Apple seems on the verge of releasing three new Macs in March, according to the latest reports.
Apple has been transitioning its entire lineup to its M1 chips, based on the same architecture that has powered its iPhone and iPad for years. The M1 has consistently won praise for its high performance, combined with its industry-leading energy efficiency.
Consomac (via MacRumors) was the first to notice an Apple regulatory filing that mentions three new Mac models. There were no details provided in the filing, although one model is known to be a portable one, meaning the remaining two are likely desktop models.
As MacRumors points out, Apple is believed to be working on a larger M1 iMac to replace the remaining Intel model. The company is also believed to be prepping a MacBook Air and Mac mini refresh, replacing their M1 chips with the M1 Pro or M1 Max processors that made their debut in the MacBook Pro.
As expected, Apple unveiled its first Macs to take advantage of its custom silicon: the MacBook Air, the Mac mini and the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Apple had promised it would deliver the first of its new machines before the end of the year, with many experts expecting one of the MacBook lines to be the first. Sure enough, the MacBook Air was the first new Mac announced, with the Mac mini and MacBook Pro following.
Many have wondered how fast the new Macs would be, especially in comparison to Intel-based Macs. Apple didn’t disappoint. The company unveiled its M1 chip, the first in a family of chips that will power Apple’s products.
The M1 Chip
Apple M1 – Credit Apple
The M1 is the first SoC for the Mac, giving it much faster efficiency and performance than previous generations of Macs, all of which had to use different chips for different tasks. The M1 features an eight-core CPU, four for high-performance and four for high-efficiency. Even the high-efficiency cores are workhorses, however. According to Apple, the four high-efficiency cores deliver roughly the same performance as the last generation dual-core, Intel-based MacBook Air…but at 1/10 the power.
The GPU also includes eight cores. Apple claims it can deliver up to two times better performance than the graphics on Intel machines using only 1/4 the power. The M1 also includes a 16-core Neural Engine, delivering up to 15x faster ML performance.
The M1 chips improves the overall security of the Mac, bringing the same security architecture that the iPhone and iPad have enjoyed. This includes automatic, high-performance encryption.
MacBook Air
MacBook Air – Credit Apple
With the M1, the new MacBook Air is up to 3.5x faster than the previous model, with up to 5x faster graphics. This makes it faster than 98% of PC laptops sold in the last year.
Like the iPad and iPhone, the new MacBook Air has no fan, is completely silent and wakes instantly. Its improved efficiency gives the MacBook Air 15 hours of web browsing, 18 hours of video playback and 6 hours of videoconferencing.
The MacBook Air starts at $999, or $899 with the education discount.
Mac mini
Mac mini – Credit Apple
The new Mini offers 3x faster CPU performance, along with 6x faster GPU performance. In fact, the Mini is up to 5x faster than desktop PCs at 1/10 the size.
The Mini starts at $699, $100 less than before.
MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro – Credit Apple
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro features 2.8x faster CPU performance and 5x GPU performance. Together, this makes the MacBook Pro up to 3x faster than comparable Windows laptops. The MacBook Pro has the best battery life of any Mac ever made, with 17 hours of web browsing or 20 hours of video playback.
The new MacBook Pro starts at $1299, or $1199 for education.
All of the new machines can be ordered today and are available next week.
At the outset, Tim Cook said: “We love the Mac. It’s in our DNA.” Based on today’s event, that is more evident than ever. It’s also a safe bet far more people will love the Mac too, if today’s announcement is any indication.
Apple announced a new Mac Mini at its big event on Thursday. It features fourth generation Intel Core processors, integrated graphics, which the company says are up to 90% faster, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Thunderbolt 2.
“People love Mac mini. It’s a great first Mac or addition to your home network, and the new Mac mini is a nice upgrade packed into an incredibly compact design,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With the latest CPU and graphics, faster Wi-Fi, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, OS X Yosemite, and starting at just $499, the new Mac mini is the best value ever.”
“The new Mac mini delivers new levels of graphics performance, expandability and connectivity,” the company says. “New integrated Intel HD Graphics 5000 and Intel Iris Graphics deliver up to 90 percent faster graphics performance than the previous generation. Mac mini now includes two Thunderbolt 2 ports, each delivering up to 20Gbps of bandwidth to each port, as well as next-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi that is up to three times faster when connected to an 802.11ac base station. Mac mini is still the world’s most energy efficient desktop, exceeding Energy Star 6.1 requirements by seven times the standard and consuming as few as 6 watts of power at idle.”
It comes with the new Mac OS X Yosemite, which was released for free today. It also comes with iMovie, GarageBand, and iWork.
The machines begin shipping today, and come in three models. Here are the pricing details via Apple:
1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.7 GHz, 4GB of memory, Intel HD Graphics 5000 and a 500GB hard drive starting at a suggested retail price of $499 (US); a 2.6 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory, Intel Iris Graphics and a 1TB hard drive starting at suggested retail price of $699 (US); and a 2.8 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.3 GHz, 8GB of memory, Intel Iris Graphics and a 1TB Fusion Drive starting at a suggested retail price of $999 (US).
Today, at Apple’s big media event, “mini” is the word. But before we get to the expected iPad Mini, Phil Schiller took to the stage to unveil the all new Mac mini.
The Mac mini presentation didn’t last very long, as Schiller seemed anxious to get to the next product, the all new iMacs. But he did take time to announce two new models, both of which are available to ship today.
The most inexpensive model is priced at $599 and includes a 2.5Ghz dual-core i5 processor with 4Gb of Ram and a 500Gb hard drive. The other model runs $999, and it ships with a 2.3Ghz quad-core processor and dual 1TB hard drives. Schiller styled it as the “server” model, as that software comes pre-loaded on the device.
This is the first update to the Mac mini since mid-2011.
For more coverage of today’s Apple event, check here.
