The coronavirus pandemic has put the world to almost a complete halt – except Apple. The technology giant has officially unveiled the new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini with the M1 chip.
Apple introduced the first series of its ARM-powered Mac computers on November 10, led by CEO Tim Cook. The new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini are using the revolutionary M1, the first in the family of chips designed by Apple specifically for Mac.
M1 is the most powerful and promising chip that the company giant has produced. The chip gives Mac a whole new level of performance compared to its own Intel-based line or most Windows PCs. Thus, it is transforming the experience of every Mac user. M1 delivers up to 3.5x faster CPU, up to 6x faster GPU, up to 15x faster machine learning (ML) capabilities, and longer battery life we’ve all been begging Apple for. The M1 resembles Apple’s A14 used in the latest iPhone 12 and iPad Air.
All the new Macs come with Big Sur, the latest version of the world’s most advanced desktop operating system. Engineered down to its core, Big Sur complements the capability and power of M1, and together deliver an incredible boost in performance and even stronger security protections for Mac users.
“The introduction of three new Macs featuring Apple’s breakthrough M1 chip represents a bold change that was years in the making, and marks a truly historic day for the Mac and for Apple,” said Tim Cook during the Apple Event.
The CEP also emphasized that new Macs would be the fastest laptops in the industry.
MacBook Air
The MacBook Air speeds through everything from editing photos to exporting videos thanks to the M1 chip. The 8-core CPU performs up to 3.5x better. The biggest takeaway in this MacBook Air upgrade is its 8-core GPU. This GPU allows immersive, graphics-intensive games to run at significantly higher frame rates. The M1 chip’s storage controller and latest flash technology deliver up to 2x faster SSD performance, so previewing or importing large files is now much faster than ever.
The new MacBook Air also features extraordinary battery life, with up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing and up to 18 hours of video playback – yes, the longest battery life ever on the MacBook Air history!
Price starts at $999, $899 for education.
13-inch MacBook Pro
Apple also launched an M1 version of its 13-inch MacBook Pro, its most popular pro notebook to date. With the M1 chip and Big Sur, the new MacBook Pro is now more powerful and even more pro. The 8-core CPU, paired with MacBook Pro’s active cooling system, is up to 2.8x faster than the previous generation. It delivers totally game-changing performance for compiling code, transcoding video, editing high-resolution images, and more.
And with M1, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is up to 3x faster than the best-selling Windows laptop in its class. ML is up to 11x faster, and for on-device ML tasks that use the Neural Engine. As the result, the new MacBook Pro is now the world’s fastest compact pro notebook. Additionally, its battery life now lasts up to 17 hours while web browsing. Additionally, Mac users have up to 20 hours of battery life for watching the video. Compared to its predecessor, the battery life of the new Mac is twice time more powerful.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro also boasts improved webcams, studio-quality mics for clear recordings and calls. Apple’s latest camera ISP in the M1 chip enables sharper and detailed images on video calls. These best-in-class features are specifically useful today, with meetings and jobs now done virtually because of the pandemic.
With a promise of superb performance, the new Pro is the tangible proof of what the M1 chip could do.
Price starts at $1,299, and $1,199 for education.
Mac mini
Last but definitely not the least of the new products is the M1 version of the Mac mini compact desktop computer – which is by the way cheaper than the previous version. With M1, the Mac mini packs a staggering amount of performance and incredible new features in such a compact design. The 8-core CPU with up to 3x faster performance accelerates the workload. The 8-core GPU, meanwhile, delivers up to a 6x increase in graphics performance, allowing Mac mini to take on intensive tasks like complex 3D rendering with total ease and speed.
When compared to the best-selling Windows desktop in its price range, the Mac mini is just one-tenth of the size, but it delivers up to 5x faster performance. It also features an advanced thermal design to sustain its breakthrough performance, while staying cool and quiet. It also supports up to two displays including Apple’s Pro Display XDR in full 6K resolution and Wi-Fi 6 for faster wireless performance.
Price starts at $699, $100 less than the previous-generation quad-core model.
Apple’s game-changing leap from the traditional x86 desktop processors to Apple Silicon opens a whole new opportunity for the computer market. At a time when “less is more” has become everyone’s anthem, the smaller and thinner designs of ARM-based chips are promising greater performances.
“Mac has always been about innovation and bold change,” said Tim Cook.
The new M1-powered Macs are set to arrive in select Apple Store locations starting November 17.
