14-inch M3 MacBook Pro to Receive Multi-Monitor Support →

Zac Hall, writing at 9to5Mac:

Apple introduced the M3 MacBook Air with a headlining new feature. For the first time, the Apple silicon MacBook Air will be able to simultaneously drive two external monitors. The only compromise is that the MacBook Air lid must be closed. Still, that’s a big win for users who appreciate portability on-the-go and large displays at the office.

The new feature also raises an interesting question: will the M3 MacBook Pro that was introduced in October also gain multi-display support in the same way? It shares the same version of Apple silicon and has Pro in the name, after all.

It turns out the answer is yes! Apple has confirmed to 9to5Mac that a software update for the 14-inch MacBook Pro will gain the ability to drive two external displays with the lid closed. The feature will work identically to how it works with the new M3 MacBook Air.

No details yet on which software update, although macOS Sonoma 14.4 is still in developer and public beta. The M3 MacBook Air in 13- and 15-inch sizes hits stores on Friday.

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Federico Viticci: ‘I Created the Hybrid Mac-iPad Laptop and Tablet That Apple Won’t Make’ →

We all know Federico as the iPad guy, but the truth is that he experiments with tons of different hardware. He has spent time with convertible PCs, iPads, Macs, and most recently, the Vision Pro.

But today he has truly outdone himself:

For the past three weeks, I’ve been using something I call a “MacPad” as my new laptop. The MacPad is a hybrid device that serves multiple purposes:

  • It’s a keyboard and trackpad for my Vision Pro;
  • It’s a Mac with a detachable display;
  • It’s an iPad Pro with an external keyboard and trackpad.

You know where this is going. These aren’t three separate devices: it’s one computer made of, well, two computers working together thanks to the magic of Apple’s ecosystem. It’s a Mac with an iPad display that I can detach and use as a tablet whenever I want; it’s an iPad that transforms into a Mac when docked. And, it’s the ideal keyboard and trackpad accessory for the Vision Pro.

In researching keyboard options for the Vision Pro, I ended up building the convertible Apple laptop-tablet that I so desperately want the company to make.

Let me explain how.

When I read a draft of this article last week, I laughed and gasped several times. What’s he been able to pull off — both on the hardware and software fronts — is breathtaking. Do not miss this article.

The MacPad

EU Fines Apple $2 Billion →

The Verge’s Jon Porter and Jess Weatherbed:

In a press release on Monday, the EU Commission said its investigation found that “Apple bans music streaming app developers from fully informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of the app,” in addition to preventing app providers from sharing instructions on how to subscribe to such offers.

“For a decade, Apple abused its dominant position in the market for the distribution of music streaming apps through the App Store,” said Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President in charge of competition policy. “They did so by restricting developers from informing consumers about alternative, cheaper music services available outside of the Apple ecosystem. This is illegal under EU antitrust rules, so today we have fined Apple over €1.8 billion.”

Apple issued a statement this morning, right before releasing new notebooks:

Despite that success, and the App Store’s role in making it possible, Spotify pays Apple nothing. That’s because Spotify — like many developers on the App Store — made a choice. Instead of selling subscriptions in their app, they sell them on their website. And Apple doesn’t collect a commission on those purchases.

All told, the Spotify app has been downloaded, redownloaded, or updated more than 119 billion times on Apple devices. It’s available on the App Store in over 160 countries spanning the globe.

Apple goes on to list a bunch of ways it says they have helped Spotify achieve success, including features like CarPlay, access to Apple’s APIs, and fast App Store Review times. No one should have expected Apple to take this without a fight.

MacBook Air Updated with M3 →

Apple Newsroom:

Apple today announced the new MacBook Air with the powerful M3 chip, taking its incredible combination of power-efficient performance and portability to a new level. With M3, MacBook Air is up to 60 percent faster than the model with the M1 chip and up to 13x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air. And with a faster and more efficient Neural Engine in M3, MacBook Air continues to be the world’s best consumer laptop for AI. The 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air both feature a strikingly thin and light design, up to 18 hours of battery life,1 a stunning Liquid Retina display, and new capabilities, including support for up to two external displays and up to 2x faster Wi-Fi than the previous generation. With its durable aluminum unibody enclosure that’s built to last, the new MacBook Air is available in four gorgeous colors: midnight, which features a breakthrough anodization seal to reduce fingerprints; starlight; space gray; and silver. Combined with its world-class camera, mics, and speakers; MagSafe charging; its silent, fanless design; and macOS, MacBook Air delivers an unrivaled experience — making the 13-inch model the world’s bestselling laptop and the 15-inch model the world’s bestselling 15-inch laptop. Customers can order starting today, with availability beginning Friday, March 8.

M3 MacBook Air

A few quick things that jumped out at me reading all of this:

  • It sounds like the fingerprint-happy Midnight finish is now getting the same coating the Space Black MacBook Pro gets to help reduce smudges.
  • Don’t miss the entire section dedicated to how the new machine performs at AI-related tasks. I did have a chuckle at Apple boasting the notebook “supports cloud-based solutions.” Ah yes, browsers.
  • There’s a business push in this press release too. Apple boasts how fast this new notebook is for “working in Excel spreadsheets,” whatever that means.
  • Wi-Fi 6E support is sweet.

Additionally, the new MacBook Air bring good news on the display support front:

MacBook Air with M3 now supports up to two external displays when the laptop lid is closed — perfect for business users, or anyone who requires multiple displays for multitasking across apps or spreading out documents at the same time.

That is going to make a bunch of people happy.

External Dislpays

The M3 MacBook Air goes on sale today and the M2 13-inch Air now anchors the bottom of Apple’s notebook line, starting at $999. Both the 15-inch M2 and 13-inch M1 MacBook Air models are gone.

Apple Reverses Course on PWAs in EU →

Chance Miller with some big news over at 9to5Mac:

Last month, Apple confirmed that iOS 17.4 would remove support for Home Screen web apps in the European Union. At the time, Apple said this decision was due to requirements under the Digital Markets Act related to support for alternative browser engines on iPhone.

Apple is now walking back that decision and says it will “continue to offer the existing Home Screen web apps capability in the EU.”

Here is Apple’s full statement to Miller:

Previously, Apple announced plans to remove the Home Screen web apps capability in the EU as part of our efforts to comply with the DMA. The need to remove the capability was informed by the complex security and privacy concerns associated with web apps to support alternative browser engines that would require building a new integration architecture that does not currently exist in iOS.

We have received requests to continue to offer support for Home Screen web apps in iOS, therefore we will continue to offer the existing Home Screen web apps capability in the EU. This support means Home Screen web apps continue to be built directly on WebKit and its security architecture, and align with the security and privacy model for native apps on iOS.

Developers and users who may have been impacted by the removal of Home Screen web apps in the beta release of iOS in the EU can expect the return of the existing functionality for Home Screen web apps with the availability of iOS 17.4 in early March.

When Apple said it was pulling support for PWAs in this release, it said it was because of the new rule that allows third-party browsing engines to run on iOS. Apple claimed that giving those third-party codebases all of the access that “Home Screen web apps” need to work would make the iPhone less secure.

Now, they are here to stay, but it’s important to note that these PWAs will still run atop WebKit, the engine that powers Safari. If you install Firefox or Chrome, and those browsers are using their own rendering engines, those engined will not power any PWAs a user has installed.

This is a move in the right direction. Even though PWAs aren’t widely used among iOS users, cutting them off in the EU with iOS 17.4 was a bad move. I’m curious if this last-minute change is at the behest of the EU, or if Apple is just trying to get ahead of things here. I’m also curious to see if PWAs being tied to WebKit will stand the test of time.

The 2024 Kottke Redesign →

Jason Kottke:

The last time I redesigned the site, a guy named Barack Obama was still President. Since then, I’ve launched the membership program, integrated the Quick Links more fully into the mix, (more recently) opened comments for members, and tweaked about a million different things about how the site works and looks. But it was overdue for a full overhaul to better accommodate all of those incremental changes and, more importantly, to provide a solid design platform for where the site is headed. Also, I was just getting tired of the old design.

I’ve been reading Kottke.org basically forever, and I have loved every design the site has used over the years, including this one.

Apple’s Self Service Repair Program Expanded to Include M3 iMac and MacBook Pro →

Apple Support:

Apple today announced an expansion of Self Service Repair for MacBook Pro and iMac models powered by M3, with support available today. Since April 2022, Self Service Repair has given customers access to the same manuals, genuine Apple parts, and tools used at Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Service Providers.

Apple is also making Apple Diagnostics for Self Service Repair available for MacBook Pro and iMac models powered by M3 in the U.S. early next month. Launched late last year for iPhone and Mac, Apple Diagnostics troubleshooting sessions give customers the same ability as Apple Authorized Service Providers and Independent Repair Providers to test devices for optimal part functionality and performance, as well as identify which parts may need repair.