Hey, it’s Friday! If you have plans to, I dunno, maybe hang out at the bar (or pub, for the UKers) or something like that with a bunch of PC-loving friends, well, y’all will have something to talk about tonight. Microsoft fired a salvo at Apple in the form of a video short that claims that “top Copilot+ PCs” are faster than the beloved MacBook Air. You can waste 12 seconds of your life watching it below.
(I’ll give you a moment to wipe the spit take from your screen. Sorry about that, I should’ve warned you.) Cheesy production aside (“Was this comically low budget ad made with Windows Movie Maker 2 and a 5 MP camera from 2003?” commented @ItsRichieT), the major sticking point about this ad is that it makes comparisons to the M3 MacBook Air–you know, the laptop that was released in 2024 and replaced earlier this year by the M4 MacBook Air.
So the M3 Air isn’t in Apple’s active product lineup. Granted, you can buy the M3 MacBook Air from third-party retailers and at Apple’s Certified Refurbished store. But it doesn’t look good when a company compares “top” products to competitors that aren’t being made anymore and have been replaced by something better.
The thing is, Microsoft also claims the “top Copilot+ PCs” are faster than the M4 MacBook Air–it’s right on their website. But the results are nothing like the “up to 58 percent” touted in the ad. Microsoft says it recorded a Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core score of 866 for the M4 Air, and that eight Copilot+ PCs “all scored higher.” So, let me take the opportunity to do what Microsoft didn’t want to show you: how much faster those eight Copilot+ PCs are than the M4 MacBook Air (the Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core score is in parentheses).
The Lenovo devices are the fastest of the bunch (I don’t know why the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x 14″ is tested twice; drop me a line if you can fill me in), but those improvements aren’t big enough to make an impression. Imagine that video, but instead it says, “Top Copilot+ PCs are up to 19.4 percent faster than a MacBook Air with M4.” That will just get you stupid looks from the Microsoft marketing department. Heck, we here at Macworld see 15 to 25 percent improvement from one M-series chip to another, and our reaction to that is lukewarm. You can imagine what we think about a Copilot+ PCs offering a less than 20 percent boost over the M4 MacBook Air: Pfft. As for all the other PCs? You won’t notice the difference at all.
We ran the same Cinebench 2024 test and got a score of 797 for the M4 MacBook Air, so clearly, results may vary.
To sum up, for your PC-lovin’ buddies who want to bring up this ad over a few pints:
And if they still won’t listen, just remember that they have to use Windows.
Sure, we love Apple’s Magic Mouse, but despite its alluring design, it’s probably not the one we’d recommend buying. However, this Corsair M75 Air mouse is far more suitable for most users, and it’s only $40 right now, a savings of $90 off what Apple charges for the same mouse (although that model has RGB lighting and is slightly heavier).
This wireless mouse brings clean lines and a classic design that’s comfortable to use for long hours. Equipped with a 26K DPI optical sensor, this Corsair mouse is highly sensitive, so the smallest of movements you make will translate well on the screen. The mouse also boasts 650 IPS tracking and up to 50G acceleration. The mouse is also super light, so you won’t feel like you’re lifting weights just moving this thing around. Your wrist will thank you because this mouse only weighs 60 grams.
Our friends over at PCWorld reviewed the Corsair M75 Air, giving it a 4-star rating, their Editors’ Choice award, and said the model is “like the peregrine falcon of the gaming mouse world; streamlined, and with just the right amount of weight, it moves across your mouse mat with a smoothness and glide that you’d be hard pressed finding in any competitors.”
At this point, the fact that you can get it for $40 seems like the cherry on top, so order your very own Corsair M75 Air sooner rather than later because you can never know how long the deal will last.
The battle royale between Apple and Epic Games over Fortnite doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon.
After a judge ordered Apple to allow developers to link to external payment systems, Epic Games rushed to deliver Fortnite to the App Store after a five-year absence. Earlier this week, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said the game was awaiting approval through the usual review process, and even submitted it a second time after Apple appeared to be dragging its feet. On Friday, Apple made its decision.
Epic Games’ Fortnite X account states that “Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the U.S. App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union.” The company says Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it.
In a statement, Apple refuted Epic’s stance but confirmed that the U.S. version had been denied approval: “We asked that Epic Sweden resubmit the app update without including the US storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies. We did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces.”
The issue is far more complicated than the judge’s ruling. Back in 2020, Apple suspended Epic’s developer account in the U.S. after it broke Apple’s terms by offering a link to buy V-Bucks outside of the App Store. So Epic resubmitted Fortnite to the App Store this week using its EU account, which Apple apparently didn’t appreciate.
It’s not clear what the next phase of this battle will be. As it stands, Fortnite is unavailable on iOS devices anywhere in the world, including the EU, where it’s delivered directly through the Epic Games Store. Apple allows “alternative app stores” in the EU after a ruling there forced the company to allow so-called sideloading.
Sweeney says that since all Fortnite apps must update simultaneously, they will all remain offline until Apple resolves the situation. He’s also spent most of today posting and reposting comments about the situation that support Epic and blame Apple. So it seems unlikely either company will give in anytime soon.
Update 1:15PM ET: Apple has issued a statement refuting Epic’s version of events.
At a glanceWhile we’d have liked to see the inclusion of an M4 chip instead of the M3, Apple’s new iPad Air is well worth a recommendation, offering an excellent display and strong performance for years to come. Paired with a good keyboard case, it could even replace your MacBook. Our only caveat is that the previous model with the M2 chip, which you can find at a lower price, might be an even better buy.
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The iPad Air has consistently been the best choice for most users, and this remains true of the new version, which offers the best balance of price and features among Apple’s tablets. Thanks to its new M3 chip, it has become significantly more powerful than the previous M2 model. However, this is otherwise quite a minor update.
Surely you would expect a new iPad to boast the very latest chip (the M4 is currently available on the iPad Pro), a new design and some cool new features? Regardless of expectations, the iPad Air has remained visually unchanged for three years; this one looks exactly the same as the models from last year and 2022. Apple hasn’t even given the Air any new colors for 2025.
The iPad Pro, by contrast, was given a more innovative, thinner design last year, higher performance and an impressive OLED display. The Pro models bring in the most money, which might suggest deliberate neglect of the Air models. Still, the iPad Air could be back next year with a new design. For now, let’s see if the new M3 Air is the right tablet for you.
The iPad Air is an elegant device with first-class workmanship. The tried-and-tested aluminum frame makes the tablet solid and attractive, and iPads can generally be relied upon to remain presentable even after several years of intensive use.
Externally, you won’t notice any difference from the previous model. Even the dimensions are exactly the same, down to a tenth of a millimeter; only the weight of the 11-inch model has fallen by 2g.
The color options are again Space Gray, Starlight, blue, and purple. The colors are significantly less gaudy than those of the 11th-gen iPad and struck us as very subtle: even blue and purple look “grown-up” and the Starlight finish is barely distinguishable from silver.
The 11-inch model in particular feels light and sturdy at the same time. With a weight of 460g, this can be used with one hand, while the 13-inch model is significantly heavier at 616g. However, even the large model is just half the weight of a MacBook Air.
Eugen Wegmann
The most important new feature of the iPad Air is the M3 chip, but you shouldn’t expect too much. On its website, Apple promises a significant increase in performance. The new Air, it says, is “nearly 2x faster than the iPad Air with M1 chip.” That’s not wrong, but it’s also a little misleading; the M1 model came out back in spring 2022. The comparison with the M2 model from last year, by contrast, is less flattering: in our tests the performance leap was rarely noticeable in everyday use. So we should think of this as a small refresh for the iPad Air, a kind of “speed bump.”
For a proper speed boost, Apple would have needed to install the M4, and it’s pretty obvious why the company didn’t. The performance gap between the Air and the expensive top model has to be maintained.
Still, while it doesn’t represent a startling improvement on the M2, don’t entirely write off the benefits of the new chip. Not only does it have a higher clock rate, it also offers new features such as support for hardware ray tracing–an important consideration for certain high-end games. The new media engine of the M3 supports higher resolutions and can now play HEVC videos up to 8K and H264 videos up to 4K, as well as using the ProRes and ProRES RAW formats. AV1 decoding is also supported, which could be very useful if you want to edit videos on the iPad.
The iPad doesn’t feature the same M3 chip that Apple used in the MacBook Air, and which was available in two versions (8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, and 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU). Instead, the iPad Air gets a third version of the M3 with an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU. Graphics performance therefore sits between the two earlier versions.
The M3 brings a solid performance leap in single-core performance, since the M3 chip is clocked significantly higher than the M2. In the Geekbench 6 benchmark the M3 iPad scored 3,019 points to the M2 iPad’s 2,584 points. That’s almost 15 per cent more performance, which is available for tasks such as web surfing or Apple Intelligence.
In the multi-core test, the M3 scored 11,749 points to the M2’s 10,074, an improvement of around 17 percent. This higher multiprocessor performance is helpful for more complex apps, such as image and video editing.
The Geekbench 5 benchmark illustrates the current models’ improved performance.
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But when it comes to GPU performance the new chip offers far less improvement. In the 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme test, the M2 scored 6,443 points and the M3 managed just three points more at 6,446. In the Geekbench GPU test, things were a little better, at 46,007 points vs 41,902, but still below a 10 percent increase.
However, the performance remains excellent in comparison with other iPads. The iPad (A16), which was launched at the same time, is less than half as quick in terms of graphics performance and scored just 20,123 points in Geekbench’s graphics benchmark.
We also test how long a CPU can sustain top performance. (Performance levels often drop rapidly when the device heats up, as iPads have to cope without a fan.) According to our APSI test running 20 minutes of full load, the Air’s throttling remains within acceptable limits at 86.57 percent. Note that the new iPad Pro is better at 90.62 percent, and the 11th-gen iPad, with its far less powerful A16 CPU, heats up even less and performs even better with 93.94 percent.
The Air supports the fast new Wi-Fi 6E standard, whereas the iPad A16 still has to make do with Wi-Fi 6. If you pay extra for cellular connectivity, which adds $150 to the price, then you can enjoy 5G support via eSIM.
The M3 gets the headlines, but don’t underestimate the importance of the iPad’s internal SSD when it comes to performance. Our 1TB model in the test delivered what we’d regard as adequate performance, achieving 1,646 MB/s when reading and 1,380 MB/s when writing. But this doesn’t come close to the performance of an iPad Pro M4, where we measured 3,362 MB/s and 2,017 MB/s for reading and writing respectively.
It’s also possible to connect an external SSD via USB-C. As an experiment, we transferred some large video files between the iPad Air and a Lacie Thunderbolt SSD. We saw speeds of up to 700 MB/s via the Files app, which puts the Air somewhere in the iPad midfield: the 11th-gen iPad managed only 37 MB/s in the same test, but the iPad Pro M4 achieved 2,200 MB/s.
As usual, the biggest difference between the iPad, iPad Air and iPad Pro product lines is the screen. With the iPad Air, you get a good 11- or 13-inch panel with IPS technology, which is still common among tablets and laptops. The resolution is 2360 x 1640 pixels (11 inches) or 2732 x 2048 (13 inches).
At 600 nits, the 13-inch model is brighter than the 11-inch model, which only reaches a maximum of 500 nits. However, both displays are bright enough to work with outdoors. Compared to the cheaper 11th-gen iPad, the display scores points with a useful anti-glare coating, which means it reflects significantly less than the basic iPad.
More advanced technologies such as OLED (and previously mini-LED) are unfortunately reserved for the Pro models, which support HDR content better as a result. An OLED display can also be considerably more frugal in terms of battery consumption. In addition to the sRGB color standard, the iPad Air supports the larger P3 color space, which is primarily used in the video sector.
A matte display is only available as an option for the iPad Pro, and ProMotion is a Pro exclusive too. Gamers would certainly appreciate a faster display, but will have to make do with 60Hz on the Air. For most users, however, the lack of ProMotion is not a big deal.
For a long time, if you wanted a big 13-inch screen, you had to go for the iPad Pro. But since last year, the Air has also been available with a 13-inch screen too, and buyers are spoilt for choice.
Ultimately, every buyer has to decide for themselves which form factor is better for them. Bigger doesn’t always mean better: the 11-inch model is easier to handle, especially if you’re using it on the move. It’s also significantly lighter.
In my opinion, there are two main arguments in favour of the 13-inch Air. If you often use the device with an external keyboard, you’ll probably be more productive with the larger model. Managing several apps with Split View or Stage Manager is also more practical at this size.
In my opinion, Stage Manager only really makes sense with these larger displays. On a 13-inch model, a single Safari window in full-screen mode is simply too large. With Stage Manager, you can have several apps open and work with Word, Mail, and Safari at the same time, just like on a Mac.
In addition, an iPad with a 13-inch display is ideal as an external Mac display. If you use a small iMac as your main device, you can integrate the iPad as an additional display if required. While an 11-inch iPad is a little too small for this role, a 13-incher is really useful. My take is that the 11-inch model is better for consumption, and the 13-inch model is better for work.
Battery life has hardly changed compared to the previous model. According to Coconut Battery, the battery of our (13-inch) test unit had a capacity of 9782 mAh, and this offers enough power for a day of office work and web surfing. Apple promises up to 10 hours of web browsing over Wi-Fi or video playback, but bear in mind that the company bases that figure on testing with a screen brightness of just 50 percent. In our tests we use maximum brightness, which is a lot more demanding.
In our video test, where we let a current movie run in a continuous loop, the 13-inch Air lasted six and a half hours, which is a good result. In our second test, where a website is called up at rapid intervals, the Air lasted almost eight hours. This is all fine, but the unflattering comparison with the iPad Pro illustrates the drawbacks of an IPS screen: thanks to its efficient OLED display, the iPad Pro M4 lasted three hours longer in the surfing test and twice as long in the video test.
The M3 chip can consume a lot of battery power when it’s at maximum load, for example when gaming or using 3D apps. This is a clear difference from iPads with a slow CPU such as the 10th-gen iPad. Having a slow CPU has plenty of drawbacks, but it reduces battery consumption.
Apple has introduced a new keyboard alongside the new iPad Air, and this has led to a somewhat confusing range of accessories to choose from.
Apple still sells a version of the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air M2 (from $299 for the 11-inch version), in either black or white. But now there’s a new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air M3, which is only available in white. The price for the 11-inch version is $269/£269, while the 13-inch version costs $319/£299.
Apple has improved the keyboard compared to the previous version in a number of ways. For example, there’s a set of function keys, while the trackpad is larger. And it’s important to note that, rather confusingly and contrary to what its branding might suggest, this new accessory is compatible with the iPad Air M2 (and indeed the 4th- and 5th-gen Airs) as well as the iPad Air M3.
However, there are a few compromises compared with the iPad Pro’s Magic Keyboard; only the Pro version offers a glass trackpad and backlit buttons. It’s rather annoying that if you ever switch from the iPad Air to the iPad Pro, you’ll also have to factor in the (not inconsiderable) cost of a new keyboard if you want to get the full benefit of the upgrade.
This keyboard is missing a few features from the Pro Magic Keyboard.
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There are no new Smart Folios, but Apple has dropped their prices. Most third-party cases for the previous iPad Air models will also be suitable for the new model, such as the Logitech Combo Touch.
Finally, like its predecessor, the iPad supports both the USB-C Apple Pencil and the more advanced Pencil Pro. Older Pencils can no longer be used.
The M3 Air offers support for an external display with a resolution of up to 6K at 60Hz, compared to a maximum of 4K on the 11th-gen iPad.
Don’t underestimate the value of this option. If you connect your iPad to an external display via USB-C with a mouse and keyboard connected, the Stage Manager display option is automatically activated. You can then also use the mouse and keyboard and more efficiently edit long texts or videos.
The iPad isn’t an obvious choice as a photographic companion, but the new Air, as usual, is equipped with cameras on the front and back. These don’t compare with current iPhone cameras, especially when taking photos indoors: images quickly become noisy. And unfortunately you have to do without a flash, which would have been useful when taking photos of documents.
The front-facing camera is positioned on the long edge as has become standard practice for Apple, which is the ideal position for video conferencing. Plus the Center Stage feature allows you to choose between auto-zoom or a wide-angle image. The Air is well equipped for video chats.
Video recordings with the main camera are still possible at up to 4K and 60fps, and the Air gets video image stabilisation.
Finally, here’s one area where the Air outperforms the iPad Pro: its rear camera module barely protrudes, which is more practical in everyday use.
I was impressed by the sound quality of the two speakers located on the sides, which remains strong even at higher volumes. This is not only useful for music and videos, but also for presentations and video calls. In most situations there’s no need to add external Bluetooth speakers.
Two integrated microphones ensure good recording quality during video conferences. The iPad Pro offers even better sound quality thanks to its four speakers and five microphones, but the Air is already at a high level in this area.
Overall, the iPad Air is convincing. The iPad Pro is even better, but far too expensive. The iPad A16, on the other hand, is significantly slower and has a poorer display. This feels like a sweet spot.
For most users, in fact, the iPad Air is the ideal choice: fast, ergonomic, and equipped with a good display. Our only caveat is that there’s hardly any reason to buy this model rather than the cheaper previous model with an M2 chip, which is barely less powerful; what’s more, there are some excellent deals out there. The M2 Air is, therefore my personal recommendation. Whether you choose the 11- or 13-inch model is up to you.
| iPad Air (M3, 2025) | 11 inches | 13 inches |
|---|---|---|
| Price (base model, Wi-Fi) | $599 | $799 |
| Price (base model, cellular) | $749 | $949 |
| Display | 11-inch Liquid Retina | 13-inch Liquid Retina |
| Resolution | 2360 x 1640, 264ppi | 2732 x 2048, 264ppi |
| Display technology | LED, fully laminated, anti-reflective coating | LED, fully laminated, anti-reflective coating |
| Color space | Wide color gamut (P3), True Tone | Wide color gamut (P3), True Tone |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 600 nits |
| Chip | Apple M3 | Apple M3 |
| CPU | 8-core CPU: 4 performance and 4 efficiency | 8-core CPU: 4 performance and 4 efficiency |
| Graphics | 9-core GPU | 9-core GPU |
| Neural Engine | 16-core | 16-core |
| Media Engine | Hardware accelerated H.264 and HEVC, AV1 decoding | Hardware accelerated H.264 and HEVC, AV1 decoding |
| Memory | 8GB | 8GB |
| Storage capacity | 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB | 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB |
| Cameras | 12MP wide-angle, f/1.8 | 12MP wide angle, f/1.8 |
| Front camera | 12MP landscape format, Center Stage, f/2.0 | 12MP landscape format, Center Stage, f/2.0 |
| Speaker, microphone | Stereo speakers in landscape format, 2 microphones | Stereo speakers in landscape format, 2 microphones |
| Sensors | Touch ID in the power button | Touch ID in the power button |
| Connections | USB 3 (up to 10 Gbit/s), Smart Connector | USB 3 (up to 10 Gbit/s), Smart Connector |
| Pencil (optional) | Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil (USB-C) | Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil (USB-C) |
| Wi-Fi | WLAN 6E (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Mobile data | 5G/LTE/UMTS/HSDPA | 5G/LTE/UMTS/HSDPA |
| SIM card | eSIM | eSIM |
| Colors | Space Gray, Starlight, purple, blue | Space Gray, Starlight, purple, blue |
| Battery | Lithium polymer, 28.93 Wh | Lithium polymer, 36.59 Wh |
| Surfing Wi-Fi | 10 hours | 10 hours |
| Mobile surfing | 9 hours | 9 hours |
| Dimensions (W/H/D) | 178.5 x 247.6 x 6.1mm | 214.9 x 280.6 x 6.1mm |
| Weight | 460g (Wi-Fi); 460g (cellular) | 616g (Wi-Fi); 617g (cellular) |
One of the frustrations of setting up a new computer is downloading, installing, and logging into all the various applications I use every day. But whenever I set up a new Mac, I’m happy to download and install Rocket—the first app I install on any new Mac. In fact, it’s one of the utilities I miss most when I have to use a Windows PC.
Rocket is a simple, free utility from Matthew Palmer that adds Slack-style emoji typing throughout your system. That’s it, that’s all it does.
If you spend all day on Slack like I do, you know how fast and easy it is to add emojis. Type a colon (:) followed immediately by a search term, and a little pop-up emoji picker shows relevant emojis. You can pick one from the list (with the mouse or arrow keys) or keep typing to narrow it down and just press Enter.
Foundry
It makes using emoji, which I use a lot, an intuitive part of the typing process instead of a separate activity. Rocket simply makes that same emoji typing experience available system-wide. There are a few welcome options, such as the ability to disable Rocket when using certain apps in which it interferes, or when on certain websites. You can choose a custom skin one for relevant emojis, too.
There’s a $10 Rocket Pro upgrade that adds the ability to build a library of custom GIFs or images that you can summon the same way, along with some stats and text expander snippets. I’m happy to pay, but I never use any of those features.
If I had to make a request, it would be to allow for a simple way to look at emoji variants in the picker. Many emojis these days have multiple variations, and it would be great to find one with a few taps of the keyboard. The preferred default skin tone selection handles some of them, but you don’t always want to change up a whole default just to get the right variant of one or two emojis. And not every emoji variation is a skin tone.
But hey, it’s free, it’s lightweight, it’s kept up to date, and it makes my Mac more enjoyable to use. It’s hard to complain about that.
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