The new M3 MacBook Air is ALMOST perfect (CultCast #638)

This week: The new M3 MacBook Air is only missing ONE thing¦ Plus: Big changes coming to apps thanks to new EU regulations, why you better act fast on the new 11-inch iPad Pro, what's coming next for CarPlay, and how to pay with an Apple Cash card number! This episode supported by: Listeners like you. Your support helps us fund CultCast Off-Topic, a new weekly podcast of bonus content available for everyone; and helps us secure the future of the podcast. You also get access to The CultClub Discord, where you can chat with us all week long, give us show topics, and even end up on the show. Support The CultCast at support.thecultcast.com — OR at CultOf9to5MacRumors.com . Factor Meals. Treat yourself to Factor's delicious, high-quality, ready-to-eat meals delivered right to your door. Head over to FactorMeals.com/CultCast50 and use offer code CultCast50 to get 50% off. Notion AI can now give you instant answers to your questions, using information from across your wiki, projects, docs and meeting notes. Go to notion.com/cultcast to try the powerful Notion AI today. This week's stories: Entry-level M3 MacBook Air uses significantly faster SSD Apple fixed the slow storage speed that plagued M2 Macs on the M3 MacBook Air. Early testing indicates the entry-level M3 MacBook Air delivers significantly faster read/write speeds than its predecessor. No App Store needed: EU iPhone users can install apps directly from websites Initially, Apple's plan for compliance required iPhone apps to be on alternative app marketplaces, not directly available for download. That requirement, which brought complaints from developers, has now been rescinded. 11.1-inch iPad Pro supply shortage might push back launch Apple will soon debut the M3 iPad Pros with OLED screens, but perhaps not as soon as many had hoped. And a new leak indicates the smaller 11.1-inch model could be in short supply at launch. MacRumors: Here's Everything We Know About Apple's Next-Generation CarPlay It has been nearly two years since Apple first previewed next-generation CarPlay at WWDC 2022, and it has still yet to become available in any vehicles. Below, we recap the latest information about the upcoming software system. Tim Cook cameo in Porsche event How to pay with an Apple Cash card number You can get a temporary debit card number to pay with Apple Cash online in case you want to pay with your balance on a site that doesn't accept Apple Pay. If you have a lot of money sitting in your Apple Cash account, this can be a convenient way to pay without using your other cards. Apple acquires fundamental AI smarts by buying DarwinAI Apple reportedly purchased DarwinAI, a small startup previously based in Waterloo, Ontario. The company developed software that might make artificial intelligence systems running on an iPhone or other computers more efficient.