Unleashed: Apple’s October Event All Wrapped Up

Apple’s October event, dubbed ‘Unleashed,’ didn’t disappoint as an array of exciting releases were showcased to the public. The event kicked off by introducing the new ‘Voice Plan’ an Apple music plan that utilizes the power of Siri for easy access to songs.

This was followed by a showcase of the new Homepod mini, a smart speaker designed to complement your smart home. Apple then presented the latest entry to one of their most popular gadgets, Airpods 3.

Last but not least, we finally got to see the long-awaited MacBook Pro which has been redesigned and runs on the new and powerful M1 chips, M1 Pro and M1 Max. MacBook pro stole the spotlight as Apple took its time to show us just how good its new laptop is.

Want to know what’s exciting in the new Airpods 3 or what all the fuss is about the latest MacBook? Read on to find out.

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MacBook Pro

Apple finally revealed the 16-inch Macbook alongside the smaller 14-inch Macbook. They both have eye-catching features that we have broken down below.

What Are the Most Eye-Catching Features?

The new chips, M1 Pro and M1 max, easily take the cake as the most exciting feature of the new MacBooks. These chips promise remarkable power like never seen in a MacBook before. What’s even more impressive is how they have been optimized for energy consumption, the 14’’ Macbook can have up to 17 hours of video playback and 16’’ up to 21 hours.

To match its power, the Macbook Pro features a liquid Retina XDR display and for the first time Pro Motion, a technology that delivers refresh rates up to 120Hz for smoother motion content, greater responsiveness, and fluid scrolling.

Additionally, MacBooks now feature three Thunderbolt 4 ports, one MagSafe 3 charging port, an HDMI port, a headphone jack, and lastly, an SDXC port for connecting your SD card.

These are just some of the most exciting features, let’s first take a closer look at the new chips and then highlight other features that you might want to know.

What Is So Special About the New Chips?

Like we have previously stated, Apple released the M1 Pro and M1 Max which both have major improvements when compared to the existing M1 chip. That says a lot about the new chips because the M1 chip could clearly hold its own.

But Apple wanted to create something even more powerful meant to handle graphic-intensive tasks, especially for their creative professional customers. Hence, they came up with the two powerful chips.

So what specs do these chips have and what do they mean? Let’s find out by first taking a look at the M1 Pro chip.

M1 Pro Chip

Similar to its predecessor, M1, M1 pro has a dual-chip architecture that consists of a CPU(processor) and a GPU (graphics card). M1 Pro supports up to 32 GB of unified memory. Basically, this unified approach to memory revolutionizes performance by allowing all components access to the same pool of memory at the same place. Hence, there is no need to move data back and forth so, faster access of data.

To complement this, M1 Pro has a memory bandwidth of 200GB/s. This allows superfast movement of data from the memory. Now that with the returning HDMI and thunderbolt 4 ports, users can have a better experience.

M1 Pro’s Processor

Looking at M1 Pro’s CPU, it features 10 processors which have been divided into two categories to adapt better for your needs. There are eight high-performance cores and two high-efficiency cores. M1 Pro effectively switches between the two depending on the task you are carrying out.

Say you are using your Macbook for a less intensive task like browsing the web, the M1 Pro will automatically switch to the two high-efficiency cores to better preserve battery life. On the other hand, if you are carrying out high-intensive tasks such as rendering or video editing, the high-performance cores are utilized for increased performance.

M1 Pro’s Graphics Processor

There are some major improvements on the graphic processing front as M1 Pro features a 16-core GPU. This GPU promises a performance of 5.2 teraflops. A teraflop is simply a unit of measure for calculating a computer’s processor speed, hence the higher the better. To put this in perspective, the M1 chip came with an 8-core GPU with a performance of about 2.6 teraflops.

M1 Max

The M1 Max takes an even bigger leap when it comes to specifications.

M1 Max’s Processor

The M1 Max doubles the amount of memory supported by the M1 Pro, as it features a whopping 64GB of unified memory. The same goes for the memory bandwidth as M1 Max doubles Pro’s bandwidth to 400GB/s.

This makes M1 Max faster than M1 Pro hence drastically faster than M1. M1 Max features the biggest chip Apple has ever made, comprising an impressive number of a total of 57 billion transistors. This is twice the number of transistors in the M1 Pro chip.

Basically, more transistors mean more power hence better performance.

M1 Max lastly, features the same 10-core processor present in M1 Pro. Now let’s check out M1 Max’s graphical specs.

M1 Max’s GPU

First, M1 Max GPU comes with 32 cores which is double the number of cores found in M1 Pro’s GPU. This therefore automatically translates to double the execution units ( 4,096 compared to M1 Pro’s 2,048).

And most importantly, M1 Max promises a performance of an impressive 10.4 teraflops. Naturally, going with these specs, there will be a gap between M1 Pro and M1 Max when it comes to performance. This says a lot considering how impressive M1 Pro already is.

What About Battery Life?

Apple has always aimed to maximize battery life without compromising on performance. In their presentation, Apple claimed that the new MacBook Pro will deliver the same performance whether it is plugged in or not.

They further stated that the 14” model will last you up to 17 hours of video playback and 11 hours of wireless web browsing as we mentioned above. On the other hand, the 16” model promises up to 21 hours of video playback and 14 hours of wireless web browsing.

The Display

The larger MacBook Pro features a 16.2-inch display with a 34556 x 22344 resolution, while the 14-inch model features a 14.2-inch display with a 3024 x 1964 resolution. Both sizes feature the Mini LED technology which Apple first debuted on the iPad Pro. The Mini LED technology utilizes thousands of tiny LEDs to create local-focused dimming zones. What’s more, the Pro Motion offers you the best browsing experience with 120Hz refresh rate.

This not only translates to better contrast but also better HDR performance hence a better picture experience. Additionally, these Mini LED screens use the Liquid Retina XDR, the same display that Apple uses for its Pro Display XDR monitor. This display offers brighter colors and a better contrast ratio.

The 1080p Camera

MacBook Pro now features an HD 1080p camera. The camera features a lens with a wider aperture to let in more light. Apple also claims that the new camera will deliver two times better low-light performance. This is meant to be delivered with the larger image sensor and the previously stated lens with a wider aperture.

Airpods 3

After the long wait, and two rounds of events this year, Airpods 3 was finally unveiled.

New Design

The new Airpods features a new lightweight and contoured design for comfort and to better direct audio into the ear. The stems of the new Airpods are noticeably shorter. And they feature intuitive force sensors for media control.

A nice addition is that Airpods are resistant to water and sweat hence great for intense workout sessions.

Audio Features

First, Apple introduced a new low-distortion driver in order to deliver powerful bass, crisp, and clear high-frequency sounds. However, it doesn’t support the ANC.

Other exciting features coming to the Airpods 3 are spatial audio and Adaptive EQ.

Spatial audio creates a theater-like 3D experience. This introduces immersion when listening to music and watching movies as the Airpods can place sound anywhere around the user.

Another cool feature is the Adaptive EQ. What this does is that it tunes sound in real-time depending on how the new Airpods fit the user’s ear. This will ensure users will hear the audio as intended by its creators regardless of how the AirPods fit in one’s ears.

Additionally, the new Airpods feature AAC-ELD, a speech codec that offers HD voice quality for natural voice communication for calls.

Battery and Charging

Airpods 3 offer up to six hours of listening time and 30 hours in total along with the charging case. Moreover, five minutes of charging provides you with up to an hour of battery life. Apple also announced that Airpods can now be wirelessly charged.

In a nutshell, it was great that we caught a first glimpse of the new 14” and 16” MacBooks. What was even impressive was the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips that power them. Their sharp display and long battery life will make the new MacBooks favorites in households and professional workspaces.

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Watch the full event here