Apple broke new ground when they unveiled their in-house M processors back in 2020. It’s significantly faster than its competitors without asking for too much power and doesn’t produce much heat. The M1 was immediately put inside almost every Mac in the lineup and a new more powerful version was introduced almost every year.
What’s different this time around is the announcement in Apple’s annual software event. The Worldwide Developers Conference 2023 became the platform to unveil the new flagship processor in a flagship product.
M2 Ultra
Tim Cook and co. unveiled the new M2 Ultra – the new top-tier processor for the Mac lineup. It’s also built with a 5nm process but has 20 billion more transistors than the M1 Ultra. Users can upgrade it up to 192GB of RAM and has 800GB/s of memory bandwidth. Compared to its predecessor, the new M2 Ultra is 20% faster, a GPU that’s 30% faster, and 40% better Neural engine. So where did they put this new chip?
Finally, the Mac Pro with M processor
It’s been a long time coming but it’s here. The most powerful Mac in the lineup is now powered by Apple’s own processor in the M2 Ultra. Apple also maintained the PCI-E expansion capability of the Mac Pro for professionals who usually use cards for their tasks like video editors, animators, and music studio engineers. It has a total of 7 expansion slots with 6 of them open.
The new Mac Pro is also beefed up in terms of connectivity. There are 8 Thunderbolt 4 ports, 2 of which are on top for easy access. It can also support up to 6 Pro Display XDR, has WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 3 USB-A ports, 2 HDMI that support up to 8K resolution, 2 10GB ethernet ports, and a classic headphone jack that can directly handle high impedance headphones.
Mac Studio 2023
The more petite pro-level offering from Apple also got an M2 boost. The Mac Studio can be had with either the M2 Max from earlier this year, or the new M2 Ultra processor. The limitation from the Mac Pro is that the Mac Studio 2023 can only have up to 96GB of RAM and of course, no expansion slots. The upside to that is, it’s easier to place on the table.
15” Macbook Air
In a move that’s sure to entice mobile professionals, Apple has introduced a bigger Macbook Air. It’s powered by the standard M2 processor with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU; but has a bigger 15.3-inch Liquid Retina Display. The larger footprint also leads to a bigger battery and it can now go for 18-hours on a single charge, on ideal conditions of course. There’s also a 6-speaker system for Spatial Audio, 1080p Facetime camera, and MagSafe charging. It can be modified for a maximum 24GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.
Vision Pro
After years of leaks, Apple finally revealed the first Vision Pro – their augmented reality (AR) headset that promises a lot with its $3,499 price tag. It consists of two high resolution glass for the eyes that can take you to your virtual workspace or theater with a total of 23 million pixels. The new Vision Pro will take you to your virtual workspace, theater, and even Facetime calls in a much bigger manner. It works with the Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard for better productivity while a 3D camera and specialized audio pods ensure an immersive experience.
Being an AR headset, it has an ‘EyeSight’ feature to ensure you see people who are getting close to you. They break the immersive experience but at the same time, make sure that you’re aware of your surroundings.
There’s also no corners cut in terms of hardware. Aside from the 23-million pixel glass for the eyes, the new Vision Pro has a proprietary single-piece of 3D glass, an aluminum frame, digital crown taken from the Apple Watch, flexible straps, and new built-in audio pod.
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference isn’t dedicated to hardwares though. The main attraction is the upcoming updates to the operating systems of their devices and as such, all OS have flaunted their new features.
iOS 17
The newest software for the iPhone drops support for the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X. Devices with the A12 Bionic have limited support while the iPhone 12 and up have full support.
Among its new features include Facetime voicemails, NameDrop that allows for instant exchange of contact info, Stand By that will have an always-on display on the lockscreen, and Journal – a new app for personalized reminders and notes that can be integrated to photo tasks, workouts, and interactions among others.
iPadOS 17
iPad is a bit more lenient with its support, dropping only for devices with A9 and A9X chips or earlier. A10 and A11 will have limited support while A12 and newer will be fully functional with the new features.
Its lockscreen has become more functional with widgets, improved PDF editing, there’s now a Health app for the iPad, and Live Activities are now available on the lockscreen too.
macOS Sonoma
Named after the wine region in California, MacOS Sonoma features a hefty boost to gaming in Mac. It still supports the last generation of Macs with an Intel processor including the iMac Pro and Mac Pro.
As with the other devices, widgets are a big deal this time around in Mac. It’s accompanied with Facetime video calling effects, aerial screensavers like that in the Apple TV, and user profiles in Safari. The biggest news is the introduction of Game Mode where the CPU and GPU prioritize running the game. There’s also a game porting toolkit that will allow developers to make a Mac version for their existing games on other platforms. Meaning it’s possible to have a native Tekken game on the Mac.
watchOS 10
Just like its bigger brothers, widgets also made its way to the watchface of the latest watchOS. Improvements include the third-party apps can now utilize a full screen interface, group Facetime audio, and how the Apple Watch can now connect to cycling devices via Bluetooth. This is among the slew of small updates for the different functions of the watch.
The most awaited part – pricing. The new Mac Pro with Apple Silicon starts at P449,000, the Mac Studio at P129,990 and the 15-inch Macbook Air at P82,990. There’s no local pricing yet for the Vision Pro at $3,499.
Photos from Apple
