M2 MacBook Pro reviews, M2 vs M1, + return of the MacBook! (CultCast #550)

This week: The first reviews of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 are in and they are not kind!

Plus: new details elude to a new MacBook that may be a hybrid between an MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, iOS 16 is adding a MUST-HAVE SMS feature, and an odd Apple show becomes one of most popular shows streamed on any streaming service.

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This week's stories

M2 MacBook Pro review roundup: Powerful chip, archaic design

• The first reviews of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with an Apple M2 processor are not kind. It gets called a “Pro in name only” and “literally a processor update and nothing more.”

15-inch MacBook with M2 Pro might launch in spring 2023

• A 15-inch MacBook will debut in less than a year that offers either an M2 or an M2 Pro processor, according to a reliable Apple analyst. That could make it one of the first with the upgraded version of the M2.

Apple M2 is fast, but not faster than M1 Pro or M1 Max

• The first real-world benchmark tests of the Apple M2 processor show that the just-launched processor is about 20% to 25% faster than the original M1, which is welcome news for anyone in the market for a MacBook or iPad in the next few years.

Win a 65W GaN mini charger that packs a punch [Cult of Mac giveaway]

• The Cult of Mac giveaway prize this week is a perfect fit for anyone who needs a powerful yet compact charger. We teamed up with Lululook to give five lucky winners a chance to get their hands on a three-port, 65W gallium nitride charger.

Apple’s New CarPlay Is the Foreshock to Releasing Its Own Vehicle

iOS 16 beta 2 improves SMS filtering on Messages to iPhone users

• Apple had already teased in a WWDC 2022 session that iOS 16 would add 12 new subcategories to the SMS filtering API. With beta 2, they’re now available to developers to use.

Apple TV+ sci-fi drama For All Mankind rockets to popularity

• For All Mankind is one of the most popular shows available on streaming, according to a ratings tracker. Season three of the alternate-history sci-fi series premiered on Apple TV+ in early June, and it’s been a Top 10 show both weeks since then.