansion slots
Eight Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports
Three USB-A ports
3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones
HDMI 2.1 port with support for multichannel audio output
Support for up to eight 4K displays, six 6K displays, or three 8K displays
802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth 5.3
Weighs 37.2 pounds (16.86 kg) as tower or 37.9 pounds (17.21 kg) as rack
Starts at $6,999
Mac Pro (Intel Tower, 2019)
Silver tower design with lattice pattern and three impeller fans
Intel Xeon W processor
Up to 28-core CPU
Up to AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo GPU with 120 total compute units
Up to 1.5TB memory
Up to 8TB storage
Eight PCI Express expansion slots
Up to 12 Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports
Two USB 3 ports
Dual 10 Gb Ethernet
Up to two HDMI 2.0 ports
Support for up to 12 4K displays, six 5K displays, or six Pro Display XDRs
Bluetooth 5.0
Weighs 39.7 pounds (18.0 kg) as tower or 38.8 pounds (17.6 kg) as rack
Started at $5,999
Mac Pro (Intel Cylinder, 2013)
Space Black cylindrical design with thermal core, single impeller fan, and illuminated ports
Intel Xeon E5 processor
Up to 12-core CPU
Up to Dual AMD FirePro D700 GPU with 64 total compute units
Up to 64GB memory
User-upgradeable memory
Up to 1TB storage
Six Thunderbolt 2 ports
Four USB 3 ports
Dual Gigabit Ethernet
3.5 mm headphone jack
HDMI 1.4 Ultra HD port
Support for up to three dual-cable 5K displays or six Thunderbolt displays
802.11ac Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth 4.0
Weighs 11 pounds (4.9 kg)
Started at $2,999
Upgrade to the 2023 Mac Pro?
In most workflows, the M2 Ultra chip should offer a massive performance improvement over the Intel Xeon W processors offered in the 2019 Mac Pro, especially in CPU-intensive tasks. Early benchmarks indicate that it delivers around two-times faster overall CPU performance than the fastest Intel-based Mac Pro with a 28-core Xeon W processor.
For machine learning processes, the 2023 Mac Pro has a significant advantage with the M2 Ultra's 32-core Neural Engine. Likewise, its dedicated media engine offers considerable benefits in video editing workflows.
The new Mac Pro can support 8K external displays for the first time. It also has newer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth specifications, as well as two USB-A ports and support for high-impedance headphones.
If you're looking for a high-end, future-proof machine that harnesses the best available performance with Apple silicon, as well as its more modern specifications, it will be worth opting for the new Mac Pro.
...Or Stick With the 2019 Mac Pro?
Not all 2013 or 2019 Mac Pro users should upgrade to the 2023 model. Most notably, the 2019 Mac Pro features an Intel chip. While support for Apple silicon is now much better in professional workflows than it was upon its launch in 2020, some niche applications and legacy software may still work better on an Intel architecture. Likewise, some users may wish to dual-boot Windows via Boot Camp and this is not possible on the new Mac Pro.
If you require support for additional graphics cards, only Intel-based Macs can support this. This means the new Mac Pro's PCIe slots are only useful for things like digital signal processing (DSP) cards, serial digital interface (SDI) I/O cards, additional networking, and built-in storage, so if you need eGPUs, the 2019 Mac Pro is still your best option.
The new Mac Pro maxes out at 192GB of memory. The previous model supported eight times this amount, so if you need vast amounts of memory, the 2019 model is still better for your purposes. Similarly, the 2019 model's memory is user-upgradeable. The 2019 Mac Pro supports four more 4K displays than the 2023 model and it also has four more Thunderbolt ports, which may be important considerations for some users.
Hence, for the right price, the 2019 Mac Pro may still be better for some users. That being said, it is important to bear in mind that Apple has now moved away from Intel-based machines entirely. At some point in the future, Intel-based Macs are likely to lose support for the latest version of macOS, so if you are a user that specifically needs 2019 Mac Pro features like eGPU support or an Intel architecture, the 2019 Mac Pro may only be able to help out for so long and it may be important to look at bigger changes to support your workflow in the long term.
The 2013 Mac Pro only supports updates up to macOS 12 Monterey, meaning it misses out on all of the new features added in macOS Ventura and macOS Sonoma. Those still using the 2013 Mac Pro should definitely consider upgrading, and both the 2019 or 2023 Mac Pro models are viable options. Alternatively, if you have got used to the 2013 Mac Pro's lack of PCIe slots and reliance on wired peripherals, the Mac Studio may be a better option, starting at just $1,999.
Apple's new 15-inch MacBook Air will launch in stores and begin arriving to customers this Tuesday. Ahead of time, the first reviews of the laptop have been shared by select media outlets and YouTube channels, offering a closer look at new features.
The 15-inch MacBook Air is equipped with the same M2 chip as the 13-inch model, and the laptops share the same overall design. Apple says both models even have the same battery life. The 15-inch model's only hardware differences include a larger display/chassis and six speakers, compared to four in the 13-inch model. For a more detailed comparison, read our 13-inch vs. 15-inch MacBook Air Buyer's Guide.
The 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,299, while the 13-inch model now starts at a lower $1,099. However, all 15-inch configurations include a 10-core GPU, while the entry-level 13-inch model is equipped with an 8-core GPU. All 15-inch models also ship with 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter at no additional cost.
But the third big difference is the speakers. The Air 13's speakers are good; the Air 15's are stupendous. Bass came through in a way it doesn't on pretty much any other computer; I was so stunned when I first turned on a bass-heavy song that I thought it must've been coming from a Bluetooth speaker somewhere else.
At its core, the 15-inch MacBook Air is an impressively robust, ultra-portable laptop and a crazily thin one at just 11.5-millimeters. When you consider the price point, though, the $1,299 starting MSRP significantly undercuts the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro by $700 and doesn't compromise a ton on performance.
The battery is rated at 18 hours – same as the 13-inch. In TechCrunch's testing, we got around 19 hours of video playback. While the screen is larger and therefore draws more power, that’s counteracted by an enlarged footprint, creating more space for battery.
CNBC's Kif Leswing said the 15-inch MacBook Air "hits the sweet spot for most people in terms of price, capability, and portability."
If you've hesitated to consider buying a MacBook Air because its screens always seemed a bit too cramped, you now have another option. If you've always wanted a bigger display but didn't want to pay more than $1000 for the privilege, your time is now.
This laptop has literally everything that made the M2 MacBook Air great. It's just bigger. Sometimes, bigger is better.
Apple still plans to launch a more affordable version of its Vision Pro headset by the end of 2025, with the non-Pro model likely to be called "Apple Vision One," or more simply, "Apple Vision," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman reiterated his understanding that Apple is working on a cheaper version of its headset, signaling that it is pursuing a two-product strategy, like it does by offering a standard iPhone and iPhone Pro.
Since the Vision Pro's $3,499 price is thought to be at or near the cost to make it, Gurman speculates that Apple could replace the twin 4K microLED displays and M2 Apple silicon chip with cheaper alternative components, and use fewer cameras.
The company could also go with a simpler headband design with no integrated speakers, requiring wearers to use AirPods for spatial audio instead. However, there are a few things Gurman believes Apple will not compromise on:
"The external screen, known as EyeSight, to show a wearer's eyes, as well as the eye- and hand-tracking system, are as core to the Apple Vision as a touchscreen is to an iPhone. I would expect a cheaper model to keep those features."
Speculating on headset rumors before Apple unveiled Vision Pro, some commentators suggested it would make no sense to add the financial cost of an outward-facing display to the already expensive device and sap its battery life even quicker, but Apple clearly regards the EyeSight feature as a key differentiator from enclosed AR/VR headsets, and the one that allows users to feel like they remain in touch with other people.
Achieving cheaper material costs in other areas, combined with a more streamlined production process, could allow Apple to reduce the price of the headset by several hundred dollars, according to Gurman.
Apple's plan to release a cheaper version of its "spatial computing" headset was first reported in January by The Information and Bloomberg. Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also reported Apple's intention to have a two-tiered headset category lineup by the end of 2025.
Apple-related subreddit /r/apple has gone dark in protest of Reddit's upcoming API pricing changes affecting third-party Reddit apps. The subreddit is now private, meaning that users can no longer view or submit posts, and the moderators behind the community said it will remain that way for the next 48 hours, or potentially longer if necessary.
/r/apple is one of many subreddits that will be going dark over the next few days, alongside /r/videos, /r/gaming, /r/sports, /r/aww, and others. The organized blackout comes after Reddit announced expensive API pricing changes that threaten to put some third-party Reddit apps out of business. Christian Selig, developer of popular Reddit app Apollo, said he would owe Reddit around $20 million per year under the new policy. As a result, Selig announced that Apollo will be shutting down at the end of the month.
Reddit's API provides apps like Apollo with Reddit data like posts and comments, and it has been free to use until now. Selig said it is understandable for Reddit to begin charging for access to the API, but the pricing is prohibitively expensive. Selig also said Reddit provided him with minimal time to prepare for the changes.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman addressed the topic in a Reddit post last week, but his comments were heavily criticized and received thousands of downvotes from Reddit users. Despite backlash from the community, Reddit has yet to reverse course on its plans so far, and the API changes are set to go into effect on July 1 if upheld.
While the new Mac Pro features six available PCI Express expansion slots for audio, video capture, storage, networking, and more, the desktop tower is no longer compatible with graphics cards. Instead, graphics processing is handled entirely by the M2 chip, which includes up to a 76-core GPU that can access up to 192GB of unified memory.
Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus briefly touched on the matter in an interview with Daring Fireball's John Gruber last week, explaining that expandable GPU support for Apple silicon is not something that the company has pursued.
"Fundamentally, we've built our architecture around this shared memory model and that optimization, and so it's not entirely clear to me how you'd bring in another GPU and do so in a way that is optimized for our systems," Ternus told Gruber. "It hasn't been a direction that we wanted to pursue."
Another limitation of the new Mac Pro compared to the Intel-based model is the lack of user-upgradeable RAM, given the unified memory is soldered to the M2 Ultra chip. In addition, the Intel-based model could be configured with up to 1.5TB of RAM, which is 8× as much as the 192GB maximum for the Apple silicon model.
There are certainly advantages to the new Mac Pro and its unified architecture. For example, Apple says the new Mac Pro is up to 3× faster than the Intel-based model for certain real-world workflows like video transcoding and 3D simulations. For video processing, Apple says the new Mac Pro's performance is equivalent to an Intel-based model with seven Afterburner cards. For overall CPU performance, the new Mac Pro's $6,999 base model is up to 2× faster than a 28-core Intel-based Mac Pro, which started at $12,999.
The new Mac Pro is available to order now, and launches in stores on Tuesday. Customers who don't need PCI Express expansion should consider the Mac Studio, which can be configured with the M2 Ultra chip for $3,000 less than the Mac Pro.
Apple is already developing 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models with the M3 chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said he expects the updated laptops to be released in 2024.
The current 13-inch MacBook Air was announced in June 2022, while the 15-inch model was introduced last week. Both models are currently powered by the M2 chip, manufactured based on TSMC's 5nm process. The M3 chip is expected to be built on TSMC's 3nm process, resulting in significant performance and power efficiency improvements. Gurman said the M3 chip should have similar CPU and GPU core counts as the M2 chip.
Priced starting at $1,299, the 15-inch MacBook Air's primary differences compared to the 13-inch model are a larger display and six speakers instead of four. Apple says the laptops have equal battery life, and they share the same overall design. For a more detailed comparison, read our 13-inch vs. 15-inch MacBook Air Buyer's Guide.
Gurman reiterated that new iMac and 13-inch MacBook Pro models with the M3 chip are also in development. He expects the new iMac to launch by early next year with a similar design as the current model from 2021, which still has an M1 chip.
The 15-inch MacBook Air can be ordered now and launches this Tuesday.
Apple at WWDC this week announced a new toolkit that makes it easier for game developers to port Windows games to the Mac. The toolkit provides an emulation environment that allows developers to run their existing, unmodified Windows game on the Mac and quickly evaluate how well the game could run on macOS before writing any code. A beta version of the toolkit is available for download on the Apple Developer website.
Apple is also offering developers a new Metal shader converter that simplifies the process of converting a Windows game's shaders and graphics code to run on Macs with Apple silicon. Apple says the toolkit and converter significantly reduce the total development time required to port games to the Mac, from months to just a few days.
Developers interested in porting Windows games to the Mac can watch Apple's series of "bring your game to Mac" videos for more details. Apple also has a page on its website outlining various gaming technologies and tools available for developers.
Apple appears to be increasing its commitment to high-end gaming on the Mac. For example, macOS Sonoma features a new Game Mode that temporarily prioritizes CPU and GPU performance for gaming. Game Mode also lowers AirPods audio latency, and reduces input latency with popular third-party game controllers by doubling the Bluetooth sampling rate, according to Apple. macOS Sonoma will be released later this year.
The Talk Show Live From WWDC 2023 is now available to watch on YouTube. Daring Fireball's John Gruber discussed the Vision Pro and other WWDC announcements with Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, hardware engineering chief John Ternus, AR/VR chief Mike Rockwell, and marketing chief Greg Joswiak.
The on-stage interview took place on Wednesday at the California Theatre in San Jose, California, and runs for approximately two hours.
The first benchmark results for Apple's new M2 Ultra chip have surfaced on Geekbench 6, providing a closer look at CPU performance improvements. The high-end chip is available in the new Mac Studio and Mac Pro models launching next week.
There is currently some variance in the results, but the Mac Studio with the M2 Ultra chip appears to have single-core and multi-core scores of up to approximately 2,800 and 21,700, respectively. As expected, these scores confirm that the M2 Ultra chip offers up to 20% faster CPU performance compared to the M1 Ultra chip, as Apple advertised. This also means the M2 Ultra is now the fastest chip that Apple has ever released.
Geekbench 6 result for Mac Studio with M2 Ultra chip
More interestingly, the scores reveal that the new Mac Pro should have around 2× faster overall CPU performance than the fastest Intel-based Mac Pro with a 28-core Xeon W processor. This feat is even more impressive given that the new Mac Pro starts at $6,999, while the 28-core Intel-based model started at $12,999, nearly double the price. During its WWDC keynote, Apple said the new Mac Pro is up to 3× faster than the Intel-based model, but that only applies to select "real-world pro workflows like video transcoding and 3D simulation."
The primary reason to consider the Mac Pro over the Mac Studio is for the desktop tower's six available PCIe expansion slots. Otherwise, customers should consider the Mac Studio, as it can be configured with the M2 Ultra for $3,000 less than the Mac Pro. For a more detailed comparison, read our Mac Studio vs. Mac Pro Buyer's Guide.
The new Mac Studio and Mac Pro are available to order now, and will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Tuesday, June 13.
As expected, Apple's WWDC keynote on Monday was jam-packed with announcements, headlined by a first look at the upcoming Vision Pro headset as well as some new Macs and the usual bevy of operating system updates.
Vision Pro will allow you to interact with apps as if they are floating in the air. The headset is powered by an all-new operating system called visionOS, and can be controlled with your eyes and hands. The headset has an Apple Watch-like Digital Crown for switching between virtual reality and augmented reality, along with an external battery pack.
iOS 17 includes many new features, including a StandBy mode while an iPhone is charging in a landscape position, interactive Home Screen widgets, improved autocorrect, a Journal app, swipe to reply in the Messages app, and more.
Apple Introduces New 15-Inch MacBook Air With M2 Chip
The long-rumored 15-inch MacBook Air is finally official. The laptop is powered by the M2 chip and is equipped with six speakers, compared to four in the 13-inch MacBook Air.
Apple is already accepting 15-inch MacBook Air orders, and the laptop will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Tuesday, June 13. Pricing starts at $1,299, and the 13-inch model with the M2 chip now starts at $1,099.
macOS Sonoma Unveiled With Desktop Widgets and More
macOS Sonoma is the name! The latest version of the Mac's operating system will be available later this year and has a handful of new features, including desktop widgets, Apple TV-like screensavers, a new Game Mode, Safari improvements, and more.
macOS Sonoma is currently available in beta for developers, and will likely be released to the public in October like macOS Ventura and macOS Monterey were.
Apple Unveils New Mac Pro With M2 Ultra Chip and More
Apple Announces watchOS 10 With Widgets, Redesigned Apps, and More
Another software platform previewed by Apple this week was watchOS 10, which includes several new features for the Apple Watch, including widgets and redesigned apps that take advantage of Apple Watch models with larger displays like the Ultra.
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
Just after putting an end to multi-household password sharing in the United States, average daily signups to Netflix reached 73k per day, a 102 percent increase from the prior 60-day average. Netflix saw close to 100,000 daily signups on both May 26 and May 27, beating out signups even during COVID lockdown periods.
Netflix did see an increase in subscription cancelation following the policy change, but the number of people canceling did not beat the number of new signups that the company received. Antenna says that the ratio of signups to cancels since May 23 is up 25.6 percent compared to the prior 60-day period.
Average daily Sign-ups to Netflix reached 73k during that period, a +102% increase from the prior 60-day average. These exceed the spikes in Sign-ups Antenna observed during the initial U.S. Covid-19 lockdowns in March and April 2020. https://t.co/2CNU67kQST
— Antenna (@AntennaData) June 9, 2023
According to Netflix, more than 100 million households were sharing accounts, impacting its ability to "invest in and improve Netflix" for paying members. The company said that it expected some cancel reaction in the United States, but based on earlier rollouts in other countries, the policy change would result in acceleration in revenue growth and member base.
Netflix is no longer allowing subscribers to share passwords with people who do not live in the same location. Netflix users are required to establish a primary location, and subscribers who live elsewhere are not able to use the account. There are allowances for travel or second homes, but Netflix is now using IP address and other information to restrict multi-household usage.
Netflix users can pay an additional $7.99 per month to allow one extra member to use a Standard or Premium Netflix account outside of the primary location, and up to two additional people can be added (Premium plan only).
The extra fee provides each person with a profile, personalized recommendations, login, and password. Alternatively, there is a profile transfer process that will allow those who were previously using Netflix for free to make their own paid accounts.
Netflix is priced starting at $6.99 per month for the plan with ads. A basic plan with no ads, access on one device at a time, and 720p HD streaming is priced at $9.99 per month. The Standard Plan with 1080p streaming and access on two devices at one time is priced at $15.49 per month, and the 4K Netflix plan with support for watching on four devices at a time is priced at $19.99 per month.
Note that while the Standard and Premium plans allow for watching on two to four devices at a time, Netflix's new policy is that all of those devices need to be in the same household location.
