Apple claimed 2020 to be its best year with the release of technology company’s fastest chip, M1, the newest MacOS Big Sur, and the latest Mac Mini, Macbook Air, and Macbook Pro today, Nov. 11.

 

As Apple continues to challenge the status quo, they emphasized innovation and bold change in their event today at the Apple Park. The leading company’s Mac business grew by 30% in the last quarter and welcomed new Apple users to the ecosystem. Apple released the fastest chip that is believed to outperform the leading desktops and laptops outside the brand.

 

An all-in-one chip

Johnny Srouji, SVP for Hardware Technologies, introduced the "M1" as Apple’s most powerful chip for the brand new Mac. With the goal of becoming the leading chip in the industry, the M1 will be succeeding the Mac series. It is the first personal computer chip built with five nanometer technology, giving a remarkable performance on Apple’s coming devices. They claim it to be the world’s fastest CPU core that uses the lowest possible power, using twice the CPU performance with only a quarter of power compared to the latest PC laptop chip. With M1’s integrated graphics, the chip promotes incredible performance and low power usage. It also prides itself in being the world’s fastest integrated graphics.

 

What’s inside the M1?

• Unified CPU, I/O chip, Apple T2, and DDR4 memory in one chip
• Unified Memory Architecture (UMA) which helps the technologies in the M1 access the data without copying between pools of memory

• 16 billion transistors, promoting leading-edge technologies
• 8-core CPU, including four-high-performance and four-high-efficiency cores
• 8-core GPU that could execute nearly 25,000 threads at a time
• 16-core design that could execute 11 trillion operations per second
• Secure Enclave, which provides "best-in-class" security to the Mac

 

A smoother Mac experience

Meanwhile, SVP for Software Engineering Craig Federighi introduced the bold design of macOS Big Sur to give mac users a smoother workflow while at home. The Mac can instantly wake from sleep like the iPhone and iPad, as well as open the applications of the two on Mac to use. It also allows users to render 3D animations or play graphic-intensive games with ease. While doing simple tasks or intensive ones on the new update, Big Sur provides users with a quiet performance and better battery life to smoothly finish their work on the new Mac.

 

What’s in store for the macOS Big Sur?

• 1.5x faster at running JavaScript and 1.9x more responsive
• Advanced power management, which easily allocates lightweight and performance-intensive tasks to M1’s respective performance and efficiency cores
• Hardware-verified security boot, automatic high-performance encryption, and macOS run-time protections which provide for an advanced security of personal computers
• Universal Apps, an application built for Apple Silicon and Intel to run all the user’s Macs

• Rosetta 2, built for Intel-based Macs even without an application update to help continue running intensive software for personal use.

 

Mac Mini 2020

Julie Broms, Senior Manager for Hardware Engineering, presents the new Mac mini as a seismic shift to what an ultracompact desktop can do. Compared to the top-selling PC desktop in its price range, it is 10x smaller yet five times faster than the latter, available for only $699 (₱34, 950).

 

 

What’s in store for the newest Mac Mini?

• 3x faster CPU performance,  allowing developers to compile million lines in Xcode 

• 6x faster graphics performance, enabling designing graphics-intensive game in Unity, a company that allows users to make and operate real-time and interactive 3D content

• 15x faster machine learning performance to increase a photo resolution in Pixelmator Pro

• Advanced thermal design which keeps it stay cool and silent even when breaking through its performance

• Two USB-C ports to support both Thunderbolt and USB 4

 

MacBook Air 2020

The world’s best-selling 13-inch notebook redefines the thin and lightweight notebook. Supercharged by the Apple M1 chip, a whole new level of performance and battery life are delivered in a sleek, wedge-shaped design. The Air starts at $999 (₱49, 950) and just $899 (₱44, 950) under Apple education discount.

 

 

What’s in store for Macbook Air 2020?

• 3.5x faster CPU than the previous model, allowing users to export a video for the web in iMovie, and manage huge RAW libraries at ease 

• 5x faster graphic performance which allows video edits in full quality 4k ProRes video without dropping a frame

• 9x faster ML performance that allows Machine Learning-based features such as Smart Conform at Final Cut Pro be done in a fraction of time

• 2x faster SSD which gives a storage performance boost

• Silent Design which removes the interior fan for a quieter performance

• Extraordinary battery life allows up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing, 18 hours video playback, and 2x battery life in video calls in a single charge

• Image Signal Processor reduces noise and greater dynamic range, which also enhances face detection to look more natural on FaceTime calls

• P3 wide color supported in the 13-inch Retina display for more vibrant, true-to-life images

• Secure Enclave features Touch ID for easily unlocking your Mac and securing Apple Pay purchases 

 

MacBook Pro 2020

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 has now become “way more powerful and way more pro” as Shruti Haldea, the Mac Product Line Manager mentioned. It can perform tasks that no other 3-pound compact pro notebook can do, for it is also 3x faster than the best-selling Windows laptop in its class. 

 

Although with all the upgrades and new capabilities, the price starts at $1,299 (₱64, 950) and $1,199 (₱59, 950) under Apple education discount.

 

What’s in store for the new MacBook Pro?

• 2.8x faster CPU performance which allows developers to build apps in Xcode, 3x faster than before

• 5x faster GPU performance that eases the construction of an immersive new world in Cinema 4D

• 11x faster ML performance than the previous generation, making it the world’s fastest compact pro notebook

• Active cooling system that allows to sustain blazing-fast performance

• 20 hours battery life for video playback, and up to 17 hours of wireless web browsing—longest battery life in any Mac

• Studio-quality mics which deliver clean audio with an improved signal-to-noise ratio

• Advances camera ISP which gives sharper video, less grain, better contrast in low-light conditions

• Secure Enclave features activation lock Touch ID to protect lost or stolen Mac

• 2 Thunderbolt ports with USB 4 support which connects to more peripheral devices such as the Pro Display XDR at full 6k resolution

 

The first new generation of Mac was carefully designed which Apple states to support net-zero carbon goal, with its 100% recycled aluminum cases (in Air and Mini), and 90% more recyclable fiber packaging as its efforts in preserving the environment.