Month: March 2024

Review: Apple’s efficient M3 MacBook Airs are just about as good as laptops get

For Intel or even M1 upgraders, there’s a lot to like about the M3 Air.

Apple's M3 MacBook Airs put a new chip in 2022's design.

Enlarge / Apple's M3 MacBook Airs put a new chip in 2022's design. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

Right off the bat, the M3 MacBook Airs aren't as interesting as the M2 models.

July 2022's M2 MacBook Air updated the design of the 13-inch laptop for the Apple Silicon era after the M1 Air's external design played it safe. And the first-ever 15-inch MacBook Air, released over a year later, was an appealing option for people who wanted a larger screen but didn't need the extra power or cost of a MacBook Pro. Together, they were a comprehensive rethink of Apple's approach to its mainstream laptops, modeled after the similarly dramatic Apple Silicon MacBook Pro redesigns.

The M3 Airs don't do any of that. They are laptop designs we've already seen, wrapped around a processor we've already seen. But they may end up being more important than the M2 Airs because of when they're being released—as the last of the Intel Macs slowly age and break and Apple winds down software support for them (if not in this year's macOS release, then almost certainly next year's). Between the faster chip and a couple of other feature updates, the new machines may also be the first ones that are truly worth a look for M1 Air early adopters who want an upgrade.

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Netflix-Miniserie Das Signal: War da was?

Das Signal ist eine Mixtur aus Mystery und Sci-Fi, gepaart mit Familiendrama und einer großen Liebesgeschichte. Klingt nach genug Stoff für eine vierteilige Miniserie. Eigentlich. Von Peter Osteried (Science-Fiction, Streaming)

Das Signal ist eine Mixtur aus Mystery und Sci-Fi, gepaart mit Familiendrama und einer großen Liebesgeschichte. Klingt nach genug Stoff für eine vierteilige Miniserie. Eigentlich. Von Peter Osteried (Science-Fiction, Streaming)

(g+) Sky TV: Skys neues IPTV-Paket hat wenig Sender und ist teuer

Sky will davon profitieren, dass der Kabelanschluss bald nicht mehr mit der Miete abgerechnet werden darf. Das Sky-Angebot wird es aber schwer haben. Eine Recherche von Ingo Pakalski (Sky, Telekom)

Sky will davon profitieren, dass der Kabelanschluss bald nicht mehr mit der Miete abgerechnet werden darf. Das Sky-Angebot wird es aber schwer haben. Eine Recherche von Ingo Pakalski (Sky, Telekom)

Daily Telescope: A brilliant shot of a comet as it nears the Sun

The comet should brighten further as it nears the Sun in the coming weeks.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks and the great Andromeda Galaxy.

Enlarge / Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks and the great Andromeda Galaxy. (credit: Gianluca Masi)

Welcome to the Daily Telescope. There is a little too much darkness in this world and not enough light, a little too much pseudoscience and not enough science. We'll let other publications offer you a daily horoscope. At Ars Technica, we're going to take a different route, finding inspiration from very real images of a universe that is filled with stars and wonder.

Good morning. It's March 7, and today's photo features a Halley-type comet that is currently approaching the Sun. It will reach perihelion on April 21.

The comet, named 12P/Pons–Brooks, features a brilliant ion tail, and its nucleus is estimated to be around 30 km in diameter. The comet should brighten further as it nears the Sun in the coming weeks. However, at an apparent magnitude of 4.5, it is unlikely to be visible to the naked eye—that's why we have telescopes.

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Sonnensystem: Jupitermond Europa hat wohl nur wenig Sauerstoff

Vielleicht ist der Jupitermond Europa doch weniger bewohnbar als bisher angenommen. Die geringere Sauerstoffkonzentration muss durch weitere Untersuchungen bestätigt werden. (Weltall, Wissenschaft)

Vielleicht ist der Jupitermond Europa doch weniger bewohnbar als bisher angenommen. Die geringere Sauerstoffkonzentration muss durch weitere Untersuchungen bestätigt werden. (Weltall, Wissenschaft)