Author: Mobile Syrup

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Apple’s new M2 Pro/Max MacBooks are significantly faster than their predecessors

Apple has announced the long-waited M2-powered MacBook Pro in a not-so-surprising announcement post, as Apple leaker Jon Prosser told the world to keep an eye out on the Apple newsroom website hours ahead of the reveal.

The new M2 Pro and M2 Max are available with Apple’s new 2023 Mac Mini and 2023 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. Pre-orders for the machines are live on Apple’s website, with estimated delivery scheduled for January 24th.

On the other hand, Apple’s M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro are no longer available on Apple’s website but can still be purchased at other retailers.

If you’re in the market for a new MacBook Pro and need help deciding if the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are suited for your needs, you can find out some of the key differences between the two chipsets below:

Apple’s M-series chips are designed with the 5nm (nanometer) process, allowing the company to squeeze in extra transistors per chip. More transistors equal faster processor performance. For reference, the new M2 Max chip has 67 billion transistors, while the M1 Max could fit in 57 billion transistors.

Similarly, the 2021-released M1 Pro and M1 Max chips featured a 10-core CPU and a maximum of 32-core GPU. The new M2 Pro and M2 Max take this further with a 12-core CPU and up to a 38-core GPU for heavy tasks like rendering 8K videos, processing images in Photoshop or compiling code in Xcode. Apple says that the upgrade in GPU cores also enables “console-quality gaming” on the new laptops, with the M2 Max chip receiving a buff of up to 30 percent in graphics performance, while the upgraded CPU on the M2 Pro is up 20 percent faster than the CPU in M1 Pro chips.

“Only Apple is building SoCs like M2 Pro and M2 Max. They deliver incredible pro performance along with industry-leading power efficiency,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, in a recent press release. “With an even more powerful CPU and GPU, support for a larger unified memory system, and an advanced media engine, M2 Pro and M2 Max represent astonishing advancements in Apple silicon.”

The Neural Engine on the M1 Pro/M1 Max and M2 Pro/M2 Max is the same 16-core, though according to Apple, the new chips are “40 percent faster” at machine learning tasks and are capable of 15.8 trillion operations per second. “Apps like Adobe Photoshop run heavy workloads faster than ever, and compiling in Xcode is up to 2.5x faster than on the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro,” says Apple.

Further, the new MacBooks with the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips feature a maximum of 96GB unified memory, while the 2021 M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBooks featured significantly less 64GB max unified memory.

Other than the chips, the 2021 and 2023 MacBook Pros are almost identical, at least visually. They feature the same storage variants, the same mini-LED backlit Liquid Retina XDR display with 1,000 nits of sustained and 1,600 nits of peak brightness and True Tone technology.

Both 2021 and 2023 MacBook Pro variants are dimensionally the same, though the new M2 Pro and M2 Max machines weigh slightly more than their predecessors.

One facet where the new machines have received a significant update over their predecessors, other than the chip, is support for Wi-Fi 6E. Support for Wi-Fi 6E extends Wi-Fi to the 6GHz band for increased bandwidth, faster speeds, and lower latency, in contrast to the 2021 MacBook Pros, which support the standard Wi-Fi 6, which is limited to the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

The battery has also received a slight bump, with the 16-inch M2 Max MacBook Pro offering 15 hours of wireless web surfing and up to 22 hours of Apple TV app movie playback, compared to the 16-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro, which offers up to 14 hours wireless web and up to 21 hours Apple TV app movie playback.

The new MacBooks now also support HDMI 2.1, in contrast to the 2021 MacBook Pro, which featured an HDMI 2.0 port. The updated port features support for 8K displays at up to 60Hz and for 4K monitors at up to 240Hz, while the 2021 MacBook Pro could only support up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz (Apple M1 Pro) or up to three external displays with up to 6K resolution and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz (Apple M1 Max) via HDMI 2.0.

Both the 2021-released M1 Pro/Max machines and the new M2 Pro/Max machines are capable of handling memory and power-intensive tasks, multitasking and running heavy workloads, though the upgrade in transistor count, paired with an increase in both CPU and GPU cores make the M2 Pro and M2 Max undoubtedly more power efficient and faster than their predecessors.

Check out the Canadian pricing and availability for the new MacBooks here.

Image credit: Apple

Source: Apple 

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Mobile Syrup

Apple’s M2 Pro/Max MacBook Pro features coloured MagSafe cable

Apple’s new M2 Pro/Max-powered MacBook Pro features a surprising design shift — a colour-matched MagSafe charging cable.

The previous 2021 version of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro marked the return of MagSafe, but regardless of what colour laptop you purchased, the cable remained an off-white colour.

Now with Apple’s 2022 refresh of the MacBook Pro, that’s changed. The new MagSafe cable is available in ‘Space Gray’ and ‘Silver.’

Apple also offered a colour-matched MagSafe cable with last year’s M2 MacBook Air.

The M2 Pro version of Apple’s MacBook Pro starts at $2,599 and the Max version starts at $4,099.

Via: 9to5Mac

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft to lay off thousands Wednesday: report

Microsoft is reportedly getting ready to shave down its workforce.

According to Sky News, the tech giant will cut five percent of its workforce. The publication notes the company has 220,000 employees, and cuts would impact roughly 11,000 jobs.

As of May 2022, the company had roughly 5,000 full-time employees in Canada. It’s unclear if the layoffs will impact these employees. Back in May, the company opened its new headquarters in Canada and expanded its operations in the country.

Several tech companies have been forced to cut employees recently due to economic changes that saw mass hirings during the pandemic.

Source: Sky News

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Mobile Syrup

iPhone 15 Pro Max’s periscope lens reportedly coming to entire iPhone 16 line

At this point, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is still nine months away from being revealed.

However, that hasn’t stopped rumours from appearing about the iPhone 16 Pro. According to South Korean publication The Elec (via MacRumors), Apple’s upcoming “Folded Zoom” periscope telephoto lens will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max in 2022, but in 2023, the feature will make its way to all iPhone 16 devices.

Rumours surrounding the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s periscope lens have circulated for several months, with most of the reports coming from Ming-Chi Kuo. According to the reliable analyst, the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s optical zoom periscope lens will reportedly feature a 12-megapixels 1/3-inch sensor with 6x optical zoom. The iPhone 14 Pro/Max currently features 3x optical zoom and 15x digital zoom.

If The Elec’s report is accurate, this will mark the first time Apple has kept at least some features exclusive to its larger 6.7-inch iPhone. The last time we saw differentiation between 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch iPhones was back when the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max were released in 2020.

As someone who switched from the bigger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max to the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro because both devices are nearly identical, I’m not thrilled about this rumour.

6.1-inches is the perfect smartphone size and is easy to slide into my pocket or hold in my hand, while 6.7-inches feels massive in comparison.

Source: The Elec Via: MacRumors

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Mobile Syrup

New on Disney+ Canada: February 2023

Disney has revealed the full list of movies and shows that are hitting Disney+ Canada in February 2023.

Highlights this month include the streaming premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the second seasons of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder and Dollface. Note: Star content is typically adult-oriented fare and may be unsuitable for some audiences, so we’ve marked all of that accordingly. Parental controls are available for this content.

See below for the full list:

February 1st

  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
  • The Chorus: Success, Here I Go (O Coro: Sucesso, Aqui Vou Eu) (Season 1, all episodes available)
  • The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (Season 2)

February 3rd

  • Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter [Star]
  • Soul of a Nation Presents: Mi Gente: Groundbreakers and Changemakers

February 8th

  • Alone (Season 6, all episodes available) [Star]
  • American Pickers: Best of Season 3 and 4 (all episodes available) [Star]
  • American Pickers (Seasons 21-23, all episodes available) [Star]
  • Arranged (Season 1, all episodes available) [Star]
  • Atlanta Plastic (Season 1, all episodes available) [Star]
  • Broke-Ass Bride (Season 1, all episodes available) [Star]
  • Dance Moms: Miami (Season 1, all episodes available) [Star]
  • Dance Moms (Season 7, all episodes available) [Star]
  • Empire of Light [Star]
  • The First 48 (Seasons 17-18, all episodes available) [Star]
  • Forged in Fire (Seasons 2-3, all episodes available) [Star]
  • Ice Road Truckers (Season 11, all episodes available) [Star]
  • Intervention (Seasons 19, 21-22, all episodes available) [Star]
  • Kindred [Star]
  • Love at First Flight (Season 1, all episodes available) [Star]
  • Me and Mickey (Season 1, all episodes available) (Shorts)
  • Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir (Seasons 1-3)
  • Santo Maldito (Season 1, all episodes available) [Star]
  • Storage Wars (Season 2 and 14, all episodes available) [Star]
  • Storage Wars: Unlocked (Season 1, all episodes available) [Star]

February 10th

  • Crocodiles Revealed
  • Dug Days: Carl’s Date
  • Marvel Studios Legends (Season 2 premiere)
  • Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine For You

February 15th

  • Dollface (Season 2, all episodes) [Star]
  • The Hair Tales (Season 1, all episodes) [Star]
  • Mila in the Multiverse (Mila No Multiverso) (Season 1, all episodes available)
  • Prime Time (Horario Estelar) (Season 1, all episodes available) [Star]
  • Wu-Tang: An American Saga (Season 3 premiere) [Star]

February 22nd

  • The Low Tone Club (El Club De Los Graves) (all episodes available)
  • Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller (Season 3, all episodes available)

February 24th

  • Brusier [Star]
  • Growing Up Wild

In Canada, a Disney+ subscription costs $11.99/month or $119.99/year.

The full list of movies and shows hitting Disney+ Canada in January can be found here.

Image credit: Marvel Studios

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Mobile Syrup

Ookla’s Q4 Speedtest Intelligence report ranks Bell with the best 5G performance

According to Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence, no national mobile provider in Canada stood out for its download speeds.

Telus provided download speeds of 100.53Mbps, Bell 99.86Mbps and Rogers 77.75Mbps, according to the Speedtest Intelligence report for Q4, 2022.

No brand ranked first for consistency either, which examines how often providers meet the threshold for download and upload speeds.

However, when it came to upload speeds on its own, Rogers was the clear winner. The Toronto-based telecom provider had 12.21Mbps upload speeds, followed by Telus at 10.83Mbps and Bell at 10.01Mbps.

Bell has the best 5G performance, with a  5G media download speed of 170.15Mbps. Telus followed with 158.40Mbps and Rogers with 117.14Mbps.

Fixed broadband

Rogers delivered the fastest download speed in Q4, with 249.08Mbps. Shaw followed with 231.26Mbps, and Bell rounded out the top three at 192.18Mbps.

Bell offered the fastest upload speed at 156.80Mbps. Telus offered a speed of 132.89Mbps and Shaw of 70.31Mbps.

Rogers also ranked first with consistency with more than 91 percent of results showing the provider had 25Mbps minimum download speed and 3Mbps upload speed.

Devices

There was also no statistical winner when examining the fastest devices available in Canada. However, Apple devices Ookla examined fared better than Samsung devices. Apple’s iPhone 14 line was slightly better than the Galaxy S22+ and the Galaxy S21+ 5G.

Image credit: Ookla

Examining chipset info, Ookla found the Snapdragon X65 5G had the fastest median download speed.

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Mobile Syrup

Bell once again offering $55/20GB plan in email to former customers

Bell is once again offering some former customers a $55/mo 20GB plan.

In an email sent out to former customers (including myself), Bell offered the “exclusive rate plan,” which comes in at $30/mo less than its in-market ‘Essential’ plan — that plan costs $85/mo and includes 25GB of data.

Bell’s exclusive plan includes 20GB of shareable data at up to 250Mbps speed. Beyond the 20GB, customers can continue using data at a reduced speed of up to 512Kbps. The plan also includes unlimited Canada-wide calling, texting, picture, and video messages. Moreover, the plan limits streaming video to standard definition — you can pay an extra $5/mo to “boost to [Bell’s] fastest available 5G speeds & HD video,” although apparently, you can use a VPN to bypass this limit instead.

Moreover, the Bell email notes that you can extend the offer to up to two family members. The email includes three promo codes to get the offer, which is available until January 31st, 2023.

Excerpt from Bell’s email about the $55/20GB plan.

Bell previously offered the same deal in late December, seemingly as part of its Boxing Week offers, although it was still restricted to former Bell customers. Moreover, in 2021 Bell sent letters to former customers offering a nearly identical $55/20GB plan. (Arguably, the 2021 version of the deal was better since that was before Bell added speed caps to its plans.)

Anyway, former Bell customers should keep an eye out for an email with this offer — it could be well worth switching. At least, it will be for those who didn’t nab a $45/50GB plan during Black Friday.

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Mobile Syrup

Industry and Technology committee will explore Rogers-Shaw merger on Jan. 25th

The House of Common’s industry and technology committee will re-examine Rogers’ merger with Shaw on January 25th.

A parliamentary staffer confirmed the date to Cartt.ca.

The Globe and Mail reported last week the committee would examine the takeover for a second time. The committee initially discussed the matter in March 2022, recommending against the merger.

However, the second hearing will focus on Vidéotron and its plans to acquire Freedom Mobile. Rogers and Shaw announced they would sell Freedom after the initial recommendations were made.

The hearing will occur one day after the Competition Bureau presents its arguments to the Federal Court of Appeal. The bureau is appealing the Competition Tribunal’s decision to support the Rogers-Shaw merger, stating the tribunal failed to analyze the case accurately. 

Source: Cartt.ca 

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Mobile Syrup

Canadian pricing and availability for Apple’s M2 Pro/M2 Max Mac Mini and MacBook Pro

Apple today unveiled its highly-awaited and long-rumoured M2 Max and M2 Pro chipset available in the latest Mac Mini and 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros. If you’re looking to get a device with the new chipset in Canada, here’s what you need to know.

The new devices with M2 Max and M2 Pro chips would be available directly from Apple next week, with availability at retailers likely to come at a later date. The new Mac Minis, alongside the M2 Max and M2 Pro MacBook Pros are available to order now, with deliveries estimated for Tuesday, January 24th, according to Apple’s website.

Check out Canadian pricing for the new machines below:

Mac Mini

Each of the above-mentioned Mac Minis can be upgraded to feature extra memory, extra storage, advanced ethernet and certain pre-installed software at an extra cost. Find all new Mac Minis here.

MacBook Pro 14-inch

Similar to the Mac Mini, the 14-inch MacBook Pros can also be upgraded to feature extra memory and storage, alongisde an option to upgrade to faster chips with more cores. Find all new 14-inch MacBook Pros here.

MacBook Pro 16-inch

Memory, storage and chip upgrades for the 16-inch MacBook Pros can be found here.

It’s worth noting that retail availability for the new devices is unlikely to appear until January 24th, the day the new M2 Pro and M2 Max machines start shipping. This article will be updated with retailer availbility as and when available.

Learn more about the new chipset here.

MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, though we may earn a commission on purchases made via these links that helps fund the journalism provided free on our website.

Source: Apple

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Mobile Syrup

Telecom monopoly causing Canadians to pay higher cellphone bills: CBC investigation

It’s no secret Canadians pay some of the highest wireless bills in the world.

Many have attempted to answer why. However, according to a recent CBC Marketplace investigation, none of the explanations spell out specifics to adequately explain why telecom prices are lower in other parts of the world and even other parts of the country.

As CBC points out, there are budget brands in Canada, and most Canadians do have more than one option of wireless providers. But these brands are owned by three companies: Rogers, Telus, and Bell.

The federal government’s 2021 wireline, wireless and internet services comparison study found Canadians are among the top three countries paying the highest telecom prices in the world, along with Japan and the U.S.

CBC’s investigation also found customers pay different prices across the county. For example, wireless plans offered by Bell, Telus and Rogers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba cost roughly $10 less than the exact same plans available in Ontario and B.C.

The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) said that it “simply costs more to operate wireless networks in Canada than most other countries.”

Ben Klass, a researcher for the Canadian Media Concentration Project, told the publication “underlying economics” do play a role, but more needs to be done to change this.

“Despite having those similar economics, the similarly situated countries nevertheless are offering service for substantially less, or for significantly better amounts of data.”

Source: CBC