London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Aug 11, 2026

Apple Launches Powerful New Macbook Pros And New AirPods

Apple Launches Powerful New Macbook Pros And New AirPods

The new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips give a ton of power to new 14- and 16-inch laptops.

Today, Apple announced 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and they are very, very powerful. These are a significant upgrade from the previous MacBook Pro and faster than any previous laptop from Apple.

The killer feature of the new Pro is the new M1 Pro or M1 Max chip. The M1 Pro, which is available in both the 14- and 16-inch, is 70% faster than the M1 chip that’s in the newest MacBook Airs. One key feature is support for two external displays.

The M1 Max chip has up to four times faster performance than the regular M1. It’s incredibly powerful and efficient — it delivers a high level of performance without using tons of power (meaning the fans get less of a workout). It can support three external displays plus a hi-def TV. This is a lot of displays. I’m not sure what you’d do with so many displays, but I absolutely support it (in my heart).


Blessedly, non-USB-C ports are back! After Apple had drastically reduced the number of holes in the Pros, the new ones will have an SD card slot and HDMI port, plus three total USB-C ports and a headphone jack, which are welcome returns. (I have a Pro with just the two USB-C ports, and it’s a frequent hassle to arrange a dongle for everything I need to access it.) MagSafe charging is also back, which means you won’t need to waste one of your USB-C ports on charging.

Ports are back! SD card, USB-C, and HDMI on one side, two more USB-Cs and a headphone jack on the other.


The Retina screen, always a point of pride for Apple, has been upgraded as well. On the 16-inch display, there are 7.7 million pixels, which is an unreasonable amount of pixels.

And Apple has added a 1080p camera, which is much much better than the older Pro and Air cameras. Rejoice, anyone who does a lot of Zoom meetings.

One thing that might break the heart of anyone who loves the smooth, perfect lines of an Apple device: the new “notch” in the display where the camera is, similar to the notch in the iPhone. Frustratingly, the notch and its camera won’t have Face ID to unlock the computer.

The 14-inch version with the M1 Pro chip starts at $1,999, and with the M1 Max chip it starts at $2,899. The 16-inch M1 Pro version starts at $2,499, and the version with the M1 Max chip starts at $3,499.

New AirPods have a new design and better sound.

AirPods are not the hottest accessory of fall 2021, at least not according to glossy fashion magazines. They’ve noticed that celebrities like Lily-Rose Depp and Jennifer Lawrence have been wearing a specific retro look: white wired old-school headphones.

Undeterred, Apple has still designed all-new AirPods for the price of $179. The big feature here is spatial audio with Dolby Atmos. The ’Pods have the same adaptive EQ feature as the previous AirPod Pros. Take that, J. Law.

There’s 5 more hours of battery life, for a total of 30 hours. The charging case also provides additional hours and can do wireless MagSafe charging.

Crucially, the new bad boys are sweat and water resistant, which is a welcome feature for extremely sweaty people. I wouldn’t know about that.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Manufacturing Output Records Fourth Straight Month of Growth
UK Condemns Russian Torture of Ukrainian Prisoners and Recruitment of Foreign Nationals
Long-Lost Royal Navy Warship HMS Tiger Found in English Channel After 118 Years
Northern Ireland Finance Minister Seeks Urgent Treasury Talks Over Regional Budget Pressures
UK Government Targets Subscription Traps and Misleading Discounts in New Consumer Rules
Alleged Cartel Boss Daniel Kinahan Extradited From Dubai to Face Criminal Charges
AI Chatbots Challenge Traditional News Consumption and Raise Job Concerns
Andy Burnham Government Promises Crackdown on Exploitative Business Practices
UK University Funding Model Faces Growing Pressure From Unsustainable Student Debt
Government Urged to Subsidise Energy Bills for Vulnerable UK Households
UK Military Spending Plans Threaten to Deepen Infrastructure Funding Gap
Israeli Government Rejects US Peace Framework for Gaza
New Labour Government Signals Closer Economic and Strategic Ties With European Union
Amber Heat-Health Alerts Issued Across England as Temperatures Threaten 36 Degrees
UK Economy Expected to Grow Despite Energy and Supply Chain Shock From Iran Conflict
Foreign Social Media Accounts Drove Disinformation During Belfast and Southampton Riots
Record Number of Migrants Cross English Channel in Single Vessel as Smugglers Deploy Mega-Dinghies
Russia’s A7 Builds a State-Linked Payments Network Beyond Western Sanctions
Reports of Mark Zuckerberg-Linked Superyacht Declining Rescue Assistance Draw Maritime Scrutiny
Preserving Three Banksy Artworks in London Has Cost Taxpayers Nearly £150,000
Four Ugandan Athletes Disappear From Delegation After UK Sporting Events
French Authorities Report Channel Interventions as Cross-Border Migration Dispute Continues
Home Office Admits Error in Settled Status Case Involving Long-Term Italian Resident
Unite Calls for Independent Review of UK Budget Watchdog's Fiscal Forecasting Rules
Thinktank Calls for £175 Annual Energy Bill Cut for Low-Income Households
Foreign-Linked Social Media Accounts Amplified Recent Unrest in Belfast and Southampton, Analysis Finds
London Mayor Sadiq Khan Orders Westminster to Drop Proposed Soho and West End Hospitality Ban
Royal Navy Deployments to Monitor Russian Activity in UK Waters Rise 25 Percent
UK Economy Expected to Grow 0.4 Percent in Second Quarter Despite Geopolitical Pressures
Andy Burnham Launches Cost-of-Living Measures Targeting Subscription Traps and Misleading Discounts
Hyper-Realistic Reborn Dolls Draw Collectors Seeking Comfort and Craft
Gen Z Cuts Back on Dating as a Night Out Nears $200
Patients Turn to Artificial Intelligence for Therapy as Psychiatrists Warn of Privacy and Clinical Risks
Couples Embrace ‘Sleep Divorce’ to Protect Rest and Reduce Tension
Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million and Change Facebook and Instagram Safeguards for Children
Up to only 10 Months in Prison for Swedish Officer’s Murderer Sparks Anger
Success: Nvidia Turned Gaming Chips Into the Engine of the AI Boom
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Advertising trick: Pepsi’s Harrier Jet Commercial Led to a $700,000 Court Fight
Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns
Danube Drought Exposes Nazi Wrecks and Pushes Central Europe’s Power System to the Brink
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Air Traffic Control Outage Grounded Flights Across the Midwest
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
Partial Solar Eclipse Expected to Draw Interest Across Southwestern UK
UK Graduate Job Postings Fall 7% as Entry-Level Opportunities Remain Scarce
UK Private Sector Returns to Growth as July Activity Reaches Highest Level Since April
UK Summer Drought and Wildfires Raise Pressure for Stronger Environmental Measures
×