Reacting to all the new “Scary Fast” M3 Macs! (CultCast #619)

This week: the pros and cons - it's our reactions to the new M3 MacBook Pros and iMac! Plus: a long-rumored health feature will finally debut in the next Apple Watch, and we find out the winner of last week's Scary Fast event predictions!

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This week‘s stories:

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

• The M2 was a fairly modest improvement over the original version, but the M3 brings more of a boost. Much of that come from a switch from a 5nm production process to a 3nm one. Shrinking the chip’s components allows them to work faster while generating less waste heat.

3 new M3 MacBook Pro models promise blazing speed

• The basic new MacBook Pro is a 14-inch model with the M3 chip. “Perfect for aspiring creatives, students, and entrepreneurs, it now starts at $1,599,” Apple said.
• Orders start Monday for all the new laptops, with shipping starting November 7, Apple said. The base M3 MacBook Pro at $1,599 ($1,499 for education). M3 Pro starts at $1,999 ($1,849 for education). M3 Max starts at $2,499 ($2,299 for education).

Good riddance: 13-inch MacBook Pro discontinued

• Apple has discontinued the 13-inch MacBook Pro. It was the last MacBook in the company’s lineup with a Touch Bar, a thin, customizable OLED strip at the top of the keyboard that replaced the usual row of function keys.

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

• The biggest upgrade between the 2021 and 2023 24-inch iMac is the switch to the faster M3 chip. Apple claims its newest iMac delivers 2x faster performance.

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

• With the latest iPhones dropping the Lightning port in favor of USB-C, there was speculation (and hope) that Apple would release new versions of the Magic Mouse, Trackpad and Keyboard that also reject the Lightning port. Nope.

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

• Apple shared a big surprise at the end of the scary fast event - the entire presentation was recorded using an iPhone. This is the first time Apple has used only one of its handsets to film an entire product launch event.

Next-gen Apple Watch could offer limited blood pressure monitoring

• The 2024 edition of Apple Watch might finally include a feature that been a bit of a holy grail for the wearable: blood pressure monitoring. But a new report says the feature will be limited at first.

The CultCast “Scary Fast” Predictions results

• Results from the prediction game we played on the show last week!