At its March 8th Peek Performance event, the biggest announcement was about an entirely new Mac Studio, powered by the insanely fast M1 Ultra chip and accompanied by the stunning 27-inch Studio Display.
Apple’s New Products: Mac Studio with M1 Ultra and Studio Display Redefine the Mac Lineup
In 2020, Apple started to transition Macs away from Intel processors to Apple silicon. This began with the M1 system-on-a-chip. A year later, they added the even more powerful M1 Pro and M1 Max to the family. The chip’s performance was stellar, particularly when measured against their low-power requirements. Apple unveiled the M1 Ultra, which bonds two M1 Max chips together for double the performance.
To hold the M1 Ultra—or a less expensive M1 Max—Apple introduced an entirely new Mac that looks like an inflated Mac mini. The Mac Studio has the same 7.7-inch square outline, but is more than twice as tall, clocking in at 3.7 inches high. Cooling fans take up much of that vertical space, but Apple says the Mac Studio makes minimal noise.
The Mac Studio also expands the Mac mini’s price. The M1 Max model starts at $1999 and the M1 Ultra model at $3999. You can kit a Mac Studio out with an impressive set of options.
Options for your Mac StudioChip: For $1999, the M1 Max model offers 10 CPU cores, either 24 or 32 (add $200) GPU cores and 16 Neural Engine cores. The $3999 M1 Ultra model doubles those numbers with 20 CPU cores, 48 or 64 ($1000) GPU cores and 32 Neural Engine cores. Memory: With the M1 Max, you can choose between 32 GB or 64 GB ($400) of unified memory. With an M1 Ultra, you can opt for either 64 GB or 128 GB ($800) of unified memory. Storage: Internal SSD storage starts at 512 GB, with options of 1 TB ($200), 2 TB ($600), 4 TB ($1200), and 8 TB ($2400). Because Apple focuses on creative professionals, the Mac Studio offers a solid set of ports. On the back, it has four Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 10-gigabit Ethernet port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 is built-in, as is Bluetooth 5.0. For ease of access, Apple finally put ports on the front, too. The M1 Max model features two USB-C ports. The M1 Ultra model offers two Thunderbolt 4 ports. Both provide an SDXC card slot.
To address the Mac Studio’s lack of a screen, Apple introduced the $1599 Studio Display. It’s a 27-inch 5K Retina display with a native resolution of 5120-by-2800, P3 wide color and True Tone technology. Nano-texture glass is a $300 option if you need less reflectivity. There are three stand options: a 30º tilt default, a VESA mount adapter or a tilt- and height-adjustable stand for $400 more. Note that you can’t swap one for another later. The Studio Display offers one Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to a Mac—complete with 96-watt charging—and three USB-C ports for connecting peripherals. Studio Display Unique FeaturesWhat sets the Studio Display apart from other monitors is that it uses an A13 Bionic chip—the same brains in the iPhone 11—to power a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera with Center Stage. Center Stage is Apple’s technology for smoothly keeping you in the frame as you move around on a video call. It also features a three-mic array with directional beamforming and a high-fidelity six-speaker system. In short, this is the ultimate Mac video conferencing setup. It even supports spatial audio when playing music or video with Dolby Atmos, and you can use “Hey Siri” with it.
There’s one other fact you need to know before we put all this together: Apple said that the only remaining Mac to transition to Apple silicon is the Mac Pro, which means that it’s dropping the popular 27-inch iMac from the lineup. We’re sad since that iMac was a terrifically good deal, but if you’ve been waiting for an Apple silicon 27-inch iMac, the Studio Display suggests four alternative directions, depending on your needs. Remember that even the entry-level M1 chip outperforms the most recent Intel-based 27-inch iMac. Minimize desktop cost. If keeping costs down while sticking with Apple-designed desktop gear is important to you, couple a Mac mini with the Studio Display. Maximize desktop performance. Need the maximum performance on your desk? A Mac Studio driving one or more Studio Displays is the ultimate professional setup today. Minimize portability cost. Those who need portability and desktop screen real estate can get both without breaking the bank by combining a MacBook Air or 13-inch MacBook Pro and the Studio Display. Maximize portability performance. For top-notch portability, performance and productivity, you cannot beat a 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro when you pair it with one or even two Studio Displays. Finally, don’t discount the 24-inch iMac. Although its screen is smaller than the 27-inch iMac’s, its Retina screen resolution isn’t far off, and it’s notably less expensive. If you mostly like the all-in-one nature of the 27-inch iMac and don’t need the performance of the Mac Studio or MacBook Pro, you won’t go wrong with a 24-inch iMac.
Both the Mac Studio and Studio Display are available to order now, with shipments starting on March 18th. Demand is already pushing some ship dates into April. Note that the Mac Studio doesn’t include any input devices, but Apple also introduced a new silver and black Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad ($199), Magic Mouse ($99) and Magic Trackpad ($149) designed to complement the Studio Display. Fifth-generation iPad Air Moves to M1 and 5GFor many people, the $599 iPad Air is the sweet spot of the iPad line, fitting nicely between the $329 iPad and the $799 11-inch iPad Pro. However, the fourth-generation iPad Air had fallen behind in a few ways, making its price less palatable. The new fifth-generation iPad Air makes the price compelling again, thanks to the move to the same M1 chip used in the iPad Pro (and many Macs). It boasts up to 60% faster CPU performance than the previous model and twice the graphics performance. Even more noticeable in this age of videoconferencing is the addition of an Ultra Wide front-facing camera with Center Stage. Those who need speedy connectivity on the go will appreciate the new 5G support, though it doesn’t support the fastest millimeter-wave 5G. Apple also doubled the throughput for the iPad Air’s USB-C port, but it remains slower than the Thunderbolt port in the iPad Pro models.
Other key specs remain the same, including the size and industrial design, Touch ID in the top button, support for the second-generation Apple Pencil, rear-facing camera and battery life. Pre-orders for the new iPad Air open at 8 AM Eastern on today (March 11th), with delivery starting on March 18th. It comes in five new colors: space gray, pink, purple, blue and starlight (white). $599 gets you 64 GB of storage, whereas 256 GB costs $749. Add another $150 for a cellular-capable model. About arobasegrouparobasegroup has been consulting with clients and advising the best use of Apple Technology since 1998. We listen to our customers and solve problems by addressing their specific, unique needs; we never rely on a one-size-fits-all solution or require them to use a specific product. arobasegroup is your advocate in all things related to information technology. Contact us to learn how we can help: info@arobasegroup.com. Keep Up-to-Date: An Invitation (Images by Apple) |
