Apple Launches Powerful MacBook Pros With ‘Retro’ Tech
October 18, 2021Apple has launched the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops which are powered by all new M1 Pro and M1 Max processors respectively. The devices feature an improved clamshell design, thinner display bezels and a Magic Keyboard that is set in a double-anodized black well. Gone is the infamous Touch Bar and in its place – old school, physical function keys.
The new aluminium enclosure has been designed to optimize internal space. It houses an advanced thermal system that is capable of moving 50% more air than previous generation Macbooks even at lower fan speeds.
Liquid Retina XDR Displays
Both the 14 and 16-inch models get a 120Hz, Liquid Retina XDR displays with mini-LED technology found in the iPad Pro. They can deliver up to 1,000 nits of sustained, full-screen brightness, 1,600 nits of peak brightness, and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The displays curve around the front camera (1080p), creating a notch similar to that of the iPhone 13.
Offering Dynamic HDR, P3 colour gamut and adaptive ProMotion, refresh rate, the displays are supposed to let video editors get their work done with ease. With M1 Pro, users can connect up to two Pro Display XDRs, but with M1 Max, they can connect up to three Pro Display XDRs and a 4K TV, all at the same time
These laptops also have three Thunderbolt 4 ports to connect high-speed peripherals, an SDXC card slot for fast access to media, HDMI port and a headphone jack. In addition to this, they support MagSafe 3 power connector for charging. Apple says that in just 30 minutes, users can get up to 50% charge.
Cupertino boasts that these new laptops deliver groundbreaking processing, graphics and machine learning performance. And unlike traditional laptops, these Macbook Pros can deliver the same computing power whether they are running on the battery or plugged into an outlet. It’s so that developers, photographers, filmmakers, 3D artists, scientists, music producers get the best out of their machines.
M1 Pro M1 Max Processors
True to the rumours, Apple has released two arm based, system-on-a-chip (SoC) processors similar in architecture to the M1 launched last year. They feature:
M1 Pro
M1 Pro features:
- from 8-core CPU up-to-10-core CPU with eight high-performance cores and two high-efficiency cores.
- from 14-core up-to-16-core GPUs, M1 Pro delivers up to 70 percent faster CPU performance than M1.
- M1 Pro also delivers up to 200GB/s of memory bandwidth — nearly 3x the bandwidth of M1 — and supports up to 32GB of fast unified memory
M1 Pro Max
M1 Max features:
- 10-core CPU as M1 Pro, and doubles the GPU with up to a massive 32 cores for up to 4x faster GPU performance than M1.
- up to 400GB/s of memory bandwidth — 2x that of M1 Pro and nearly 6x that of M1 — and up to 64GB of fast unified memory.
With the added power, Apple hopes that 3D artists can take their work wherever they go instead of having to rely on dedicated desktop machines. The M1 Max has an enhanced media engine that features two ProRes accelerators for higher multi-stream performance. To put this into perspective, the machines can edit up to 30 streams of 4K ProRes video or up to seven streams of 8K ProRes video in Final Cut Pro.
These Macbook Pros also feature studio quality mics with an even lower noise floor for clear calls and video recordings. There’s also a high-fidelity six speaker sound system, two tweeters and four force-cancelling woofers offering 80% more base. This sound system also supports spatial audio, which creates a 3-dimensional listening experience.
In terms of battery life, The 14-inch model delivers up to 17 hours of video playback, which is 7 more than the previous generation, while the 16-inch one offers 21 hours of service life on a single charge.
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro model starts at RM8,799/$1,999 (US), and $1,849 (US) for education; the 16-inch MacBook Pro model starts at RM10,799/$2,499 (US), and $2,299 (US) for education. They will be available to purchase on Monday, October 25th, 2021.
