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Apple is moving fast this week. In fact, by the time you read this, there’ll probably be another product I’ll need to write about. Some would argue it might even be the biggest story of the week.
But that piece will come tomorrow. I promise. I’m currently on my way to London to see Apple, after all.
So far, we’ve had new MacBooks, new chips, a new phone, two new displays, and a refreshed iPad.
I’m yet to have hands-on with any of this stuff, but that will, of course, come over the next few weeks, following my time with Apple today at their Spring launch event.
Until then, all I can do is give you my thoughts on everything heading out of Cupertino at the moment (in no particular order).
MacBook Air and iPad Air: New chips
The MacBook Air is Apple’s best-ever laptop (at the time of writing), and the iPad Air is one of their greatest triumphs.
Put simply, if you need a MacBook that can do pretty much anything, it’s hard to justify the MacBook Pro when the Air is so good.
Likewise, if you need an iPad, just get an iPad Air. You’ll know if you need more than it can offer.
This week, Apple has updated the MacBook Air by placing an M5 chip inside it. That makes it 4x faster than the previous generation for AI performance (and a whopping 9.5x faster than the M1 version), which, clearly, is the main upgrade Apple was angling for. Graphics performance for 3D rendering and image processing has also enjoyed a significant bump over previous generations.
Users of external monitors will be glad to hear that the new MacBook Air now also supports two external displays when the lid is open.
Read my full M4 MacBook Air review!
Perhaps even more striking is the fact that the M5 MacBook Air now starts with 512GB storage as standard – the 256GB model is no more. I’m a big fan of that. It has increased in price slightly, but is still technically cheaper than it was before for that level of storage.
The iPad Air now has the M4 chip, which makes it 30% faster than the M3 version and 2.3x faster than the M1 model. It also has 12GB of RAM (it used to be 8GB), and the front camera is now on the landscape edge, just like the iPad Pro. Oh, we it gets the C1X modem, too. It hasn’t changed in price, which means this remains Apple’s most tempting iPad in the lineup.
MacBook Pro: the M5 generation comes of age
Apple updated the MacBook Pro with the base M5 chip last year and, consequently, made it the best entry-level MacBook Pro I’ve ever used, thanks in no small part to the fact that it includes pretty much all the same ports and display capabilities as the more expensive models.
This week, Apple introduced M5 Pro and M5 Max versions of the MacBook Pro. They’re the first Macs to feature ‘Super Cores’, which, according to Apple, deliver the fastest single-thread performance on the planet. The new M5 chips also have something called Fusion Architecture, which combines two dies into a single high-bandwidth system.
More: M4 vs M3 chip
This essentially means that the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros are bloody fast. I won’t list all of the specs and available options here because we’ll have to skip Christmas, but trust me – these are predictably bonkers laptops. Unified memory bandwidth, for instance, has reached a staggering 614GB/s on the M5 Max.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro also has even longer battery life, and the M5 Pro model starts with 1TB of storage. And, yes, there have been price increases, which isn’t surprising given the RAM crisis and the higher storage starting point.
Studio Display and Studio Display XDR: Finally.
Apple released the Studio Display in March, 2022. I bought one, immediately, and proceeded to make 54,109 pieces of content about it.
The Studio Display remains the nicest-looking monitor in my studio. It’s also the sharpest and the one which, predictably, works the most seamlessly with my Macs and iPads.
Given how long the Studio Display had gone without a refresh, many (including myself) thought that Apple might have made it its swan song for the display industry. The same could be said for the Pro Display XDR. Apple’s monstrous and incredibly expensive 32-inch premium monitor arrived in 2019, and there hasn’t been a whiff of an update since.
Until now.
We have a new Studio Display. It still has a 5K resolution and measures 27 inches diagonally, but brightness has increased from 500 to 600 nits, and it gains a 12MP Centre Stage camera with Desk View (this gives the ability to show a top-down view of your desk without the camera moving). It also has two Thunderbolt 5 ports, which means you can technically connect up to four 5K displays together. Which I immediately want to do for absolutely no reason at all.
Cheack out my iMac buying guide!
Apple hasn’t stopped there. We now have a brand-new Studio Display XDR. This presumably replaces the Pro Display XDR, which hasn’t been updated. The Studio Display XDR is basically a supercharged version of the regular Studio Display with mini-LED tech, a 120Hz refresh rate, 2,000 nits of peak brightness for HDR content (1,000 nits for regular content), and Adobe RGB gamut support. It also comes as standard with a tilt- and height-adjustable stand. Oh, and the Studio Display XDR features DICOM medical image presets, which means it can be used by radiologists.
The regular Studio Display starts at the same price as the previous version (£1,499/$1,599), whereas the Studio Display XDR will set you back £2,999/$3,299. The latter may not be as big as the Pro Display XDR, but it at least weighs in at a lower price point – and it features the speakers and camera that the big one didn’t have.
iPhone 17e: the obvious upgrade
Breaking with tradition, Apple has updated its entry-level iPhone, 12 months after the previous generation landed.
We now have the iPhone 17e, which has the same £599/$599 starting price as the 16e but is now powered by the A19 chip. It also has MagSafe and starts with 256GB of storage.
Related: How to pick the best iPhone for you!
The addition of MagSafe is the big one here – it was the biggest complaint I saw within the comments sections of the videos I made about the iPhone 16e last year.
There’s a new ‘Soft Pink’ option, too; a flash of colour in the ‘e’ lineup that was sorely needed.
The iPhone 17e isn’t Apple’s most exciting product within this bumper Spring launch, but it remains the most iPhone-like iPhone out there and extremely sensible for a pretty big audience. I’m still a fan.
Final thought (for now)
I do love an Apple Spring event, and I’m chuffed I’m actually going to one, in person, for the first time.
Expect a lot more content from yours truly on these releases in the coming weeks.
As always, I’d love to hear from you. What are you looking forward to getting your hands on the most?
3 Comments
Great roundup of Apple Spring Event products and announcements! It’s always exciting to see the newest tech innovations and design upgrades from Apple. Following these launches feels almost as satisfying as landing the perfect shot in Golf Hit.
Great Golf Hit.
Great space waves