Apple doubles down on storage for the new M5-powered MacBook Air

Source: Apple

Apple's new MacBook Air is now supercharged by the M5 chip. This latest iteration focuses heavily on storage and speed, finally doubling the base storage capacity from 256GB to 512GB. For power users, Apple has also introduced a 4TB configuration option, paired with a new SSD that delivers twice the read/write performance of the previous generation. These upgrades make this laptop a much more capable tool for creators and students handling large libraries and artificial intelligence-related workloads.

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Apple debuts beefed-up MacBook Pro with new M5 Pro, M5 Max chips

Source: Apple

Apple expanded its laptop lineup with the debut of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro powered by the all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. Externally, they look similar to their predecessors, while the internals received a massive overhaul centred on a new "Fusion Architecture." These chips feature an 18-core CPU with "super cores" that Apple claims are the fastest in the world, delivering a 30% boost in overall performance. Additionally, base storage has been doubled, with M5 Pro models now starting at 1TB and M5 Max models at 2TB.

One of its significant leaps arrives in the form of artificial intelligence processing and specialized hardware. Each GPU core now includes a Neural Accelerator, enabling M5 Pro and M5 Max to process LLM prompts up to four times faster than the previous generation. Professionals will also see a 50% increase in graphics performance and SSD speeds that are twice as fast as before, reaching up to 14.5GB/s.

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Premium features trickle downwards for Apple's iPhone 17e and iPad Air

Apple began its week of new product reveals by launching the iPhone 17e, and the iPad Air in 11-and-13 inch. configurations. The latest updates are geared towards the mid range of the consumer market but offer a variety of desireable features previously avaiable in more expensive segments.

iPhone 17e comes in black, white, and soft pink in 256GB and 512GB storage capacities, starting at $899 (CAD). It features an A19 SoC, double the storage from previous e-series iPhones (from 128-256GB), and full-magsafe support for chargers and accessories. Most importantly, the spec bump makes it more compatible with AI workflows, just in time for Apple Intelligence features around the corner.

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'Track Changes' recovers Canada’s forgotten internet music history

Source: Cam Gordon

A new non-fiction release, Track Changes: The Origin Story of Canadian Music on the Internet (1990–2010), shines a light on the era before streaming giants dominated the industry. Written by former communications head for Twitter in Canada and music journalist Cam Gordon, the book aims to be a cultural archive of the two decades when Canadian artists and fans first moved online.

It explores a "partially hidden history" of the digital frontier, documenting how early innovations—ranging from BBS communities and mailing lists to fan-built websites—fundamentally reshaped the country's music landscape before the platforms themselves went dark and the hardware became obsolete.

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