Cover Photo By Andrea Vicencio
Cover Photo By Andrea Vicencio.

Apple unleashes new Macbook Pro and AirPods


“Music and the Mac, and the creative spirit fueled by each of them.”


By Jade Clarito | Thursday, 21 October 2021

To continue the Mac experience to a whole new level, Apple unveiled their new MacBook Pro lineup powered by their latest fastest chips, as well as the anticipated next-generation AirPods on Oct. 19.

 

Following last year’s release of their first-ever ARM processor, Apple released two new M1 chips for their new MacBook Pro lineup along with some upgrades for their newest generation of AirPods. Apple’s “Unleashed” event focused on two important areas: music and the new MacBook Pro.

 

Apple Music Voice Plan

Zane Lowe, Creative Director of Apple Music, introduced the Apple Music Voice Plan, the new subscription tier designed exclusively for Siri. Subscribers can use their voice to access songs, playlists, and stations in Apple Music and request music to be played across all Siri-enabled devices. This counts as the third way to get Apple Music which is only available to 17 countries and regions, excluding the Philippines. The subscription plan will cost $4.99 (254.49) per month.

 

Apple Voice Plan

 

HomePod mini

In addition to white and space gray, Dave Wilkes Jr., Manager of Acoustics Engineering, presented the three new bold and fun colors of HomePod mini: yellow, orange, and blue. The four-in-one smart speaker, which will also be utilized for the new Apple Music Voice plan, will also have its colors infused through its fabric mesh, volume icons, and the tinted touch surface. These new features will be available for only $99 (5,049).

 

Apple Homepod Mini

 

AirPods 3rd gen

Susmita Dutta, Engineering Program Manager for Audio, announced the newest generation of AirPods with new features such as spatial audio with Dolby Atmos in Apple Music. The new addition to Apple’s family of wireless headphones will be available for $179 (₱10,990).

 

Airpods 3

 

What’s in store for AirPods 3rd generation?

  • Force sensor, for more control of music and phone calls

 

  • New low-distortion driver, providing powerful bass, and crisp, clean high frequencies

 

  • Sweat and water-resistant

 

  • New contoured design to compromise delivering best audio experience possible to every ear shape

 

  • Adaptive EQ which adjusts frequencies in the sound to provide high-quality audio experience customized for users in real-time

 

  • One-touch setup that automatically pairs to all the user’s Apple devices

 

  • six hours of listening time
    • Charging case gives an additional four full charges with a total of up to 30 hours of listening time

 

  • MagSafe and wireless charging

 

The next chips in the M1 family

For the second agenda of the event, Apple takes another huge leap forward. Bringing the Apple silicon to even more systems, John Ternus, SVP of Hardware Engineering, introduced the first pro chip designed for the Mac, the M1 Pro. 

 

M1 Pro

 

What’s in store for M1 Pro?

  • 33.7 billion transistors, two-times more than M1

 

  • 200 GB per second of memory bandwidth

 

  • 32GB unified memory

 

  • 10-core CPU, including eight high-performance cores and two high-efficiency cores

 

  • 16-core GPU, two-times faster than M1

 

  • ProRes acceleration

 

  • Display Engine, additional Thunderbolt controllers, and Secure Enclave.

 

M1 Max

Delivering industry-leading performance per watt, the M1 Max takes M1 Pro’s capabilities to new heights. Scaling up the M1 architecture, M1 Max is the fastest silicon built by Apple so far.

 

Apple M1 Max

 

What’s in store for M1 Max?

  • 57 billion transistors, 1.7 times more than M1 Pro

 

  • 400 GB per second of memory bandwidth

 

  • Up to 64GB unified memory

 

  • 10-core CPU, same complex of M1 Pro

 

  • 32-core GPU, four-times faster GPU performance than M1
    • more capable Media Engine, two-times faster video encoding

 

  • Two ProRes accelerators

 

Reimagined MacBook Pro 

The redesigned MacBook Pro introduced back the classic MagSafe charging, the touch bar is removed and replaced by physical function keys. The MacBook Pro comes in two sizes: 14-inch equipped with the M1 Pro starting at $1,999 (₱116,990) and 16-inch with the M1 Max starting at $2,499 (₱146,990).

 

Apple Macbook Pro

 

What’s in store for MacBook Pro?

  • New aluminum enclosure to optimize internal space

 

  • Advanced thermal system moving 50% more air

 

  • Physical keys replacing the Touch Bar

 

  • HDMI port, three Thunderbolt 4.0 ports, SD Card slot, a headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones, and MagSafe 3 

 

  • ProMotion with refresh rates up to 120 Hz

 

  • Liquid Retina XDR display

 

  • 1080p FaceTime HD camera

 

  • Studio-quality three-mic array

 

  • Six-speaker sound system

 

  • Spatial audio

 

  • 3.7 times faster CPU performance

 

  • nine-times faster Graphics performance for M1 Pro, and 13 times faster for M1 Max

 

  • 11 times faster ML performance
    • Up to 64GB unified memory

 

  • 21 hours video playback for the 16-inch model and 17 hours video playback for 14-inch model

 

  • Fast charge can charge up to 50% in 30 minutes

 

The new MacBook Pro raises the bar yet again when it comes to sustainability. With the goal of using only recyclable and renewable materials by 2030, the newest MacBook Pro enclosure is made with 100% recycled aluminum.

 

Screenshots Courtesy of Apple

 

Last updated: Thursday, 21 October 2021