Ghost Bike is dead; long live Wheel World. The scenic cycling adventure from the creators of Nidhogg was revealed in 2023 with a darker storyline. After design pivots to “make it more fun to play” (always a good idea!), the new naming convention matches its lighter tone. Initially slated for this year, the Annapurna-published game will now arrive in early 2025.
Wheel World is developer Messhof’s first 3D game and its first with a big team. The studio made its bones with Nidhogg, a side-scrolling sword-fighting game with old-school Atari-style graphics. With Wheel World, the team shifts gears (sorry) to a gorgeous cel-shaded art style. Unlike Messhof’s previous titles, this one will have a narrative — with characters and dialog boxes!
Messhof explained its rebranding in a press release. “[Ghost Bike] was a game about dying on a bike after being hit by a car and ending up in a cycling valhalla,” Messhof’s Mak Essen and Kristy Norindr wrote. “While it wasn’t directly based on real world ghost bikes (those white bikes memorializing cyclists killed by drivers), there was enough overlap to feel like the name was justified and the associations would be a positive one from both directions. But as things changed in the gameplay (to make it more fun to play), and thus the story (especially in tone) it fit less and less.” Wheel World, it is.
Messhof / Annapurna
You play as Kat, a young cyclist determined to “save Wheel World from total collapse.” Its gameplay combines racing, bike upgrades, recovering stolen parts and ultimately performing “The Great Shift ritual” to save the world.
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The trailer also showcases a roaming mode for times when you want a relaxing gaming experience. An original soundtrack from the electronic label Italians Do It Better helps you chill out while cruising the beautifully cel-shaded countryside.
When it arrives in early 2025, Wheel World will be on Game Pass on day one. In addition to the Xbox Series X/S, it will also be available on PS5 and PC.
Choosing the right music streaming service can feel overwhelming given the many options vying for your attention. Spotify and YouTube Music are two of the biggest players, boasting massive libraries of over 100 million songs each and offering similar plans, from free ad-supported versions to premium tiers with extra perks. But which one comes out on top?
Spotify has earned its place as the world’s most popular music streaming service, and for good reason. It provides a polished user experience, boasts a vast music catalog, and offers additional content like podcasts and audiobooks. Spotify also edges out YouTube Music in regard to audio quality by delivering a slightly richer listening experience, although neither have yet to offer their music streams in hi-resolution or lossless quality.
YouTube Music, on the other hand, is deeply integrated with Google’s ecosystem. This is a major advantage for users already invested in Google services, as it allows for seamless transitions between apps and devices. Imagine effortlessly switching from listening to music on your phone to your Google Home speaker. Plus, YouTube Music leverages its video platform to offer a unique advantage: access to music videos, live performances, and rare remixes you won’t find anywhere else.
While Spotify might seem the obvious choice, YouTube Music offers compelling features that make it a serious contender. To make the best decision for your needs, it’s crucial to delve deeper into each platform’s specifics while considering factors like music discovery features, user interface, social sharing capabilities, and offline listening options.
Launched in 2008, Spotify has had some time to get good at building a friendly user interface, and it continues to be one of the best. Spotify is available in various ways, including via a web browser and through mobile and desktop apps for iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, and Kindle. It’s harder to think of ways Spotify can’t be accessed. It’s compatible with many smartwatches and network speakers like Sonos, available in the car via CarPlay and Android Auto, on gaming consoles, smart TVs, and streaming devices such as Apple TV and Roku.
The UI has changed several times and continues to do so. But at its core, it’s separated into three main areas. Home is the hub of everything, with tabs for music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Its scrolling design combines recently played songs with suggested mixes and new releases (more below). Here, you can also access features such as Spotify’s new AI radio station-like feature called DJ and its new TikTok/Instagram-like interface that brings in animated album artwork, video clips, previews of songs, playlists, podcasts, and more in an excellent visual way. Your library organizes all your created, saved, and downloaded playlists, songs, albums, artists, podcasts, and more. Lastly, search is just that: a search field for finding what you’re looking for, but it also lists your recent searches, which is handy for going back to.
The Spotify interface’s web and desktop versions are similar. Since the YouTube Music app has no desktop version (just the web player), the Spotify app is superior if the desktop is your main usage point.
YouTube Music’s UI is similar to Spotify’s in that it is well-designed, visually appealing, and utilizes a scrolling architecture. While YouTube Music can be accessed in several ways, it’s not quite as broad as Spotify, but it still casts a wide net. Tied into a user’s Google account, the dedicated YouTube Music app is available for iOS and Android devices (including CarPlay and Android Auto), compatible smartwatches, Sonos speakers, and Chromecast. Its web player can be accessed through any browser or the smart TV YouTube app. You can also cast the web player to other compatible devices from the web player or apps for another level of convenience.
Whether you’re using YouTube Music’s app or the web player, the UI is broken into several main sections, just like Spotify. Along the bottom (or top in a web browser), you’ll find the Home section, an array of usage-based content, including your top artists, mixes, radio streams, playlists, new releases, trending music, and more. Explore is a more focused section of new releases, charts, and trending songs that you can parse out by mood and genre if desired. Like in Spotify, the library is where all your playlists and liked songs, albums, and artists can be found. There’s also a search magnifying glass icon up top, where you’ll find your familiar Google user and cast icons.
Spotify and YouTube Music have very similar UI designs and offer many of the same organization and discovery tools. However, with Spotify, you feel like the well is much deeper, as the app gives you seemingly endless suggestions and categorizations in more visually appealing and creative ways. Plus, it nudges ahead of YouTube Music with slightly more connectivity options.
Today, many music streaming services offer vast music libraries with over 100 million tracks, including Spotify and YouTube Music. Therefore, the number of tracks is no longer a key deciding factor when choosing between these services. Let’s examine other aspects that differentiate them.
Spotify’s vast library is just the beginning of its offerings. With over five million titles in its podcast library, it has become a leader in the realm, and it now offers audiobooks as well.
However, Spotify excels in the numerous ways users can find and discover its content. It has pioneered many of these features. The “Made for [your name here]” category is a constantly changing space for users who prefer to let the algorithm do the work. Playlists like Discover Weekly, Daily Mixes, and Release Radar are go-to’s when you don’t have a particular album or artist in mind. You can also find endless mixes, playlists, and radio station recommendations that are auto-generated based on your most listened-to genres, moods, and artists. New episodes of your favorite podcasts and audiobooks are front and center.
In the Search section, you can browse through categories such as “Made for You,” “Spotify Classics,” “Live Events,” “Charts,” and “Decades.” Like TikTok and Instagram stories, you can also scroll through videos and music previews. Spotify frequently adds discovery features, although some of them are hit-and-miss, such as the AI DJ feature that creates a radio station hosted by an AI version of Xavier “X” Jernigan.
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However, it’s nice that Spotify always adds new things. Smart Shuffle and Daylists are relatively new features. Smart Shuffle optimizes song order, while Daylists offer a constantly refreshing feed of music recommendations. Additionally, it just brought its new AI Playlist creation feature to the U.S. and Canada in September, 2024, allowing you to use text prompts to create playlists. This is just a fraction of what you can find on the platform.
YouTube Music’s library is just as vast as Spotify’s, with almost everything you can think of at your fingertips. And while it’s not doing the audiobook thing yet, just last year, the service started adding podcasts to the platform’s home screen for U.S. users only now. But how does YouTube Music stack up against Spotify in terms of finding things to play? Like every streaming service, the more you use it, the more it learns your tastes and makes better suggestions.
And while the Home section does deliver some great generated playlists like its ever-evolving Discover Mix, the excellent My Super Mix, a New Release Mix, and a load of “Similar To” lists based on artists you might like, it’s just not as vast as Spotify’s. The Explore section does a decent job at offering up new albums and singles, trending tracks, and mood and genre-based music, and the integration of YouTube videos adds a unique element. But overall, it’s hard to compete with Spotify’s experience with discovery — it just feels like you’re getting more, especially when you consider they’re priced almost the same.
Spotify and YouTube Music share many of the same basic features and functions, including everything from how you play, pause, shuffle, and skip tracks to adding things to your library and liking things to help organize what you’re listening to. Both services even offer lyrics when available and easily connect to speakers and devices in your home. The play window is more or less the same, displaying album art and very similar options in the dropdown menus, including the ability to download (more on premium tiers in a bit), share, launch “radio” stations based on your selection, view the artist or album, create playlists, and more. Spotify does offer the option of creating collaborative playlists with friends, and even though YouTube Music does offer its year-end Recap, it pales in comparison to the frivolity of Spotify’s highly anticipated Wrapped event. Still, we don’t think that’s a deal breaker. Functionally, both Spotify and YouTube Music are very similar.
We’ve pitted Spotify and YouTube Music against each other for many reasons. Still, one of the main ones is that they are among the only music streaming services that have yet to offer an option or plan tier for lossless or high-resolution (hi-res) formats like competitors such as Tidal, Apple Music, and Amazon Music Unlimited do. Spotify has long teased a hi-fi option but has yet to deliver, and so far, YouTube Music hasn’t mentioned it. In the meantime, these two services remain very similar in their sound quality offerings.
Technically speaking, Spotify offers better sound quality than YouTube Music. For their free versions, YouTube Music’s maximum streaming quality is 128kbp, while Spotify’s is 160kbps (it maxes out at 128kbps if using the web player).
Graduating to the premium tiers of both services, if playing Spotify Premium in the browser with the web player, you get 256kbps. Using Spotify’s apps, you get a range from 24kbps to its peak at 320kbps. YouTube Music Premium is the same no matter where it’s played, ranging from 48kbps to its peak at 256kbps.
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So, which one is better? On paper, Spotify. But unless you’re an audiophile (in which case you’s be considering a service like Tidal or Qobuz), most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference or wouldn’t care. Spotify wins on a technicality.
This brings us to the exciting conclusion: price. To start, both Spotify and YouTube Music offer free tiers of their services that give you access to their entire libraries. Still, you’ll have to contend with ads popping up between songs, and you can’t download anything for offline listening. Spotify’s free tier only lets you listen to music on shuffle, except for certain playlists, and you can only skip six tracks per hour. Spotify has a range of premium plans that unlock all of these restrictions, allowing for downloads, doing away with the ads, and letting you have the whole experience.
Spotify’s Premium plans include:
Individual: $12 per month
Duo: $17 per month (good for couples or two people in the same household)
Family: $20 per month (for up to 6 accounts)
Student: $6 per month
YouTube Music free lets you skip tracks as many times as you like after 5 seconds, but the ads are arguably worse and more intrusive than on Spotify. Happily, though, the YouTube Music app now lets you play music in the background when your lock screen is active or when you’re using other apps, a feature that wasn’t possible before. Upgrading to YouTube Music Premium, as with Spotify, removes all the ads, allows downloads, and gives you full-service features. Plans include:
Individual: $11 per month (or $3 more per month with a YouTube Premium membership)
Family: $17 per month (or $6 more per month with a YouTube Premium membership)
Student: $5.50 per month (or $2.50 more per month with a YouTube Premium membership)
Spotify and YouTube Music are pretty equally matched in their pricing, with their Individual plans coming in at under just over $10. So, we’re calling this one a tie because while Spotify offers an additional convenient Duo tier for that demographic, YouTube Premium customers get to leverage their memberships to get a great add-on, which is something Spotify can’t offer.
Spotify is the world’s most popular music streaming service, with over 600 million users, 236 million of whom are paying subscribers. While YouTube Music and YouTube Premium have over 100 million subscribers, a good number, it is still not enough to beat Spotify’s beautifully designed big green wall of music discovery, podcasts, and new features.
Although YouTube Music and Spotify have comparable library sizes and music quality, Spotify’s experience is more refined and offers more extras for the same price. If you are already a YouTube Premium subscriber, adding music for a few extra dollars is a good idea. However, if you do not care about the flashier UI or podcasts, YouTube Music might be more suitable for you.
Razer makes a plethora of peripherals for gaming PCs and consoles and it’s one of the most popular gaming brands on the planet, so when it releases something like the Viper Mini Signature Edition gaming mouse, which now comes in White, you can expect it’ll be a hot-ticket item that won’t be available for long. With the original Viper Mini Signature Edition, availability was hyper-limited as Razer only made so many of them.
This limited availability was amplified by the method Razer used for release, which was a series of drops that would offer a small number of units of the mouse at a time. If you weren’t able to score the original version that came in Black, you might have better luck with Razer’s new White model. The company officially announced the color on October 17, and it’ll be available for pre-order starting next week.
The Razer Viper Mini Signature Edition in White is available for pre-order on Oct. 21
As mentioned this new White model of the mouse will be limited, so you’ll want to act fast if you want one for yourself.
Razer says there will only be 13,337 units, which isn’t a lot compared to all of its non-limited accessories. That being said, the original only had 1,337 made. There are quite a few more of this White model, and that means better chances. Razer does confirm that it will be released using the same drop method. The first drop will begin on October 21 at 8AM Pacific Standard Time. So, get some rest the night before and up early ready to buy if you’re looking to snag one of these.
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That being said, there will be more drops. So if you miss out on the first one, try your hand at the others. This will also be a Razer exclusive. Worth mentioning is that this is the same release day for the Analogue 3D, at the same time no less. If you want one of those as well, you will have to be quick.
The mouse retails for $299.99
Razer’s peripherals often lean towards the pricier side of the spectrum, and that isn’t changing here. It’s Razer’s most expensive mouse, and part of that is due to the materials used. The Viper Mini Signature Edition in White uses the same Magnesium Alloy Exoskeleton shell. It also uses the same Corning Gorilla Glass 3 mouse feet. And to top the whole thing off, Razer serves the mouse up on a platter with its swanky leather box.
The mouse also comes with some alcohol prep pads for applying the included Razer Grip Tape, a matching White Razer HyperPolling wireless dongle, a USB-A to USB-C cable, extra mouse feet, and a microfiber cloth. The mouse weighs a strikingly light 49 grams. So it’s perfect for anyone who prefers ultralight gaming mice. Additionally, it features true 8,000Hz polling. As well as a 30K optical sensor and Razer optical switches.
YouTube is testing a revamp of its Premium Lite subscription tier. User made the rounds on social media this week, and today a Google rep later confirmed to multiple other outlets that the plan is being tested in Australia, Germany and Thailand. This new version would have “limited ads,” which the fine print describes as most videos being ad-free, “but you may see video ads on music content and Shorts, and non-interruptive ads when you search and browse.”
The original Premium Lite subscription began in Europe in 2021, but it only lasted a few years, with the video platform the option in October 2023. The plan’s only benefit was removing all ads; it didn’t offer the offline or background viewing options of the regular Premium offering.
We were able to confirm that the pricing model in Australia is $9 a month for Premium Lite, compared with $17 a month for full Premium access. That’s in line with the costs from the original Lite, which were about half the rate of a regular plan. With the current costs of a YouTube subscription — for an individual or for the family option — having a mid-tier choice could certainly be appealing.
Remedy drew back the curtain on its multiplayer title, formerly codenamed Condor, at today’s Xbox Partner Preview event. FBC Firebreak is a first-person shooter, set in the same location as Remedy’s single-player hit Control, but is not, the studio insists, a sequel. Firebreak is Remedy’s first venture into the world of multiplayer, and the studio plans to launch it on PC and Xbox Series X/S sometime in 2025.
The trailer shows some of FBC Firebreak’s gameplay: It’s a horde mode shooter with co-op for up to three players. The player characters are first responders at the Federal Bureau of Control, who are called upon to handle the supernatural threats that crop up within The Old House, the FBC’s eldritch office space. FBC Firebreak loses some of Control’s visceral horror elements, opting instead for brighter colors and more action-style gameplay.
FBC Firebreak does integrate some elements of the Old House shown in Control into its own gameplay — for example, players can obtain Altered Items, Control’s mysterious objects of power, in order to clear out the hordes. Game director Mike Kayatta told Xbox Wire, “[You] will see more of Control’s world. More of the Federal Bureau of Control. Meet more of the people who work there. Explore more of the Oldest House. Run into more weird stuff. And importantly, experience this world, old and new, from a completely different perspective.”
Remedy teased a multiplayer spin-off for Control in 2021, with 505 Games publishing at the time. Remedy has since acquired the rights to Control and its sequels and spin-offs from 505 Games earlier this year for $18 million. The company told investors at the time that it was seeking potential partners for Control 2 and Condor — the former of which is still in development. In addition to Firebreak, Remedy also showed a gameplay trailer for its upcoming expansion of Alan Wake 2, called The Lake House.
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Navigating the complex decision of when to sell a startup or keep pushing forward is one of the toughest challenges founders face. In an era where IPOs are frequently delayed and acquisition offers arrive earlier, determining the right moment to either cash out or stay independent is increasingly nuanced. We’re excited to welcome three distinguished leaders to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. Each of them brings a unique perspective to this issue.
Join us on the Builders Stage as Naveen Rao, Databricks VP of generative AI; Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan, head of Data Clean Rooms at Snowflake; and Dharmesh Thakker, Battery Ventures general partner dive into a discussion on these high-stakes decisions, blending real-world stories with strategic advice. They’ll offer critical advice for knowing when to sell and when to stick with a vision.
Meet the speakers
Naveen Rao, vice president of generative AI at Databricks
Naveen Rao has twice led companies to successful exits, first with Nervana Systems and then with MosaicML. His deep experience in AI and large-scale model development, paired with his strategic choices around acquisition, will offer a sharp view into how tech founders can balance market timing and innovation longevity.
Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan, head of Data Clean Rooms at Snowflake
Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan knows firsthand the complexities of scaling a data-focused startup and integrating it post-acquisition. As a repeat founder who led Samooha to a successful acquisition by Snowflake, and previously led Drawbridge to LinkedIn, her insights into navigating growth and partnerships make her an invaluable voice for those considering the trade-offs between independence and acquisition.
Dharmesh Thakker brings the investor’s lens to the conversation. Having backed numerous successful startups through early-stage and growth, including Databricks and Postman, Dharmesh has seen firsthand the market conditions that encourage founders to hold or fold. His experience across cloud, AI, and security startups will provide actionable takeaways for founders weighing their exit strategies.
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Join the discussion on scaling your startup
This conversation promises to be a can’t-miss opportunity for founders and entrepreneurs trying to make sense of today’s startup landscape. Join us and the 10,000 tech, startup, and VC leaders attending Disrupt 2024 to gain a clearer sense of how to navigate one of the most important decisions a founder will face — and don’t miss your chance to engage with these experts.
Tickets are going fast, so secure yours today for a front-row seat to this crucial dialogue, only happening at Disrupt 2024, October 28-30, at Moscone West in San Francisco. Secure your pass before prices go up at the door.
Apple currently sells MacBooks equipped with its own M-series chips in a wide range of sizes and price points. It recently discontinued the M1 MacBook Air to make room for the M3 Air, but some retailers are still selling the last-gen laptop starting at $649 — a far cry from the $2,499 starting price of the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro. Purchasing a new MacBook can certainly be a pricey endeavor, but thankfully, finding a deal on a current M3-based model is actually not that difficult.
Although Macs may not experience perpetual discounts, it’s not uncommon to see various models discounted by as much as $400. Alternatively, purchasing refurbished options directly from Apple is another way to save money without waiting for the changing deal winds to blow your way. It’s also the only option to find certain SKUs of older models as Apple continues to move forward on newer releases. Apple’s refurbished store provides a one-year warranty on all products and generally offers discounts of up to 15 to 20 percent off the price of a new unit.
But if you want to buy new and you’re looking to save whatever you can, here are the best MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini deals available.
The best MacBook Air deals
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M1 MacBook Air
TheM1 MacBook Air was considered Apple’s entry-level laptop before the M3 model’s arrival prompted Apple to stop selling it directly in its online and brick-and-mortar stores. But while the redesigned M2 version of the MacBook Air (which has been with us for a while as well) seems poised to take over as the top value choice, the 2020 version with an M1 processor and fanless design remains available at some retailers as a solid budget option. It’s best suited for typical productivity work, with a comfortable keyboard, an excellent trackpad, and all-day battery life. For many people, the M1 Air still ticks the right boxes when it comes to performance and price, even if it’s long enough in the tooth to have been fully dethroned in our guide to the best laptops.
The base MacBook Air with the M1 chip comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It’s becoming harder to find in new condition, but Walmart has committed to keeping it around for the foreseeable future and is currently discounting it to $649 ($350 off) — a special sale price that’s hung around since the retailer ran its counter-Prime Day promotions in July. The M1 Air may be a few years old now, but it’s still hard to beat in terms of value, especially when it comes to everyday performance and battery life.
The 2020 MacBook Air has been discontinued but remains a great value and is still easy to find on sale at some retailers. It comes outfitted with the company’s M1 chip in one of three different colors (silver, space gray, and gold).
M2 MacBook Air
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As for the 13-inch MacBook Air with M2 chip from 2022, it may be on its way out, as availability for the 15-inch version is waning. But, outside of opting for the newer M3 models (see further below), you can at least get the base 13-inch M2 model with 256GB of storage and an eight-core GPU at Amazon and B&H Photo for $899 ($100 off). The model with 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, meanwhile, is available for as low as $1,049 ($150 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo, which is a pretty good price for one of the step-up models.
Surprisingly, Best Buy is also still selling the 15-inch MacBook Air M2 in its base 8GB / 256GB configuration for $1,099 ($200 off).
The M2 MacBook Air is a super slim, lightweight laptop with a 1080p webcam and a handy magnetic charger that frees up one of its two USB-C ports. Although its M2 processor didn’t kick-start a revolution like the M1 generation, it’s a great performer for any user, including more demanding creatives.
It does have some slight downsides, though, including slower storage in the base 256GB configuration and a notch cutout in its otherwise excellent screen. But even so, Apple hasn’t offered a more travel-friendly laptop since the days of the polarizing 12-inch MacBook, and this prior-gen model was once good enough to top our list of the best laptops.
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The 2022 MacBook Air is a thin, lightweight device powered by Apple’s M2 chip. The M2 model touts an improved 1080p webcam and a better display than its predecessor while retaining features like long battery life and MagSafe charging.
M3 MacBook Air
The M1 Air and its wedge had to perish for the M3 MacBook Air to exist. Apple’s updated entry-level laptops arrived in both 13- and 15-inch variants simultaneously this time, bringing with them slightly faster performance and a slate of minor upgrades. Apple added Wi-Fi 6E, for one, along with an additional Thunderbolt port that allows you to use two external displays when the lid is closed. They also continue to offer 18 hours of battery life and a MagSafe charging port, though the M3 Air starts at a slightly higher price than its predecessor at $1,099.
Thankfully, the base MacBook Air 13 is currently on sale at Amazon and B&H Photo with an M3 chip, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $999 ($100 off), matching its second-best price to date. You can also find a discount on the 8GB RAM / 512GB SSD model, which drops it to $1,199 (also $200 off) in select colors at Amazon and B&H Photo. An upgraded 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD configuration is also on sale for $1,349 ($150 off) at Amazon.
As for the 15-inch Air, the base 8GB / 256GB model is available starting at$1,199 ($100 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo. You can also get it in 8GB / 512GB configuration for $1,399 ($100 off) at Amazon. If you can spring for the upgraded model with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, it’s an easy recommendation that should treat you better in the long haul, one that’s currently available for $1,549 ($150 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo.
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The MacBook Air M3 is a jack-of-all-trades, with a balanced combination of performance and power efficiency. It also now supports dual displays with the lid closed, and the storage speed is noticeably faster. You don’t need to think about if this laptop will meet your needs — it just will. Read our review.
The 15-inch MacBook Air is also equipped with Apple’s M3 chip. It features a larger display and better speaker array than the 13-inch MacBook Air M3. Read our review.
The best MacBook Pro deals
During its “Scary Fast” event last year, Apple announced new MacBook Pros that use M3 processors — including a new 14-inch model that replaced the 13-inch M2 model. That means the Touch Bar Mac is finally dead, replaced by Apple’s new M3-based MacBooks. According to rumors, Apple may introduce new M4-based MacBook Pro models later this month, but there’s no telling when we’ll see the first discounts on them. Thankfully, the current M3 models are relatively easy to find on sale.
M3 and M3 Pro MacBook Pro
The entry point into the MacBook Pro world is a MagSafe-equipped MacBook Pro that uses the existing 14-inch design and slightly pares it down. The 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro has the same 3024 x 1964 resolution display and 120Hz refresh rate as its pricier siblings, and in addition to a MagSafe charging port, it has an SD card slot and HDMI port. However, it starts with just 8GB of RAM and lacks the third USB-C / Thunderbolt port found on the M3 Pro and M3 Max models (as well as Thunderbolt 4 speeds).
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The M3 MacBook Pro may be a bit of an odd middle child in some ways, but it’s still a very good laptop — especially if you can find a deal that puts more price distance between the M3 model and the M3 Pro version. Fortunately, the base model with 512GB of storage and 8GB of RAM is currently on sale for its all-time low of $1,299 ($300 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The step-up configuration with 1TB of storage is also on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for $1,499 ($300 off), matching the lowest price we’ve seen.
Apple’s new entry-level model for the MacBook Pro line is now a 14-inch laptop powered by the new base M3 processor. It uses a similar design to the pricier 14-inch MacBook Pro with Apple’s Pro- / Max-series chips but is offered at a lower price with the similar ports and less RAM.
The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros of late 2023 are another round of spec-bump models, much like their previous 2022 incarnations. Now starting with the M3 Pro chip (or the speedier M3 Max) and 18GB of base RAM instead of 16GB, the new models remain targeted at creatives doing content work like video editing, photo processing, and other graphical work. Like their predecessors and the M1 Pro generation before that, they offer MagSafe charging, three USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI-out, and a full-size SD card slot, with prices starting at $1,999 for the 14-inch and $2,499 for the 16-inch. You can, of course, spec them up the wazoo if you’re willing to pay more, as exhibited by the review unit Apple sent us of the 16-inch model, which cost an eye-watering $7,199.
But rest assured, versions that actual humans buy now receive the occasional discount. For instance, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro (11-core CPU / 14-core GPU), 18GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD is going for $1,699 ($300 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. It was $500 off not long ago, making the current $300 discount good but not that good. As for the base 16-inch Pro — which comes with an M3 Pro chip, 18GB of RAM, and 512GB — it’s on sale starting at $1,999 (a massive $500 off) at Best Buy.
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro comes in a space black color and is configurable with either an M3 Pro or M3 Max chip. It looks a lot like the previous M2 generation, but spec-wise, the M3 Pro models start with a 12-core CPU, 18GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro remains Apple’s largest laptop for creators and power users. The latest model includes a spec bump to the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips, with a claimed battery life of up to 22 hours, and is configurable with up to 128GB of RAM.
The best Mac Mini deals
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The latest Mac Mini comes in a base configuration with Apple’s M2 processor or in a more powerful configuration with the M2 Pro. There’s talk of a new M4-powered Mini with an even smaller design coming soon, but until that happens, the M2 generation remains one of the most affordable yet performant desktop computers you can get (as long as gaming isn’t your priority). The M2 Mac Mini starts with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for $599, while the M2 Pro model features a superior processor plus gigabit ethernet, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage for $1,299.
The latter model also features an expanded port selection, from two USB-C ports to four. It’s almost like getting an M2 Pro-powered MacBook Pro 14 but in desktop form. However, keep in mind that buying any Mac Mini means you have to provide your own mouse, keyboard, and monitor. Either way, the M2 Mac Mini remains a great value for a desktop computer.
Right now, the base model with an M2 chip, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD is on sale for $499.99 (about $100 off) at Amazon thanks to an on-page coupon. You can also get it at Amazon with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $689.99 (about $110 off), which is about $10 more than the lowest price we’ve seen on the 512GB configuration.
If you want to maximize its potential, you can upgrade to the M2 Pro version with a 10-core CPU / 16-core GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage for $1,149 ($150 off) at Amazon. That’s only $50 more than the lowest price we’ve seen on that particular configuration.
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The revised Mac Mini for 2023 starts at $599 for an M2-powered model with an eight-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD. The Mini can also be had with the M2 Pro chip, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and a more robust port selection for $1,249.
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