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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Unreal Engine 5.2 brings native support for Apple Silicon

Image: Epic Games

Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5 lets anyone create 3D worlds easily for games, virtual sets, and more. But Mac users needed Rosetta technology to run it, until now, that is. Mac users can finally run it natively on Apple Silicon with the new 5.2 update, boosting performance on M1 and M2 Macs.

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Apple 15" MacBook Air, Apple Silicon Mac Pro reportedly in the works

Aside from the iMac, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports in his weekly newsletter that Apple is getting ready to release the long-rumoured 15-inch version of the MacBook Air. The company is also supposedly working on a refresh for the 13-inch variant as well as the first Apple Silicon-powered Mac Pro. He expects these Macs to arrive sometime between late spring and sometime in summer. But it isn't clear if these new MacBook Airs will ship with an M3 processor. But he speculates "at least" the 13-inch model could feature the new chip given there's an M2 version of it already.

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'Resident Evil Village' comes to macOS, works exclusively on Apple Silicon Macs

Apple announced its new Metal 3 API back at WWDC 2022 with the capability to support a new category of games for the Mac. One of the first titles to take advantage of this tech is Resident Evil Village, which is now available on the Mac. The game is categorized as a AAA title, given it's developed for consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. But with Metal 3 and MetalFX, Apple Silicon-powered Macs can run the game smoothly.

Resident Evil Village is the eighth title in the Resident Evil franchise. You control a character looking for his kidnapped daughter. Expect a lot of action with collectible weapons and enemies, including screaming gargoyles, snarling werewolves, and other monsters. Reside Evil Village retails for $54.99 on the Mac App Store.

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