Apple’s scary fast event - new hardware announcements
On Monday 30th October 2023, Apple held its Scary Fast launch event. There’s always some anticipation with such events about what Apple are going to do next. Will they announce the iCar or some other game changing piece of hardware? What they did announce was the release of some brand new computers that come with the company’s latest in-house chipset. At work, I manage a fleet 550 macOS and 150 iOS devices. Right now, I am I’m working out how many devices we need to purchase next year as part of the annual refresh cycle so this announcement has come at the perfect time. In this article, I will share a high-level summary of Apple’s recent announcement.
New Apple Silicon
The star of the show was the unveiling of the new M3 family of chips, all built with ground-breaking 3-nanometer technology (basically squeezing more transistors on a chip). This new processor range provides an enhanced CPU that is quicker and more efficient. It also includes enhanced GPU features capable of ray tracing, mesh shading, and Dynamic Caching (which allots the exact amount of local memory required for a task). This translates into significantly better graphics, with life-like lighting and reflections, and the capacity to handle intricate shapes and designs. Overall, rendering speeds are now up to 2.5 times quicker than the initial M1 chip.
The M3s come in 3 different flavours: the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max. Now if chips were cars, the entry-level M3 is like a reliable sedan – it's got 8 cores and does everything you need for daily tasks (i.e. most users). But if you require performance, check out the M3 Max. It's like a sports car with a 40-core GPU engine, making it a reported 50% faster than the previous superstar, the M1 Max.
It's also worth pointing out that the newly introduced CPUs are not just upgrades of their predecessors; they're stepping up a notch. Take the M3 Max for example: it outperforms the M2 Max and matches the capabilities of the M2 Ultra. This means you're getting a significant upgrade for your investment in just one generation (Source: Macworld).
Underneath the Hood
Apple has switched things up with the CPU core layout in the M3 Pro. The 12-core model now balances performance and efficiency cores equally, with 6 of each. This is a change from the previous Pro chips, like the 10-core M1 Pro/Max which had 8 performance and 2 efficiency cores, and the 12-core M2 Pro and Max with 8 performance and 4 efficiency cores.
This means that the M3 Pro is achieving more with a different core balance. It might seem like a downgrade, especially with the 11-core M3 Pro having more efficiency cores (6) than performance cores (5), but there's more to it. Apple's reasons for this change are a bit unclear, though they mention customer feedback and app usage patterns. However, the real proof of the M3 Pro's capability shines through in its impressive Geekbench performance scores for those who are interested (Source: Macworld).
New Hardware
Apple introduced a new 24” iMac and 14” and 16” MacBook Pro respectively. These machines are the first to use the exciting new M3 chips. You'll find the regular M3 chip in the refreshed iMac and the 14” MacBook Pro. As for the M3 Pro, it's coming to both the 14” and 16” MacBook Pro models. If you're looking at the 16” MacBook Pro, you also have the option to go for the powerful M3 Max chip.
iMac
The refreshed 24” iMac that comes in a range of different colours (green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue and silver). It comes with a 4.5K retina display, 1080p FaceTime camera and a six-speaker system supporting Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio.
MacBook Pro
The new 14" and 16" MacBook Pros pack some exciting upgrades under the hood, but what immediately grabs your attention is their sleek Space Black color. Apple has also enhanced their battery life, boasting up to 22 hours on a single charge. The laptop screens now boast a MiniLED display and a 6-speaker sound system. Additionally, you'll see that the Touch Bars are gone from the MacBook Pro line-up, a feature that, frankly, never quite caught on (Source: The Verge).
Final Thoughts
There's been some discussion around the new M3 chip, with many questioning whether it marks a significant advancement over the M1 and M2. Expectations were high for the M3, particularly due to its cutting-edge 3-nanometer technology, which many hoped would mirror the substantial performance leap seen in the M1. However, in line with the typical progression of chip technology, the M3 offers a modest improvement in the range of 15 to 20%, with a focus on enhancing efficiency rather than a complete transformation. This trend of incremental upgrades, previously seen in Intel's chips, seems apparent in Apple's M-series as well.
Considering the updates in the latest hardware, it appears that the refresh isn't revolutionizing the field. For those with outdated devices or those needing software compatibility, upgrading to the new hardware is a practical choice and one I would recommend. However, if your current device is still performing adequately, I’d stick with what you have and sweat the asset out as long as possible. The latest update in Apple's hardware line-up isn’t providing any crucial advancements so you should have no fear in missing out.
