Halloween Treats from Apple

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Hey there!

Happy Halloween! Apple has been full of treats this week, with new Macs and the release of the first Apple Intelligence features.

Here’s what I have for you:

• Updated iMac

• Updated Magic Accessories

• Redesigned Mac mini

• Updated MacBook Pro

• Apple Intelligence is Here

• BAF Show: The Journaling Guide with Joe Moyer

🆕 iMac with M4

On Monday, Apple announced its new iMac in what would be the first of three daily announcements this week. The iMac features the M4 chip, 16GB RAM in the base configuration, and a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display, including a new nano-texture glass option. Apple also revamped the colors, which look fabulous in the photo above from The Verge.

Other highlights:

• M4 chip with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, or 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU

• 16GB RAM base, up to 32GB

• Storage starts at 256GB, up to 2TB

• Up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports

• Color options: Blue, Purple, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Silver

• Starts at $1299

• Pre-order now, available 11/8

Love a big screen? Yeah, me too and sad to say there's still no option for a larger display.

Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad Now With USB-C

Along with the iMac, Apple released updated versions of the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad with USB-C connections. And yes, the charging port is still on the bottom of the Magic Mouse.

🆕 A Redesigned Mac mini

I love the Mac mini. I purchased the first-gen model years ago and now have an M1 Mac mini on my desk. Not to mention the hundreds we've deployed to classrooms and other locations at work.

On Tuesday, Apple introduced a dramatically smaller Mac mini, powered by M4 and M4 Pro chips, in a new 5x5-inch design.

Configuration options include:

• M4 (10-core CPU/GPU) and M4 Pro (up to 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU)

• RAM: Starts at 16GB, with up to 32GB for M4 and 64GB for M4 Pro

• Storage starts at 256GB, up to 2TB for M4 and 8TB for M4 Pro

• Ports include Thunderbolt 4/5, USB-C, Ethernet, and HDMI; support up to three 6K displays

• M4 starts at $599; M4 Pro from $1,399

• Pre-order now, available 11/8

This thing looks incredible and remains the "best bang for the buck" Mac you can get, in my opinion. It's hard to believe it wasn't all that long ago, in the mid-2010s, that it appeared the Mac mini was on life support.

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🆕 Updated MacBook Pros

To close out the week's announcements, Apple updated the MacBook Pro 14" and 16" models yesterday with M4 in the entry-level model, and M4 Pro and M4 Max at the higher-end.

Configuration options include:

• M4 (10-core CPU/GPU), M4 Pro (up to 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU), and M4 Max (up to 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU)

• RAM: Starts at 16GB, with up to 128GB for M4 Max

• Storage starts at 512GB, up to 8TB depending on chip selection

• Ports include Three Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C), HDMI, SDXC, and MagSafe 3

• Starts at $1599 and goes up from there based on chip, RAM, and storage selections

• Pre-order now, available 11/8

What about the MacBook Air M2 and M3?

It’s expected the MacBook Air will be updated with M4 chips early next year, but Apple did change the minimum base RAM configuration for the Air from 8GB to 16GB. And did not increase the price!

🤖 Apple Intelligence is Here

Apple Intelligence is available now for iPhone, iPad, and macOS as part of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. The initial features, the first of many to come over the next several months and beyond, include:

• Writing Tools, including proofreading, adjusting the tone of your writing, summaries, list generation, and more

• The first batch of Siri enhancements, including contextual awareness between requests

• Reduced Interruptions Focus Mode

• Memory Maker in Photos app

• Clean Up in Photos to remove unwanted objects in your pictures

• Summaries in Mail, Safari, and Notifications

• Audio transcriptions in Notes and other apps

• Smart Replies

The next batch of features isn't far off. Apple says that Image Playground, Genmoji, and Siri's integration with ChatGPT will be part of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 in December.

As a reminder, Apple Intelligence is available on the following devices: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max; any iPad with A17 Pro or M1 and later; Mac with M1 or later.

🎙️ Basic AF Show: The Journaling Guide with Joe Moyer

Ever wondered if journaling could make a difference in your life? This week’s guest, Joe Moyer, believes it can. Joe shares his personal journey with journaling and practical advice on how to build a habit—even if you only have five minutes a day. We cover gratitude journaling, the benefits of recording daily thoughts, and how to avoid the “perfect journal” trap. He also provides tips for those who are new to journaling, with simple techniques to get started.

Chapter Listing:

0:00 Intro

2:52 Hello Again Joe Moyer!

4:56 Let’s Talk Journaling

17:08 How to Begin Journaling

22:11 Day One App for Journaling

25:49 Gratitude and Positivity

31:31 Tips to Build the Journaling Habit

35:07 Where to Find Joe

36:59 Close

Episode Transcript

Listen and follow the show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, all the other podcast apps, as well as on YouTube and YouTube Music.