Camera
The MacBook Air now comes standard with 16GB of RAM – with no price increase
| Image: Apple |
Apple has announced that the M2 and M3 MacBook Air will now come standard with 16GB of RAM, fixing a major flaw on otherwise great computers.
The laptops previously came with a restrictive 8GB of memory, forcing people to decide whether they wanted a computer that could struggle when multitasking or to pay the exorbitant $200 upgrade fee to jump to 16GB. Now, that’s no longer a consideration; the MacBook Air now just comes with double the RAM for the same starting price: $999 for the M2 model and $1099 for the M3-equipped version.
If this news has made you consider getting one – they are quite capable laptops for their price and can handle a fair amount of photo editing – you should be a bit cautious. 8GB models will likely still be floating around at various retailers for a while. At the time of writing, Best Buy is currently selling a 13-inch M3 MacBook Air with a lower amount of RAM for $1,099, the same price as the 16GB model now costs from Apple.
| Image: Apple |
Apple has announced its new suite of MacBook Pros, which now come equipped with the M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max chips. The company is also making its ‘nano-texture’ matte display option available for the first time in its laptop lineup.
Apple says the new laptops also come with an upgraded webcam that supports Center Stage, a feature which crops in on the subject, keeping them in the middle of the frame even if they’re moving around.
The display can also now go up to 1,000 nits in SDR mode; previously, you could only attain that brightness while looking at HDR content. That should make it easier to see the monitor, even in harsh lighting conditions. If you consistently work outside or in front of a window, it may also be worth considering the $150 ‘nano-texture’ display option, which Apple says will “reduce glare and reflections in bright spaces.”
As with the previous generation, there’s one computer that stands a little apart from the others: the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the regular M4. It starts at $1,599 and includes a 10-core CPU and GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. While it has most of the features of the other models, it does miss out on Thunderbolt 5, instead getting stuck with the previous-generation connector.
The M4 Pro was announced yesterday alongside the refreshed Mac Mini, but the M4 Max is new to the lineup. CPU-wise, it starts at the same level as the top-end M4 Pro with 14 cores, but you can add two more. The GPU is also much more powerful; it starts at 32 cores and goes up to 40. This also allows it to support up to four external displays, while the M4 and M4 Pro models can only handle two.
The M4 Pro and Max models are available with both 14- and 16-inch displays; the base M4 is only available in the 14-inch chassis.
| M4 | M4 Pro | M4 Max | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 10 core (4 performance, 6 efficiency) | 12 core (8 performance, 4 efficiency) / 14 core (10 performance, 4 efficiency) | 14 core (10 performance, 4 efficiency) / 16 core (12 performance, 4 efficiency) |
| GPU | 10 core | 16 core / 20 core | 32 core / 40 core |
| Memory | 16GB base, up to 32GB | 24GB base, up to 48GB | 36GB base, up to 128GB |
| Storage | 512GB, up to 2TB | 512GB, up to 4TB | 1TB, up to 8TB |
| Connectivity | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 5 | Thunderbolt 5 |
One minor disappointment that won’t surprise anyone who’s been following the iMac and Mac Mini announcements: the new MacBook Pros are still using Wi-Fi 6E instead of the newer Wi-Fi 7. It’s an easier flaw to overlook on desktop computers that mostly come equipped with Ethernet ports, but on a mobile-first computer, it’s a bit of a strange decision. Otherwise, the MacBook Pros have very similar connectivity to their predecessors: three Thunderbolt ports, a headphone jack, an HDMI port, an SD card reader and MagSafe power adapter.
The new MacBook Pros are available for pre-order today and will ship on November 8th.
Developing… this story will be updated.
| Image: Apple |
Apple has announced its new suite of MacBook Pros, which now come equipped with the M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max chips. The company is also making its ‘nano-texture’ matte display option available for the first time in its laptop lineup.
Apple says the new laptops also come with an upgraded webcam that supports Center Stage, a feature that crops in on the subject, keeping them in the middle of the frame even if they’re moving around.
The display can also now go up to 1,000 nits in SDR mode; previously, you could only attain that brightness while looking at HDR content. That should make it easier to see the monitor, even in harsh lighting conditions. If you’re consistently working outside or in front of a window, it may also be worth considering the $150 ‘nano-texture’ display option, which Apple says will “reduce glare and reflections in bright spaces.”
As with the previous generation, there’s one computer that stands a little apart from the others: the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the regular M4. It starts at $1,599, and includes a 10-core CPU and GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. While it has most of the features of the other models, it does miss out on Thunderbolt 5, instead getting stuck with the previous-generation connector.
The M4 Pro was announced yesterday alongside the refreshed Mac Mini, but the M4 Max is new to the lineup.
The new MacBook Pros are available for pre-order today, and will ship on November 8th.
Developing… this story will be updated.
| Image: Nikon |
Nikon has said it is developing a Nikkor Z 28-135mm F4 PZ power zoom long standard lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras.
The power zoom design will make it particularly suited to video work, with the company highlighting documentary work by small or solo video teams as a possible target audience. The company has provided a single rendering of the lens, showing a short but substantial lens with a removable tripod foot, that’s unusual for a lens of this range and aperture, but making it easy to mount directly to sticks or a monopod.
No details of price, availability or expected development date have been provided.
Comparing the rendering to other Nikkor lenses, we estimate the lens will be in the region of 173mm long and 105mm wide. The image shows the lens as taking a 95mm filter, though a matte box is likely to be just as common as the use of filters when used for video.
Nikon is developing the NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ, a standard zoom lens for the Nikon Z mount system
A Lens with Power Zoom for Video Creators
MELVILLE, NY (October 30, 2024) Nikon Inc. is pleased to announce the ongoing development of the NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ, a standard zoom lens that is compatible with full-frame/FX-format mirrorless cameras for which the Nikon Z mount has been adopted.
The NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ is a standard zoom lens with power zoom that covers the focal range from 28mm to 135mm. It is designed to provide ease of use and superior optical performance for video recording, supporting efficient recording for documentaries and location work by a solo videographer or small crew.
Nikon will continue to pursue a new dimension in optical performance while meeting users’ needs, contributing to the development of imaging culture, with the hope of expanding possibilities for imaging expression.
-
Solar Energy3 years agoDLR testing the use of molten salt in a solar power plant in Portugal
-
world news12 months ago
Gulf, France aid Gaza, Russia evacuates citizens
-
Camera12 months agoDJI Air 3 vs. Mini 4 Pro: which compact drone is best?
-
world news11 months ago
Strong majority of Americans support Israel-Hamas hostage deal
-
Solar Energy11 months agoGlencore eyes options on battery recycling project
-
Camera12 months agoSony a9 III: what you need to know
-
Camera4 years agoCharles ‘Chuck’ Geschke, co-founder of Adobe and inventor of the PDF, dies at 81
-
Camera3 years agoRoger Cicala: Imaging before photography, Part II – The Aristocrat
