Apple

Here are my quick-hit reactions to Apple's March 8 event, at which the company updated the iPhone SE and iPad Air, rolled out a brand-new Mac and external ...

Since this is the end of the era, I’d expect Apple to turn the page soon and introduce the first wave of M2-based Macs. The M2 will probably be a somewhat modest improvement—you can’t make a big leap in performance and energy efficiency like the M1 every time out. The M1 Max chip itself is intelligent about saving energy by shutting off unused elements, so there doesn’t need to be a micromanager at a high level trying to spread the load. And it will please a lot of people who want a bit more than the 24-inch iMac, but don’t need to spend $2000 on a Mac Studio and then find a display to use with it. While it’s true that an Apple silicon-based Mac could probably do all that work itself, it’s important to remember that the Studio Display is also compatible with Intel Macs, including models from all the way back in 2016. The Mac Studio could be seen as an attempt to let the iMac and Mac mini go back to what they were before, with the Mac Studio shouldering the load as the provider of computing power to people who want it. There’s a good reason the M1 Ultra wasn’t named something like the M1 Max Duo: it’s not two chips, it’s two complete systems-on-a-chip combined into a single package. You heard Apple’s John Ternus right: The M1 Ultra is the final chip of the M1 era. It’s also processing the audio being sent to it, creating spatial audio effects for the Studio Display’s speakers. But here’s why: That A13 is doing the work of Center Stage, scanning the wide-angle camera image for faces and scaling and moving the view so that people are always in frame. With an A15 processor inside, I’d imagine this SE will be on sale for a couple of years at the very least. One of these days, this design will fade into oblivion like the original iPhone SE design (based on the iPhone 5). But Tuesday was not that day. I’m more struck by the fact that the iPad Air’s specs show just how efficient Apple can be about standardizing hardware and re-using it across multiple devices.

Apple's (AAPL) spring event introduced Mac Studio and the M1 Ultra as well as revealing updates to the iPhone SE and iPad Air.

The fully fitted top-line Mac Studio will feature a 64-core GPU, 128GB of memory, and 8TB SSD along with the M1 Ultra, running the price north of $8,000. Center Stage will allow the camera to pan and fit everything in front into its frame. The updated iPhone SE 3 comes with the latest 6-core A15 Bionic processor that the iPhone 13 sports, as well as 5G capabilities.

Convenient features like SD card slots, HDMI ports, and a traditional laptop keyboard were unceremoniously booted from MacBooks in favor of USB-C and a ...

The pairing of a Mac Studio and Studio Display is a less expensive, more flexible alternative to the iMac Pro’s computer-inside-a-screen. I don’t want to overstate Ive’s influence — or understate his accomplishments — at a company that’s as massive and successful as Apple. But with each passing Apple event, it’s hard to ignore the fact that a product shift is happening at the company. The last iMac Pro started at $4,999, while the starting price of a Mac Studio with Studio Display is $3,598. At least, that was my takeaway after watching Apple comparing the performance of the Studio’s M1 Ultra with the kinds of Intel Xeon processors it used to include on its professionally focused all-in-one, and which Apple now includes in its more expensive Mac Pro. That means four Thunderbolt 4 ports on its rear and the continued existence of traditional USB-A, Ethernet, 3.5mm audio, and HDMI ports for the vast majority of users that still need them. Apple’s professionally focused Mac Pro was given a space-efficient cylindrical redesign that failed at the basic task of keeping power-hungry components (like those a professional user might actually need) cool.

Apple has unveiled a new entry-level iPhone, the iPhone SE, that keeps some of the features from its flagship iPhone 13 range but at a much lower price - a ...

Consumers were uncertain about the outlook and an affordable iPhone was ideally placed to take advantage of that. "When the iPhone SE 2020 was announced at the height of the pandemic it was the perfect product at that time. The new iPhone SE comes with 5G connectivity and the same A15 Bionic chip the tech giant put in the iPhone 13 when it announced it last year.

Company unveils new iPhone SE, updated iPad Air, and new M1 Ultra chip.

The desktop also offers extensive connectivity, with four Thunderbolt ports, two USB A ports, an HDMI connection and a pro audio jack. We’re excited for the iPhone SE to build on this momentum.” “From the very beginning we designed iPhone SE to include some of our most advanced features and technologies while delivering the iPhone experience at an incredible price,” said Apple chief executive Tim Cook. “This is important for existing users who want a smaller iPhone and great value. The iPad Air was introduced in 2013 as a thinner, lighter alternative to the standard iPad, but 2020 saw a major update for the tablet to bring it more in line with the iPad Pro. That included the support for the second generation Apple Pencil, and a new design that echoed the top-end iPad. Apple ditched its A-series Bionic chips for the fifth generation iPad Air, opting instead to go for its custom-designed silicon that has made an appearance in its MacBooks and iPad Pro. The move brings the the fifth generation of Apple’s popular device closer to the iPad Pro as desktop replacement. The Mac Studio and Studio Display.

At its Peek Performance event, Apple unveiled a budget 5G iPhone, its fastest processor for personal computers and the new Mac Studio.

Apple also made a few other announcements at its Peek Performance event, including the new iOS 15.4 that is due to hit iPhones from next week. The 27-inch Intel-based iMac is also no more, disappearing from Apple’s online store after the event and paving the way for Studio Display. The Studio Display also comes with a 12MP ultra-wide camera, six speakers and spatial audio to make video conferencing more immersive. The cheapest model starts at €709 in Ireland, with 5G models costing more. It performance is powered by a 20-core CPU, 64-core GPU and 32-core neural engine that can help coders and designers work much faster. Apple said that this makes it almost twice as fast as the iPhone 8 and greatly enhances camera performance as well as gaming and AR features.