Apple just hosted their peak performance event. How does the newly announced Apple Hardware compare to your existing lineup and competitors? What’s the future of creatives using Apple hardware?
As expected, at the start of this virtual Apple event, Tim Cook will be on stage, with a regular “good morning” followed by information about the new Apple TV + content, followed by two new shades of green for the iPhone 13. I did. And iPhone 13 Pro models. It’s not that exciting so far, but Tim Cook is known for doing his best to the end.
Next to the new iPhone colors was the change to the iPhone SE and iPad Air models. Both retain their existing form factor, but receive processor updates and 5G connections. The iPhone SE is a decent and affordable entry-level iPhone that starts at just $ 429. The iPad Air also features a faster USB-C port and an updated front 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. The camera has a Center Stage that can be intelligently tracked during a video call. This is an additional feature often used when making video calls with the iPad Pro, which will now run the iPad Air on the same M1 chip as the 2021 iPad Pro model. Both new devices look the same as before, but the iPad Air has some new color options.
New apple silicon
It’s more similar, thanks to Apple! After the ultra-fast and efficient MacBooks Pro launched last October, we’ve been waiting for something a little more powerful than the desktop competition. The M1 Pro and M1 Max processors are extremely powerful given their low power consumption. This makes it ideal for powerful creative laptops such as the new MacBook Pro model, but many commentators point out that these processors aren’t as powerful as some new Intels yet. Processor or high-end Intel and Nvidia-based desktop setup. These use significantly more power.
M1 Ultra
As rumored, Apple introduced us to the new M1 Ultra for future Mac desktops. The M1 Ultra is essentially two M1 Max chips connected using Apple’s new UltraFusion technology, providing a dual die system that acts as a single processor. The custom Apple Silicon Architecture benefits from unified memory, which is Apple’s answer to traditional RAM with these two M1 Max chips acting as one chip and having memory bandwidths from 800 GB / s up to 128 GB. Means to maintain. The M1 Ultra SOC has a 20-core CPU with 16 high-performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, 64 GPU cores, 4 media engines plus a 32-core neural engine, as well as the rest of the M1 family. Equipped with the safe enclave found on chips. ..
Apple claims that the M1 Ultra uses 90% more power than similar Intel chips, but 100 watts less. You’ll have to wait for an independent review to see how these processors work in benchmarks and real-world use cases, but they’re still more efficient, cooler, and therefore quieter than competing products. It may be a good chip.
This is good news for independent creatives, especially those looking for something more powerful than the 2021 MacBook Pro model, or those looking for the most powerful editing tools available without worrying about efficiency. maybe. This could be the perfect chip for new professional-level Mac desktop machines that don’t have to worry about battery life.
Mac Studio
As expected, there are also new Macs that take advantage of the new Apple Silicon. With a direct focus on creatives, Apple has announced Mac Studio and Studio Display with a focus on performance, connectivity, and modularity. MacStudio looks like a tall Mac Mini and will be available on the M1 Max chip in the late 2021 MacBooks Pro or the new M1 Ultra. The Mac Studio is 3.7 inches high and has the same 7-inch square footprint as the Mac Mini. Interestingly, for such an efficient system, about half of the unit’s internal space is dedicated to active cooling with air intakes throughout the bottom. On Mac Mini, there is an SDXC card reader on the front of the unit, and there are also two Thunderbolt ports on the front of the unit, including the M1 Ultra chip. These ports are USB-C for M1 Max systems.
On the back of Mac Studio are four Thunderbolt ports, a 10 Gb Ethernet port, two USB-A ports for these legacy peripherals, an HDMI port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
This is a laptop that is never unplugged and can be a great addition to creatives who already have a well-equipped studio who don’t want to spend more than $ 6,000 per machine. The mini LED MacBook Pro display is great, but it’s not worth it if you keep your laptop connected to your reference monitor all the time. The new Mac Studio offers all the power and more connectivity options without the need for consumers to pay for keyboards, trackpads, and screens.
According to Apple, the new Mac Studio with M1 Max is 2.5 times faster than the old high-end Mac Mini with Intel processors and 50% faster than the current Mac Pro. Apple also claims that the Mac Studio with the M1 Ultra is 90% faster than the existing Mac Pro and has up to 80% higher graphics performance than the fastest Mac Pro. The M1 Ultra can also use up to 128GB of unified memory. The big advantage of Unified Memory is that the memory can be used by both CPU and GPU. This means that the M1 Ultra Mac Studio can use up to 128GB of memory on the GPU, while the high-end graphics cards currently available can only use 48GB of video RAM. Mac Studio can also be configured with up to 8 TB of internal SSD storage. This is confident that Apple will set a fairly premium price.
As a photo editor on a 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro, my need is a computer four times faster than this, even though I paid an extra fee to get a model with 32 GB of unified memory. I don’t think it guarantees. There are no slowdown issues in Photoshop or Lightroom, and it doesn’t matter if you have dozens of images or multi-tiered projects open. Also, it’s okay to edit 4K footage with multiple codecs and color corrections on the same timeline. But I’m not a filmmaker shooting 8K. ProRes has a strict deadline. Those who work with multiple huge files that need to be edited and exported in a timely manner will be interested in a new desktop that is at least twice as powerful as the fastest Apple computer available.
Mac Pros with M1 Ultra are said to be capable of running 18 streams of 8K ProRes 422 video. This saves time and is a huge time saver for independent videographers who want to edit without a proxy.
In addition to better performance than competing systems, Apple claims that the new Mac Studio uses significantly less power than its competitors and is up to 1,000kWh less per year than comparable Intel-based systems. increase. This is certainly interesting for studios concerned about rising energy prices. In the modern world, we can all make some financial savings, especially if we can reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Mac Studios with the M1 Max start at $ 1,999, and M1 Ultra models start at $ 3,999. These prices are significantly cheaper than most M1 Max MacBook Pro models, which could be a great option for studios looking to upgrade their older Mac Pro models to those that work with custom Apple Silicon.
Apple Studio Display
Since Apple discontinued the Apple Cinema Display in 2014, the only Apple-branded displays available are the $, 5000 Pro Display XDR, and the optional $ 1,000 stand. This is not a product for the average Mac owner. I was thrilled to see what modern Apple consumer displays look like, and I wasn’t disappointed. Studio Display is designed to complement new Mac devices, such as the new MacBook Pro and Mac Studio. After this product launch, I’m still looking forward to seeing what Apple will replace the Pro Display XDR with.
The Studio Display is a 5K Retina display with a peak brightness of 600 nits, P3 color gamut, anti-reflective coating and True Tone on a 14.7 megapixel 27-inch monitor. Nano textured glass is also available as an option. This further reduces glare in bright studio environments. The Studio Display has a small bezel and a stand that can be tilted up to 30 degrees. Apple has also announced tilting and climbing stands, and the Vesa mount is available as an optional extra.
Most interesting is the A13 Bionic processor built into the display. I’ve heard rumors about what this processor for displays is for, and many suggest that it can be used to upscale content and match refresh rates. By deploying the neural engine in a way that uses an external GPU to improve the graphics performance of the computer, we expected it to be usable to bring Apple silicon functionality to older machines. I was impressed to hear that this custom Apple Silicon allowed the 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera built into Studio Display to use the Center Stage like all iPad models, but as a Mac. Is the first time. In the age of endless video calls and virtual conferencing, this is a very useful and up-to-date feature. There is also a 6-speaker sound system with 3 microphone arrays for clear recording and streaming of audio, 4 woofers and 2 tweeters. The audio system also supports Apple’s spatial audio with an internal A13 chip. The Studio Display also doubles as a Thunderbolt dock for your Apple MacBook, with three USB-C ports on the back and a data transfer rate of 10 GB / s. It also has one Thunderbolt 4 port, which can deliver 96 watts of power to quickly charge a 20211 4-inch MacBook Pro. This Studio Display is starting to look like a very attractive outlook for Mac users in the market looking for new displays, especially those who recently purchased a new MacBook Pro like me.
Studio Display can be purchased for $ 1,599. This is a bit higher than you would pay for a consumer monitor, even if it doubles as a MacBook Thunderbolt dock. This week we plan to investigate the resale prices of the current Thunderbolt dock.
Apple Studio Display doesn’t seem to target the professional market as much as Mac Studio. It doesn’t look like a mini LED, so its contrast ratio, black, and peak brightness can’t even compete with the MacBook Pro or iPad Pro’s mini LED display. There’s still plenty of room for Apple to release more professional displays to meet the needs of people who have been using Pro Display XDR for years, and you’ll be delighted to see a new monitor that’s not completely expensive. A full-fledged reference monitor. I think this will happen when you finally see the new Apple Silicon Mac Pro.
You can order both MacStudio and Studio Display today and ship them on March 18th.
What’s next?
After briefly summarizing the announcement from Tim Cook, we reached the end of the first Apple event in 2022.
Following a brief summary of the M1-powered machines released so far, Apple has secretly left us the fact that the Mac Pro will still be revealed at another time, this ultra-powerful M1 Ultra Mac Studio. Proved that it only gave a glimpse of its power of Apple Silicone. When the M1 processor was first announced in 2020, Tim Cook said it would take two years to move to Apple Silicon. This allows Apple to show the true power of the processor in another nine months.
Are you interested in the hardware announced today? Do you think Studio Display is the right price for your target audience? Are you excited about what will happen next? Please let us know in the comments.
