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- Tuesday October 28
- 06:35 pmApple seeks to end Apple Pay trade secrets lawsuit
The lawsuit filed by a company that accused Apple of stealing its technology to develop the profitable mobile wallet Apple Pay… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.06:30 pmMacBook Air and Pro batteries compared: Which MacBook has better battery life
Macworld Measuring MacBook battery life in straight hours of real-world usage (as Apple likes to do) is not always an accurate metric for comparison purposes as so many use and environmental factors play a part. We can, however, rely on straight technical specifications to tell us the stated battery capacities of each MacBook. Where Apple is secretive about iPhone battery specifications (see our list of iPhone battery capacities based on teardowns), the company does list MacBook capacities in Watt hours (Wh). We have trawled through the Apple product Tech Specs pages from 2009 to 2025 to bring you as complete a list as we can gather using official Apple battery declarations. The watt-hour is a unit of energy equivalent to one watt (1W) of power utilized for one hour of time. it is calculated by multiplying the number of Amps with the battery voltage. The higher the number of Wh the longer a battery will last using the same application. Batteries will lose efficiency over time so don’t expect a 2009-era MacBook battery to still possess the same power as it did when it was new or more than a 2025 model, even if it had an originally higher Wh rating. Read How to test a MacBook battery: see if it needs replacing & replace it. Our list starts with older MacBooks that used an Intel processor, and works its way to the latest M-series (for example, M1, M2 Pro, M3, M4, M5) MacBooks. MacBook Air battery capacities 11-inch MacBook Air (Intel) 11-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Late 2010: 35Wh 11-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Mid 2011: 35Wh 11-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Mid 2012: 35Wh 11-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Mid 2013: 38Wh 11-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Early 2015: 38Wh 11-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Early 2015: 38Wh 13-inch MacBook Air (Intel) 13-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Mid 2009: 40Wh 13-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Late 2010: 50Wh 13-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Mid 2011: 50Wh 13-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Mid 2012: 50Wh 13-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Mid 2013: 54Wh 13-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Early 2014: 54Wh 13-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Early 2015: 54Wh 13-inch MacBook Air, Intel, 2017: 54Wh 13-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Retina, 2018: 50.3Wh 13-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Retina, 2019: 49.9Wh 13-inch MacBook Air, Intel, Retina, 2020: 49.9Wh 13-inch MacBook Air (M-series) 13-inch MacBook Air, M1: 49.9Wh 13-inch MacBook Air, M2: 52.6Wh 13-inch MacBook Air, M3: 52.6Wh 13-inch MacBook Air, M4: 53.8Wh 15-inch MacBook Air (M-series) 15-inch MacBook Air, M2: 66.5Wh 15-inch MacBook Air, M3: 66.5Wh 15-inch MacBook Air, M4: 66.5Wh MacBook Pro battery capacities 13-inch MacBook Pro (Intel) 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Mid 2009: 60Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Mid 2010: 63.5Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Early 2011: 63.5Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Late 2011: 63.5Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Mid 2012: 63.5Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Retina, Late 2012: 74Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Retina, Early 2013: 74Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Retina, Late 2013: 71.8Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Retina, 2014: 71.8Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Retina, 2015: 74.9Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2016, 2x TB3 ports: 54.5Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2016, 4x TB3 ports: 49.2Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2017, 2x TB3 ports: 54.5Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2018, 4x TB3 ports: 58Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2019, 2x TB3 ports: 58.2Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2019, 4x TB3 ports: 58Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2020, 2x TB3 ports: 58.2Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2020, 4x TB3 ports: 58Wh 15-inch MacBook Pro (Intel) 15-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Mid 2009: 73Wh 15-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Mid 2010: 77.5Wh 15-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Early 2011: 77.5Wh 15-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Late 2011: 77.5Wh 15-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2012: 77.5Wh 15-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Retina, 2012: 95Wh 15-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2 Retina, 2013: 95Wh 15-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Retina, 2014: 95Wh 15-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Retina, 2015: 99.5Wh 15-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2016: 76Wh 15-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2017: 76Wh 15-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2018: 83.6Wh 15-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2019: 83.6Wh 16-inch MacBook Pro (Intel) 16-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, 2019: 98.8Wh 17-inch MacBook Pro (Intel) 17-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Early 2009: 95Wh 17-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Mid 2009: 95Wh 17-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Mid 2010: 95Wh 17-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Early 2011: 95Wh 17-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, Late 2011: 95Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro (M-series) 13-inch MacBook Pro, M1: 58.2Wh 13-inch MacBook Pro, M2: 58.2Wh 14-inch MacBook Pro (M-series) 14-inch MacBook Pro, M1 Pro: 69.6Wh 14-inch MacBook Pro M2 Pro: 69.6Wh 14-inch MacBook Pro M2 Max: 69.6Wh 14-inch MacBook Pro M3: 69.6Wh 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 Pro: 72.4Wh 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max: 72.4Wh 14-inch MacBook Pro M4: 72.4Wh 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro: 72.4Wh 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 Max: 72.4Wh 14-inch MacBook Pro M5: 72.4Wh 16-inch MacBook Pro (M-series) 16-inch MacBook Pro M1 Pro: 99.6Wh 16-inch MacBook Pro M1 Max: 99.6Wh 16-inch MacBook Pro M2 Pro: 99.6Wh 16-inch MacBook Pro M2 Max: 99.6Wh 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 Pro: 99.6Wh 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max: 99.6Wh 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro: 99.6Wh 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Max: 99.6Wh How much battery life does my MacBook have? Now that you know the numbers for your model, how does that Wh battery capacity play out in terms of real-life usage? Here are Apple’s claims for the running potential of its M-series MacBook Pro and Air batteries. All the MacBook Air models, whether with a 13-inch or 15-inch screen, M1, M2, M3 or M4 chip, last the same amount of time, according to Apple. There is more variance with the Pro models, which range in screen size from 13 to 16 inches. 13-inch MacBook Air (M-series) 13-inch MacBook Air, M1: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 15 hours wireless web 13-inch MacBook Air, M2: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 15 hours wireless web 13-inch MacBook Air, M3: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 15 hours wireless web 13-inch MacBook Air, M4: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 15 hours wireless web 15-inch MacBook Air (M-series) 15-inch MacBook Air, M2: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 15 hours wireless web 15-inch MacBook Air, M3: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 15 hours wireless web 15-inch MacBook Air, M4: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 15 hours wireless web 13-inch MacBook Pro (M-series) 13-inch MacBook Pro, M1: Up to 20 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 17 hours wireless web 13-inch MacBook Pro, M2: Up to 20 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 17 hours wireless web 14-inch MacBook Pro (M-series) 14-inch MacBook Pro, M1 Pro: Up to 17 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 11 hours wireless web 14-inch MacBook Pro M2 Pro: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 12 hours wireless web 14-inch MacBook Pro M2 Max: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 12 hours wireless web 14-inch MacBook Pro M3: Up to 22 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 15 hours wireless web 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 Pro: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 12 hours wireless web 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max: Up to 22 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 15 hours wireless web 14-inch MacBook Pro M4: Up to 24 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 16 hours wireless web 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro: Up to 22 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 14 hours wireless web 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 Max: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 13 hours wireless web 14-inch MacBook Pro M5: Up to 24 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 16 hours wireless web 16-inch MacBook Pro (M-series) 16-inch MacBook Pro M1 Pro: Up to 21 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 14 hours wireless web 16-inch MacBook Pro M1 Max: Up to 21 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 14 hours wireless web 16-inch MacBook Pro M2 Pro: Up to 22 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 15 hours wireless web 16-inch MacBook Pro M2 Max: Up to 22 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 15 hours wireless web 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 Pro: Up to 22 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 15 hours wireless web 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max: Up to 22 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 15 hours wireless web 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro: Up to 24 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 17 hours wireless web 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Max: Up to 21 hours Apple TV app movie playback; Up to 14 hours wireless web Does the MacBook Pro have a better battery than the MacBook Air? As you can see from the above battery capacities, the MacBook Pro features higher capacity batteries than the MacBook Air, although not by a truly significant margin. For example, the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air’s battery was rated at 52.6Wh, while the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro had a 58.2Wh battery. The larger the laptop, the higher wattage is the battery—as they generally require more power to run the larger, brighter screens. The Air features a Liquid Retina display with 500 nits brightness while the Pro has a superior 1,000-nit Liquid Retina XDR display. The newer MacBooks with more efficient processors will also gain extra battery life by not stressing the batteries as hard to complete the same tasks. Apple claims that the current 13-inch M4 MacBook Air (53.8Wh) boasts up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback. The 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro has a higher capacity 72.4Wh battery and can keep going for 24 hours on the movie playback. The 16-inch M4 Pro has the same 24-hour video playback claim despite its near 100Wh battery but it has to run the larger screen. Battery life depends on many factors, particularly which and how many applications you are running at one time. For more information on the differences between Apple’s laptop models, read our feature MacBook Air vs Pro: Which Mac laptop is right for you. When you want to charge the MacBook’s battery, make sure you use the appropriate charger. Check out our recommendations for the best USB-C charger for your MacBook.06:14 pmDark Matter season 2 is coming: Here’s everything we know
Dark Matter debuted last year as yet another strong sci-fi hit for Apple TV, and a second season is officially on the way. Here’s everything we know right now about Dark Matter season 2. more…05:57 pmAvira Prime for Mac review: Worth paying for
Macworld At a GlanceExpert's Rating Pros Strong core antiviral Customizable scans and external drive scanning VPN, Cookie Cleaner and Junk Cleaner modules 60-day money-back guarantee Cons Additional subscription for Avira’s Identity Assistant Clunky VPN launch process Startup Apps module feels basic compared to more fully-featured components in competing suites Our Verdict The paid version of Avira may have its quirks, but the application’s core elements remain strong and worth trying out. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Retailer Price Avira – Prime (first year, 5 devices) $59.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Price When ReviewedFrom $59.99 for first year, then $109.99 a year. Best Prices Today: Avira Prime Retailer Price Avira – Prime (first year, 5 devices) $59.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket First year, 5 devices$59.992 years, 5 devices$204.99 Sometimes it’s worth paying for the bells and whistles. Following up on my review of Avira Free Security for Mac, it’s time to look at Avira Prime, which offers the same antiviral elements as Avira Free Security while opening up access to the tools and modules that require an Avira Prime subscription in Avira Free Security. Similar to the free version, the application includes the following modules: Status, Activity, Scheduler, Virus Scans, Protection Scans, Quarantine, VPN, Passwords, Cookie Cleaner, Identity Assistant, Junk Cleaner, Uninstaller, and Startup Apps. There’s a lot Avira Prime does right, and its antiviral/anti-malware elements, as expected, hold their own just as well as the previously reviewed Avira Free application. It did allow occasional culprits such as AdWind and other malware samples, which had to be removed with a third-party utility, although you have to ignore and bypass several warning screens to do so. But, while not invincible in terms of detection and removal, it still holds its own in terms of testing custom volumes and folders such as USB flash drives. The Scheduler remains excellent, and you can customize specific folders and volumes to be scanned. USB Protection is also available under Avira Prime, allowing you to insert a USB flash drive and have it run a scan. In terms of the modules that are inaccessible in the Avira Free version, Avira Prime opens up access to a more robust VPN, its Cookie Cleaner Module, and its Passwords password locker, as well as its Identity Assistant, Uninstaller, and Startup Apps modules. Foundry These programs perform well, if somewhat oddly at times, and Avira’s Phantom VPN application allows for geolocation and more data traffic than the 500 megabyte trial allowance offered in the free version. Oddly enough, Avira’s Phantom VPN application hooks in through the Mac App Store, which launches every time you open up the function in Avira Prime. The Mac App Store launches the Phantom VPN application and makes you wonder if this couldn’t have been done without the strange extra steps. Avira seems to have jumped on the idea of cookie and data tracking management with both feet, and Avira Prime’s Cookie Cleaner module not only located 5,891 cookies on my MacBook Pro, but also offered full control for selection and removal of specific cookies, which was impressive. Foundry Other modules, such as Passwords and Uninstaller, worked well, even if the Passwords module functions as yet another password manager/locker and requires a commitment on the part of the user to make this a primary part of their day-to-day web browsing life. The Uninstaller proved interesting in that it listed the applications you might expect, but also lower-level applications that aren’t generally listed in the Applications folder, which came in handy for removing them. The Startup Apps module worked well, but seemed fairly basic in its coverage, not going into deeper elements of the initial system load. The effort is there, but more dedicated competitors do it better. If there was one module that felt short in testing, it’d be the Identity Assistant, which offers a robust amount of coverage (up to 10 credit cards, 10 bank accounts, 10 gamer tags, 5 email addresses, 5 phone numbers, 5 insurance numbers, 5 physical addresses, 1 driver’s license number, and 1 mother’s maiden name) and offers some coverage for a single email address within the standard Avira subscription. The application then offers the upgraded plan for $38.99 for the first year and $64.99 for each additional year, which feels as if you’re being hauled toward yet another subscription without even a trial period to test the full feature set out. Still, there’s a lot to give Avira Prime credit for, and its impressive core functions from the free version remain. Drive scan speeds, except for a Full Scan (which can run as an overnight function on full hard drives), are speedy; the application can scan .dmg and .zip archives, the Junk Cleaner module has a good level of customization and helped recover several gigabytes of drive space, and there’s a 60-day money-back guarantee for purchases, which is never a bad thing. With the exception of the Identity Assistant module and the potential second subscription that may be involved with that, you get a fair amount for $9.99 a month. Avira has done a good job with its Prime application, and it’s worth your consideration. Avira Prime, which requires macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later to install and run, is available for $59.99/£51.99 for the first year, $109.99/£94.99 for subsequent years, or $9.99/£8.99 per month, with the plan covering up to five Mac, PC, iOS, and Android devices. Should you buy Avira Prime for Mac If you found yourself trying and liking Avira Free Security for the Mac and were eager for the additional bells and whistles, Avira Prime makes a compelling argument with a strong feature set. Elements like the Cookie Cleaner and Phantom VPN are impressive, and the strong antiviral elements are on par with Avira’s competitors. Still, Avira Prime isn’t perfect; the VPN module feels as if there are additional awkward steps that shouldn’t be there to activate it, the Startup Apps module feels bare bones, and the Identity Assistant module places itself in an upsell position that no company wants to be in. Overall, there’s a strong toolset to be considered, and this is definitely worth trying out, given the 60-day money-back guarantee, if you’re interested. See how Avira Prime compares to other Mac antivirus solutions in our round up of the best.05:10 pmApple's iPad 11 is back on sale for $299, plus save up to $280 across line
Amazon's $299 iPad 11 deal has returned during the company's month-end sale, with Apple's entire tablet line discounted by up to $280.Grab a discounted iPad for as low as $299 today.Amazon's month-end Apple sale includes a return of the $299 iPad 11-inch, reflecting a $50 discount off retail on the standard 128GB Wi-Fi configuration.Buy iPad 11 for $299 Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums04:48 pmThe biggest deal about the 20th anniversary iPhone might be the buttons
Macworld The iPhone was introduced to the world in 2007, so the 20th anniversary is coming up in 2027. To mark the occasion, Apple is reportedly planning a drastic design change not unlike the iPhone X. One of those changes will reportedly involves a longtime rumor regarding the buttons on the iPhone. On Weibo, user Setsuna Digital, who has a track record of accuracy with Apple rumors, reports that the heptic button implementation has “completed functional verification” and is set for production in the 2027 iPhone. All of the buttons will implement solid-state controls, and Apple will use vibration feedback to give the user a sense of how they are using the buttons. Additionally, Setsuna Digital reports that the Camera Control button will be modified, with Apple removing the capacitive sensing layer, leaving only pressure sensing. “Subsequent iterations will introduce piezoelectric ceramics for localized vibration feedback,” wrote Setsuna Digital. That coud arrive as early as the iPhone 18 next year. Rumors of Apple switching to haptic buttons go back to the iPhone 15, where Apple reportedly had plans to implement solid-state button tech but changed course due to engineering issues. Haptic buttons have an advantage in that they have few moving parts, thus making them less prone to wear and tear. To make the haptic buttons feel “real,” Setsuna Digital said that a vibration-based sound system and AI audio algorithms may be used to provide physical feedback. Similar technology is already used in the MacBook’s trackpad. The haptic buttons are just part of a major redesign Apple has planned for 2027. Bloomberg’s Mark Guram recently reported that Apple in 2027 is working on an iPhone design that will “fit nicely” with the iOS 26 Liquid Glass UI, with an iPhone that has “curved glass edges all around.”04:47 pmWhat car models and manufacturers support Apple Car Key
Apple's Car Key turns your iPhone into a digital car key, letting you unlock, start, and share your ride — no key fob required. Here's how it works, and which manufacturers support the technology.Apple wants your iPhone to replace your wallet, keys, and driver's licenseApple wants to make your iPhone the ultimate Swiss Army knife of devices. Since its humble introduction in 2007, the iPhone can be used to replace your credit cards at many point-of-sales, your driver's license or state ID in many states, your shoppers club cards, and even your home keys.But Apple wasn't satisfied with stopping there. It also wants to replace your physical car key. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums04:23 pmToday in Apple history: Steve Jobs’ yacht launches — without Steve
On October 28, 2012, more than a year after Steve Jobs died, his luxury yacht designed by Philippe Starck launched for the first time. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)04:14 pmThe new M5 iPad Pro M5 just got its first discount
Macworld The Apple iPad Pro M5 has barely been out a couple of weeks, and it’s already on sale. Amazon is selling the 11-inch iPad Pro for $949, a savings of $50 and a fantastic discount for a barely-launched product. Equipped with the latest M5 chip, the iPad Pro is up to 15 percent faster than the M4, while the 10-core GPU is 30 percent faster than the previous model. The 11-inch Ultra Retina XDR display is the same as before but it’s no less of a gorgeous OLED panel with a fantastic 1,600-nit peak brightness and 120Hz refresh rate. The tablet also features a landscape 12MP Center Stage camera for fantastic selfies and videos, as well as a 12MP wide camera on the back. The tablet comes with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, which should be plenty for whatever you want to do. If you want to turn this stellar tablet into a powerhouse laptop, you can add a Magic Keyboard to it, as well as an Apple Pencil Pro (on sale for $99) or the USB-C Apple Pencil (on sale for $70). So go get the fresh iPad Pro M5 for $949 while this deal’s still around. Snag a $50 discount for the new iPadBuy now at Amazon04:01 pmPresident Trump says ‘Too-Late’ Powell will be out in ‘a few months’
President Donald Trump reiterated his criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell Tuesday during a dinner with business leaders… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.04:01 pmApple market cap passes $4 trillion amid iPhone 17 optimism
Apple hits a major milestone in the stock market, with its market capitalization surpassing the staggering $4 trillion mark (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)03:46 pmDeals: M3 MacBook Air $659 off orig. price, Apple Qi2 25W MagSafe Charger, M3 iPad Air $370 off, more | 9 to 5 MacDeals: M3 MacBook Air $659 off orig. price, Apple Qi2 25W MagSafe Charger, M3 iPad Air $370 off, more
Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break deals are ready to roll. While we are now tracking $200 price drops across just about every M4 MacBook Air configuration, we also now have this Midnight 16GB M3 MacBook Air at $659 off the original price in Best Buy open-box condition with a 1-year Apple warranty (as well as a deal on this 24GB model). We spotted additional Amazon low price drops on the new M5 iPad Pro lineup, the best price to date on Apple’s new Qi2 25W 1-meter MagSafe Charger, and some new all-time lows on the Beats iPhone 17 Camera Control MagSafe case. Everything you need to know awaits below. more…03:44 pmApple CEO Tim Cook dines with Trump in Tokyo
Apple CEO Tim Cook attended an event in Tokyo, Japan, as part of President Donald Trump's attempt to encourage Japanese investment in U.S. firms.President Donald Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook at a previous meetingTim Cook has repeatedly met with President Trump to help further the interests of Apple. In the latest meeting of the two, it's part of a wider event to bring more investment to the United States.The event in Tokyo had President Trump dine with a variety of business leaders at the U.S. Ambassador's Residence on Tuesday, reports Nikkei. The business leaders represented both countries, with Cook among the American contingent, along with OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman and SalesForce's Marc Benioff. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums03:29 pmiOS 26.1 will add four new ways to customize your iPhone
iOS 26.1 is expected to launch soon, and when it does, it will provide users with four new settings to customize the way their iPhone looks and works. Here’s what’s new. more…03:28 pmVirtualBox review: Supports Windows on M-series Macs, but not for beginners
Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Good performance for Windows VMs Supports Intel and Apple Silicon processors Free for personal use Cons Needs a good level of technical knowledge Limited 3D acceleration for games Business license is expensive Our Verdict It’s hard to complain when VirtualBox is free for personal and educational use. However, its complex set-up process and limited 3D graphics support mean that it’s best suited for corporate users with a well-trained IT department available to help them out. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When ReviewedFree (personal/education); $61 per user (Enterprise Edition – minimum 100 users) Best Prices Today: VirtualBox Retailer Price Oracle Free View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket As the name suggests, VirtualBox (in version 7.2 at the time of this review) is a virtualisation tool – similar to Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion – that allows you to create a virtual machine (VM) that can run Windows and Windows apps from within the macOS itself. It’s fallen behind its rivals in recent years as it lacked support for Macs with Apple Silicon, but it made something of a comeback with the 7.1 update in September 2024 that finally added support for Apple Silicon alongside older Intel Macs. A number of maintenance updates have followed since then, bringing VirtualBox to version 7.2.4 at the end of October 2025. VirtualBox is owned by the database giant Oracle, but it’s available as an open-source program and is free for personal and educational use. There’s also an option to buy an annual license for business and commercial use, which costs $61/£48.73 per license with a year of technical support included. However, there’s a minimum order of 100 licenses for business users, so it’s clear that Oracle has primarily got its sights set on its existing base of large corporate customers. The Setup Wizard in VirtualBox now allows you to choose either Basic or Expert modes. Foundry There are Linux and Windows versions of VirtualBox too, which allows you to use your virtual machines on many different types of computers. Just remember that you’ll still need to pay for your own Windows license in order to install Windows on your VM, and that Macs with Apple Silicon will need to use a special version of Windows, called Windows On ARM, in order to create a Windows VM. VirtualBox VMs Like many open-source programs, VirtualBox lacks the polished interface and ease of use that you can find in commercial software such as Parallels Desktop, and this means that you do need a reasonable amount of technical knowledge in order to figure out how it works. Version 7.1 did introduce a new StartUp Wizard that attempts to simplify the set-up process by offering separate ‘Basic’ and ‘Expert’ modes, but this only adds a superficial gloss to the program’s dense and complex interface and it took us a number of attempts to successfully create a Windows VM using a disk image of Windows 11 On ARM on our M2 MacBook Pro. Even the initial download process is confusing, as there are two separate files that you need to download. There’s a ‘platform package’ for your particular computer – Mac, PC or Linux – but also an Extensions Pack that isn’t clearly explained and left us wading through the vast PDF manual for more information. The manual is clearly designed for IT managers and developers – almost 200 pages long just for the basic installation and setup instructions – and we found even simple tasks such as changing the resolution of the virtual machine window on our Mac desktop baffling at times. You can choose how much memory and processor power you assign to your virtual machines. Foundry Thankfully, things get a little easier once you’ve worked through the initial set-up process. The program allows you to specify the number of CPU cores and the amount of memory that you assign to the Windows VM, and there’s a useful Resource monitor that shows the CPU and memory usage of your VM so that you can decide whether to allocate more processor power or memory. You can create shared folders that allow you to transfer files between the macOS and Windows VM, drag-and-drop files between macOS and Windows, and also share the contents of the Mac Clipboard with the VM. Our Windows 11 VM was also able to automatically use our Mac’s internet connection so that we could browse the web and use Microsoft’s Copilot app for online queries. And, for Oracle’s corporate users, there are options for using VirtualBox with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Apple Silicon Support The installation process wasn’t exactly straightforward but, to be fair, the Windows 11 VM that we created on our MacBook Pro did run smoothly even with the default settings that just assign a single CPU and only 4MB of RAM to the VM. We were able to run general productivity tools such as Microsoft’s Edge browser and Outlook email with no trouble at all, and were even able to experiment with the Copilot AI features in Windows 11 as well. Gamers are out of luck though, as VirtualBox no longer supports 3D acceleration on Intel Macs, while 3D acceleration on Macs with Apple Silicon is described as ‘experimental’. Performance is good enough for running general productivity tools, such as Microsoft Copilot. Foundry The support for Apple Silicon also looks a little rough around the edges at times. VirtualBox can run the Windows VM inside its own window on the Mac desktop, and it also provides a ‘Seamless’ mode that lets individual Windows apps – such as the Edge browser – run right on the Mac desktop as though they were native Mac apps (similar to the Coherence mode in Parallels Desktop). However, apps running in Seamless mode didn’t like being moved around on our MacBook screen, sometimes leaving odd graphical after-images lingering on-screen as we moved the windows to a new position. We also experienced occasional crashes when shutting down our Windows VM – although these didn’t seem to affect the VM when we subsequently launched it once more. Should You Buy VirtualBox? From a technical point of view, VirtualBox works well and is capable of running a variety of Windows apps and software on Macs with both Intel and Apple Silicon processors. And, of course, we welcome the fact that the app is free for personal and educational use. However, the complexity of the program means that it will primarily appeal to corporate users who can rely on their IT department to manage VirtualBox for them, or perhaps developers or students who have the technical knowledge to manage the installation process for themselves. Most home users and small businesses will be better off looking at rivals such as the more user-friendly Parallels Desktop or one of the other Virtual Machines for Mac that we have looked at – although it’s still worth trying out the free version of VirtualBox to see if it meets your needs.03:16 pmApple tells Fintiv to stop dragging old litigation back into court
Apple has requested a Georgia judge to either send Fintiv's latest Apple Pay lawsuit back to Texas, or dismiss it entirely.Apple Pay is the target of a lawsuit with FintivApple filed its motion on October 27, 2025, in the Northern District of Georgia. The company argues that Fintiv's new trade-secret and racketeering claims are essentially a repeat of their previous issues.These claims are based on the same technology and witnesses involved in their seven-year patent dispute in Texas. That earlier case, filed in December 2018, accused Apple Pay of using features from Fintiv's digital-wallet patent without permission. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums03:12 pmGiveaway: We are handing out FREE $175 Burton Goods gift cards
We are huge fans of the wonderful American-made artisan leather accessories at Burton Goods, as you likely already know. We deliver loads of exclusive deal opportunities in partnership with the brand so our readers can save a ton on its leathercraft goods, but this week you have a chance to score a bunch of it for FREE – we are giving away three $175 Burton Goods gift cards to some lucky winners. more…03:12 pmLAST DAY – Giveaway: We are handing out FREE $175 Burton Goods gift cards
We are huge fans of the wonderful American-made artisan leather accessories at Burton Goods, as you likely already know. We deliver loads of exclusive deal opportunities in partnership with the brand so our readers can save a ton on its leathercraft goods, but this week you have a chance to score a bunch of it for FREE – we are giving away three $175 Burton Goods gift cards to some lucky winners. more…02:49 pmChip changes: How fast will M5 Pro and M5 Max be?
The core M5 chip says a lot about what the M5 Pro and M5 Max will deliver in new MacBook Pro models in 2026. Here's what to expect from the next Apple Silicon release.M5 Pro and M5 Max are coming in a few months. The M5 has launched, with the usual crowing of it being considerably better than the previous generation's base-model chip. This is fairly typical, but so is the daydreaming of what the next chips will bring to the table.While the release timing varies, the Pro and Max versions of a new Apple Silicon generation boast higher performance, delivering power for those who need considerable number-crunching capabilities. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums02:45 pmApple touches $4 trillion market value
Apple briefly reached a $4 trillion market value in early trading on Tuesday, becoming the third Big Tech giant to hit this milestone… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.