Sorry, children, Apple's Halloween surprises include both "tricks" and "candy".
At the Scary Fast video conference held on Monday night, Apple executives announced the M3 chip series, with the company's new 14 inch and 16 inch MacBook Pro laptops and new iMacs equipped with these three processors.
However, all of this seems quite familiar. Perhaps this event should be called 'Scary Similar'.
Although Apple has promised excellent performance and graphics processing improvements for these computers equipped with M3 processors, the products themselves appear to have remained largely unchanged. It's not completely unchanged: the new MacBook Pro comes with a stunning "space black" color to choose from.
These new computers have started pre-sales and are expected to be available in stores on November 7th.
Apple has transitioned from Intel chips to using its own designed M-chips in the past three years, bringing its computer business back to life. Nowadays, Apple laptops have the advantages of lower temperature, lower noise, faster speed, and longer lifespan, all of which are the directions that Windows PC manufacturers have been striving to catch up with. However, although the increase in speed can benefit professionals who need to complete their work before the deadline, most people do not experience these gradually improving functional changes in daily use. Apple's new computers also have other disappointments, especially the new iMac, whose screens and accessories have not been upgraded.
After learning about the new iMac and MacBook Pro in advance, it can be said that some places are exciting, while others are disappointing.
The 'trick' section
The "Candy" section of the M3 chip: Yes, you guessed it correctly. The new M3 chip is faster than the previous generation of M1 and M2 chips. The biggest improvement seems to be in graphics processing. Apple focuses on showcasing more details, such as shadows and reflections, in games and other graphics intensive applications.
If you were originally using a MacBook Pro with an M2 processor, could you feel the difference? It's hard to say. Apple has focused on the comparison between M3 and M1, claiming that the graphics processor is 65% faster.
According to market research firm International Data Corp., considering that people usually upgrade laptops after four or five years, all users of older Macs equipped with Intel processors may see significant improvements.
Simplified product line: The iMac starting at $1299 is only equipped with M3 chips. The 14 inch MacBook Pro comes with M3, M3 Pro, or M3 Max processors, while the 16 inch MacBook Pro comes with M3 Pro and M3 Max options. As the name suggests, the functions of these chips are becoming more and more powerful, and the memory capacity they support is also increasing.
Apple will abandon the 13 inch MacBook Pro, which previously started at $1299. Instead, it is a 14 inch MacBook Pro equipped with M3 chips, priced at $1599 and above. The 14 inch MacBook Pro, which is equipped with M2 Pro chips, used to start at $1999
The prices of the more affordable 13 inch and 15 inch MacBook Air models have not changed.
Space Black: On Halloween, the darkest holiday season, the 14 inch and 16 inch MacBook Pro equipped with M3 Pro or Max processors will have a space black color scheme. Apple claims that this material is a "breakthrough chemical material that can form an anodized seal, greatly reducing fingerprints". Keywords: Reduce. I must have left some fingerprints on the MacBook I tried.
The 'trick' section
There is no larger size iMac: When evaluating a 24 inch iMac in 2021, I really liked its design. But the author also found some issues that Apple did not address in its product updates. Where is the 27 inch iMac? Apple seems to be planning to allow users who want a larger 27 inch screen to purchase a Studio Display along with a Mac Mini, Mac Studio, or MacBook.
Accessories not improved: How do you charge Apple's Magic Mouse? Turn it over, like a struggling turtle, and then insert a Lightning wire. Yes, Lightning! Even after the latest iPhone adopts the USB-C interface, the wireless accessories (smart keyboard, smart mouse, or smart board) included with Apple's new iMac shipment still require the use of a Lightning charger.
The battery has not improved: Apple claims that the battery life of the MacBook Pro model can reach up to 22 hours. However, to achieve this, you must use specific system settings to adjust the screen brightness from the bottom to the eighth grid while watching videos with 1080p pixels, and also turn off the Wi Fi connection. I have been using a 14 inch MacBook Pro equipped with an M1 Pro chip, and it has never lasted for a full workday, let alone two.