Apple's Peek Performance brought a surprising number of products and updates in addition to the expected iPhone SE and iPad Air updates, including a most unexpected Mac Studio and Studio Display. In case you couldn't watch the event as it happened, we've collated all the announcements from Apple's spring hardware event.
Apple TV+ Baseball
Apple kicked off a show by announcing it's carrying Friday night baseball with 2 games a night. This is the first time live sports is coming to Apple’s TV streaming service.
New iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro Colors
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro will soon be available in a new extremely verdant “alpine green” colorway. The new models will be available for preorder starting March 18.
iPhone SE ft. A15 Bionic
We knew it was coming and the updated iPhone SE is finally here. As we expected it features Apple’s latest A15 Bionic processor and the same old design complete with a home button. Not only do you get the latest chip with this affordable iPhone, but it also features the same toughest glass as the company’s other mobile devices, plus it features IP67 water and dust resistance.
With the new chip on board, the new iPhone SE also supports 5G connectivity. The 12MP camera has also been updated with Deep Fusion to capture images with dramatically better texture, detail, and reduced noise in lower light.
The iPhone SE will be available on March 18 for a starting price of $429 and preorders begin this Friday, March 11.
New M1-powered iPad Air
The long-awaited updated iPad Air is finally here and it has everything we’ve been waiting for and then some. We expected the iPad Air would get a new chip with the A15 Bionic, but Apple is leap-frogging that and installing an M1 inside it. According to Apple, the M1 delivers 60 percent faster performance than the A14, 2x faster graphics than A14. Apple also makes bold claims the iPad Air is 2x faster than any Windows laptop in its price range and even showed off its latest slate running Apex Legends.
The display has also been upgraded to Liquid Retina so it features 500-nits of brightness and HDR – but no mention of ProMotion 120Hz support. Those that use their iPad for video calls will love the new 12-megapixel ultrawide front camera with a Center Stage feature that keeps you in the frame.
The iPad Air starts at $599 for 64GB of storage capacity. It’s available for preorder starting Friday, March 8 and it releases on March 18.
M1 Ultra
Apple unleashed a new computing chip called the M1 Ultra that goes beyond the M1 Max. This new chip is essentially two M1 Max chips that act as one through an extensive connection called UltraFusion. The resulting chip features a 20 core CPU (16 high performance cores, 4 efficiency cores), 64 core GPU. At the same time Apple claims its new silicon ??uses 65% less power than 16-core desktop.
Mac Studio
Apple has introduced a new desktop with the Mac Studio. From the outside it looks like an extra tall Mac Mini. It features two fans internally to pull cool air from the bottom and push heat out the back. It also has a bevy of ports including two USB-C and a SD card reader up front, plus HDMI, USB-A, Ethernet, and even more USB-C on the back.
Equipped with just an M1 Max processor, Apple claims it’s 50% faster than 16-core Xeon Mac Pro. And then with an M1 Ultra it’s supposedly 60% faster than a 28-core Xeon Mac Pro. And even with all that power the Mac Studio will apparently use 1,000kwh less energy than a PC desktop over the course of a year.
The Mac Studio with M1 Max starts at $1,999. Meanwhile, the M1 Ultra-powered Mac Studio costs $3,999 to start.
Apple Studio Display
Apple also introduced the Studio Display as its latest over-the-top computer monitor alongside the Mac Studio. It features a nearly bezel-less 27-inch display with a 5K resolution that puts it at 218 pixels per inch. It also offers 600-nits of brightness, TrueTone, anti-reflective coating, and six speakers including four woofers and two tweeters.
Interestingly this monitor also has an A13 processor built in that’s used only to power the Center stage experience for the built-in 12-megapixel front cam. You’ll also find three USB-C ports and also one Thunderbolt that pushes 96w of power, enough to charge most MacBook Pros.
The Apple Studio Display will retail for $1,599.
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