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Today was the day of the event for Apple, and the company announced more details about its transition to Apple Silicon processors on Mac. The company announced its new M1 processor, a new MacBook Air, a new MacBook Pro, and a new Mac mini during the today’s event. Here is everything you need to know.
Processor M1
Apple began today with the introduction of its new M1 processor, its first Apple Silicon chip for the Mac lineup. Apple says the M1 processor offers up to 3.5 times faster CPU performance, up to 6 times faster GPU performance faster and machine learning up to 15 times faster.
Apple emphasizes that the M1 chip is the first chip designed specifically for Mac. It is optimized for Macs where small size and energy efficiency are of paramount importance. As such, the M1 features an 8-core design with four high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores.
In terms of graphics, the M1 processor includes an integrated eight-core GPU, which Apple claims can handle multiple streams of 4K video, games, and more. Apple says they are the “world’s fastest integrated graphics in a personal computer.” The M1 also brings Apple’s Neural Engine to the Mac for the first time with a 16-core architecture. This offers improvements for things like video analytics, speech recognition, image processing, and other machine learning tasks.
Finally, Apple emphasized during the event that macOS 11 Big Sur is designed to take full advantage of the new M1 processor, offering things like instantly waking up from sleep, improved Safari performance, and even better battery life.
The M1 processor also allows you to run three different types of applications on your Mac:
- Apps for iPhone and iPad on Mac via Mac App Store
- Rosetta 2 translation allows you to run applications made for Intel Macs on Apple Silicon, and sometimes applications work better on Rosetta with M1 than with Intel, Apple says.
- Universal apps are apps built for Apple Silicon and Intel processors and can be downloaded from the Mac App Store or from the web.
Apple also announced that macOS 11 Big Sur will be officially available to the general public on Thursday, November 12.
So what are the first Macs with Apple’s M1 processor? Turns out there are three of them.
New MacBook Air
The first Apple Silicon Mac introduced today was a new MacBook Air powered by the M1 processor. Apple says the new 8-core CPU runs up to 3.5 times faster than the previous Intel MacBook Air, while the 8-core GPU is up to 5 times faster. The M1 chip storage controller and the latest flash technology deliver up to 2x faster SSD performance, Apple adds.
In particular, the MacBook Air also features a fanless design, so it remains completely silent regardless of workload. That change aside, the new MacBook Air design is largely identical to the previous generation MacBook Air. On the side, you will find two USB-C ports with support for Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4.
But where the new MacBook Air really starts to shine is in battery life. According to Apple data, the new MacBook Air features up to 15 hours of web browsing and up to 18 hours of video playback. This is higher than the 12 hours of battery life offered by the 2020 Intel MacBook Air.
The new MacBook Air is available to order today, starting at $ 999. For the base configuration, you get 8GM of RAM, an 8-core CPU, a 7-core GPU, and 256GB of storage. You can upgrade to 16GB of RAM, an 8-core GPU, and also up to 2TB of SSD storage. The first orders will arrive on November 17.
New Mac mini
Following the introduction of the MacBook Air, Apple surprisingly introduced a new Mac mini with the M1 processor. The new Mac mini again features an 8-core CPU combined with an 8-core GPU, and Apple’s system is up to 3 times faster than the previous generation Mac mini with Intel.
Apple says the new Mac mini also features an advanced thermal design to help maintain performance while staying cool and quiet. There’s also support for up to displays, including Pro Display XDR and WiFi 6 connectivity. The new Mac mini features two USB-C ports on the back that support Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4, along with two USB-A ports, HDMI 2.0 and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The Mac mini also saw a notable price drop, with the base model now starting at $ 699, which is $ 100 than the Intel model. The basic configuration offers the M1 processor with an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSd. You can upgrade up to 2TB of SSD storage and 16GB of RAM.
You can order the new Mac mini starting today, with the first orders arriving on November 17.
New 13-inch MacBook Pro
Last but not least, Apple today introduced a new 13-inch MacBook Pro featuring the same M1 processor with an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU. Apple says the new MacBook Pro is up to 2.8 times faster than the previous generation in terms of CPU performance and up to 5 times faster in GPU performance.
The MacBook Pro also has a new active cooling system that should help with thermal management. It will be interesting to see how the MacBook Pro and its cool system can handle heavy workloads with the M1 processor, compared to the fanless design of the MacBook Air.
Again, the MacBook Pro really shines in terms of battery life, and Apple says it offers up to 17 hours of web browsing and 20 hours of video playback. This is twice the battery life of the previous MacBook Pro and the longest battery life of the Mac. The new MacBook Pro features two USB-C ports that support Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4.
The new MacBook Pro is available today for $ 1,299, for an 8-core configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You can upgrade up to 2TB of SSD storage and 16GB of RAM in build-to-order configurations. The first orders arrive next Tuesday, November 17.
Wrap
What was your favorite announcement during today’s Apple event? Did you order a new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac mini, or are you waiting to see what 2021 has in store? Let us know in the comments!
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