Apple has unveiled its next generation of Mac and MacBook computers, and they are speedy.
Since creating their own processors for the iPhone and iPad (and seeing them rise to the top of the “world’s fastest” lists) it has long sought to do the same thing with its laptops and computers.
Enter the Apple M1 chip, which is the Cupertino-based company’s answer to Intel-provided chips that have previously been inside Apple computers.
The Apple MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13-inch and Mac Mini will all get the M1 chip at launch.
The M1 boasts eight CPU cores, seven GPU cores and 16 neural engine cores. In tech speak that means a 3.5x performance boost over the previous generation, along with 5x the graphical power.
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The 13-inch MacBook Air will also get up to 16GB of memory, 2TB of SSD storage and up to 18 hours of battery life. The base model costs just US$1,000.
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro also comes with an M1 chip under the hood. It has a similar power boost to its Air predecessor, but with more Pro-appropriate specs. The chassis remains unchanged, however you’ll get access to upgraded RAM and storage. More importantly, the MacBook Pro reportedly has 20 hours of video playback (double that of the previous generation).
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Finally, Apple unveiled its Mac Mini desktop computer that gives it 3x faster processing and 6x faster graphics. The chassis again remains unchanged, however Apple says that it will be cooler and quieter than ever before. That starts at US$700.
The M1 chip also works well with Apple’s latest Mac OS, Big Sur. The latest operating system will allow both iPhone and iPad apps to run natively on its computer hardware. However, it also said that Intel-reliant programs would be able to run via Rosetta 2.
The M1 MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and the Mac Mini are available to order right now. All units will begin shipping on November 17. Mac OS Big Sur will be available on November 12.
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