During the keynote at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, rumors about a new 15-inch MacBook Air were confirmed with the announcement of the company's latest lightweight laptop. The new model adds two inches to the screen, which means if all you want is a bigger display, you no longer have to pay a premium for a Pro model. The machine runs on Apple's latest M2 chip, has a Liquid Retina display, up to 24GB of RAM and starts at $1,299. Units are available for pre-order now and should ship next week. 

There are plenty of other relatively lightweight laptops with 15-inch screens on the market. Here's how Apple's measures up to two of the more popular ones: the XPS 15 from Dell and ASUS's ZenBook Pro 15.

MacBook Air 15 vs Dell XPS 15 vs ASUS ZenBook 15

Follow all of the news from Apple's WWDC 2023 right here.

Apple has a new diary app landing on iOS devices. Simply called “Journal,” the app is meant to help you keep tabs on daily moments you might want to remember or otherwise reflect on. The app is set to debut later this year following the rollout of iOS 17.

The app’s existence was reported in April by The Wall Street Journal, which compared it to Day One, a journaling app that’s been popular for more than a decade. But Apple’s Journal app could also be much more powerful than the offerings from third-party developers.

In addition to offering a diary-like interface where users can record notes about their day, the app will also allow people to easily keep tabs on their daily activities. Because the app can pull details from other apps, like Messages and Podcasts, it can automatically suggest moments you may want to reflect on.

For example, if you completed a workout using the Fitness app, or listened to a new podcast episode, Journal could remind you of these activities in its “intelligently curated” writing prompts and suggestions. Or if you took a trip to the beach, Journal could automatically pull in any related photos similar to the “memory” collages created in the Photos app.

The company also plans to offer an API for developers who want to tie their apps into Journal’s curated suggestions. Those kinds of integrations between apps could prompt privacy concerns, but the company said it created the app with users’ privacy in mind. The app is end-to-end encrypted, with all information stored locally on users’ devices. Users can also control which apps will have details appear in Journal’s suggestions.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Follow all of the news from Apple's WWDC 2023 right here.

Apple confirmed at its WWDC conference today that its largest and most powerful desktop will be receiving a few upgrades, including the M2 Ultra chip. While it's been through several aesthetic variations over the years, including the maligned "trashcan" model, for better or worse though, the Mac Pro will look identical to its cheese grater-like predecessor from 2019. This version, however, will support positioning as either a tower or a rack-mount. 

Other lines of Mac products have moved away from using third-party silicon, and now the hulking Mac Pro joins them. It's former Intel Xeon W setup has been replaced with the aforementioned M2 Ultra. As was rumored, the decision develop a specialized M2 Extreme chip was shelved due to cost and technical difficulty. The Mac Pro will now come stocked with a 24-core CPU and up to a 76-core GPU. 

Once again though, the Mac Pro will cost a small fortune: $6,999 to start. That remains an unfathomable and likely prohibitive sum for most customers, but considering the prior model was just $1,000 cheaper and nearly everything else on earth seems to cost a lot more since 2019, it could be worse. Someone who is good at the economy please explain any of this to me. 

The Mac Pro can be ordered today, and will become available starting on June 13.

Developing...

Apple has introduced iOS 17, and some of its most important changes revolve around fundamental apps. Incoming calls can now include custom posters for certain contacts, and you'll get Google-style live transcripts. Messages, meanwhile, offers easier replies, audio message transcripts, in-line location info and a "check in" that automatically lets people know if you've arrived or are delayed. There's a revamped sticker interface that lets you turn emojis into stickers, add effects and even add stickers to third-party apps.

Sharing is easier, too. NameDrop lets you share contact details just by bringing your iPhone close to someone else's device. You can share photos that way, too, and leave AirDrop transferring content even when you have to step away. A developer framework will expand access to sharing in other apps, too.

Even typing is better. New AI modelling improves keyboard autocorrection, and you'll see in-line predictions for what you're writing. If there's an unfamiliar word, iOS 17 will recognize it over time.

And yes, rumors of a life journaling app are true. The new Journal app lets document how you're feeling, complete with suggestions for writing prompts based on events like trips. Developers can tap into these suggestions.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Follow all of the news from Apple's WWDC 2023 right here.

Apple unveiled the second-generation Mac Studio at its WWDC 2023 keynote. The pro-tier workstation runs on the new M2 Max or M2 Ultra chips and starts at $1,999.

The new Mac Studio is still akin to a “Mac mini Pro,” positioned as a larger and significantly more powerful version of Apple’s budget desktop. But the updated version now has the M2 Max’s or M2 Ultra’s extra horsepower to excel even more at demanding tasks like 8K video-editing, 3D modeling or music production.

Apple says the M2 Max version is up to 50 percent faster than the first-gen Mac Studio and four times faster than the most powerful Intel-based 27-inch iMac. In addition, the company says the M2 Max can render up to 50 percent faster in After Effects, while developers can code up to 25 percent faster in Xcode. It has a 12-core CPU, 38-core GPU and up to 96GB of memory while supporting up to 400 GB/s bandwidth.

Apple

Meanwhile, the M2 Ultra variant “delivers twice the performance and capabilities” of the M2 Max. The M2 Ultra Mac Studio is “up to three times faster” than the M1 Ultra variant from 2022, and it can run up to six times faster than the highest-end 27-inch Intel iMac. It has a 24-core CPU, up to a 76-core GPU, and supports a maximum of 192GB of RAM with 800GB/s unified memory bandwidth.

Apple will open preorders for the new Mac Studio today. The machine is scheduled to ship next week.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Follow all of the news from Apple's WWDC 2023 right here.

We're only two and a half years into Apple's transition to its homegrown CPUs, but things have advanced reasonably quickly. Today the company unveiled the M2 Ultra which is powering the latest refresh to its MacStudio line of desktops. While previous versions of the M2 have been found exclusively in laptops, Apple was able to take brakes off with the Ultra version and claim some serious jumps in performance. It's literally two M2 Max chips stuck together.

Even if we ignore Apple's bold claims of a TK% performance increase, on paper the M2 Ultra is huge leap from the M2 Max found in the MacBook Pro. Core count has doubled from 12 to 24, GPU cores double with up to 76 available on the high-end model, and RAM support jumps from 96GB to 192. Granted, almost no one needs that much RAM, but it's nice to know it's an option. Considering the M1 was limited to just 16GB of unified memory when it launched in November of 2020, this is a massive improvement.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Follow all of the news from Apple's WWDC 2023 right here.

Apple's long-rumored 15-inch MacBook Air is finally a reality. As expected, the new laptop is extremely similar to the redesigned 13-inch version that Apple announced at WWDC one year ago — just a bit bigger. This marks the first time Apple has released a laptop with a screen this size that wasn't part of its "pro" lineup of devices, whether we're talking about the MacBook Pro or its predecessor, the PowerBook.

As expected, the 15.3-inch MacBook Air is using the same M2 chip as the smaller model, a processor that was also unveiled about a year ago. Despite its age, we don't have any immediate misgivings about the choice, given how well it performs on the 13-inch MacBook Air.

Design-wise, it’s unsurprisingly similar to all the other laptops Apple has released recently, with a squared-off design rather than the old wedge that the Air was previously known for. It also has the same controversial notch in the display for the 1080p webcam.

Apple says that the MacBook Air delivers 18-hour battery life and is only about 3.3 pounds in weight. Like the 13-inch model, it doesn't have a fan.

The 15-inch Air will ship in the same four colors (or shades of gray, depending on who you’re asking) as the smaller laptop: Midnight, Space Gray, Starlight and Silver. The laptop starts at $1,299 and will be up for pre-order today. It’ll be available in stores starting next week. We're still waiting to see how much RAM and storage the different Air models come with and will update this post when we have more details. 

At the same time, Apple cut the price on the two existing 13-inch MacBook Air models. The M2 MacBook Air now costs $1,099 instead of $1,199, while the M1 model starts at $999.

Rumors about this device picked up last year — just after WWDC 2022, Bloomberg reported that a 15-inch Air was in the works for 2023. And then just a few months ago, developer logs were shared with the publication that showed Apple was testing a new device for compatibility with third-party App Store apps. The device in question had specs similar to the 13-inch Air, but was identified in these developer logs as a "Mac 15,3." 

While the rumors of a 15-inch MacBook Air have been a lot more concrete in the last year, they've existed for almost as long as the MacBook Air lineup itself. For a fun trip down memory lane, check out this sketchy rumor report from way back in 2009.

Follow all of the news from Apple's WWDC 2023 right here.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is acting on concerns crypto giant Binance may have broken the law with its US operations. The regulator has filed 13 charges against Binance and founder Changpeng Zhao accusing the two of violating securities laws. Most notably, officials claim Binance knowingly undermined its own international compliance controls to help US investors keep trading on Binance.com when they were only supposed to rely on the separate Binance.US system. Zhao and his company also controlled Binance.US "behind the scenes," the SEC alleges.

The Commission also maintains that Binance and Zhao mixed and diverted customers' assets at will, including with the Zhao-owned Sigma Chain. The company and its US affiliate are further accused of running unregistered exchanges, broker-dealers and clearing agencies, with Zhao serving as the control. They also allegedly sold unregistered crypto assets, the SEC adds.

The SEC aims to not only force Binance to comply with the law, but to bar Zhao from helming any domestic securities issuers. It also wants the company to disgorge its financial gains from the alleged violations, and to pay additional penalties.

We've asked Binance for comment. Reuters investigators reported that Binance commingled $20 million from a corporate account with $15 million for a customer-oriented example. The company denied the allegation, saying that the relevant accounts were only used to "facilitate" cryptocurrency purchases and that the funds were exclusively corporate.

The SEC allegations come a few months after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed its own charges against Binance and Zhao. It too accused the crypto firm of skirting US regulations and offering unregistered crypto assets. Unlike the SEC, the CFTC charged former compliance officer Samuel Lim.

The action against Binance is the latest phase in a broader crackdown against the crypto industry. FTX and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried are facing numerous charges over alleged fraud and bribery. New York State has sued former Celsius chief Alex Mashinsky over purported fraud, while the SEC has charged Terraform Labs with running a "multi-billion dollar" fradulent operation. Combine this with Congress' efforts to shape crypto policy and there's intense pressure on crypto exchanges to alter their practices.

Apple is slated to hold its annual Worldwide Developer Conference today, and based on the rumors and leaks we've seen, it's shaping up to be a monumental year. The industry is expecting the company to launch its first mixed reality headset, along with a new platform that powers VR or AR applications, as well as the usual suspects like updates to iOS, macOS, watchOS and more. In addition, there might be new Mac hardware and we never know what surprises might be in store. Will there be a Ted Lasso reveal? Or maybe new Fitness+ updates or a celebrity appearance? I guess we'll just have to wait till find out. The show kicks off at 1pm ET/10am PT, and we'll be starting to publish updates at 12pm ET, so stay tuned!

Reddit's potential threat to third-party apps is prompting a high-profile protest. Dozens of subreddits, including major examples like Earthporn, LifeProTips, ReactionGIFs and Videos, have declared they're "going dark" (that is, going private) starting June 12th in response to an API pricing increase they believe will shut out third-party clients. Some will resume public access after 48 hours, but others will "permanently" isolate themselves until Reddit addresses their concerns.

The protesters are also calling on users to message Reddit administrators, leave negative app reviews and boycott the social site. At the same time, they want participants to be "restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding" — threats and other rude behavior won't win people over, according to the organizers.

We've asked Reddit for comment. Christian Selig, the creator of popular client Apollo, says the API pricing would cost him $20 million per year. The developers of other apps, such as Narwhal and Reddit is Fun, have also warned that they can't afford the new prices and will likely shut down soon as a result. In the past, Reddit maintained that its pricing is "as equitable as possible" and that it was working to improve the efficiency of apps and reduce their costs.

As The Vergeexplains, moderators are as worried about the price change as users. Third-party Reddit apps frequently include customizations and other features that don't make their way into the official app, including moderator tools that help keep subreddits in check. Developers also fear the new API structure would prevent displaying not-safe-for-work content and limit ads that are key to making revenue.

This isn't the first time Reddit communities have fenced themselves off in protest. In 2015, the IAmA subreddit went private in objection to the sudden firing of communications director Victoria Taylor. In 2021, dozens of subreddits made a similar move to draw attention to COVID-19 misinformation that was allowed to spread on the platform. Reddit's responses have been mixed. It banned one community and quarantined 54 others after the misinformation protest, but those actions were for abuse rather than the disputed content.

Reddit's decision comes a few months after Twitter banned third-party apps and severely limited free API access. In both cases, the strategies effectively force users to rely on official apps, where companies can control more of the experience and generate more money from ads and (in Twitter's case) subscriptions. The fear, as you might guess, is that this leads to a stagnant platform where outsiders can't improve on the core formula.