As promised by Tim Cook, this week was filled with significant Apple announcements. The tech giant introduced two brand-new iPad models, two upgraded Mac models, a highly advanced Apple Silicon chip, and much more. Here’s a comprehensive recap of all the announcements from Apple this week…
Introducing the New iPad Air
Apple commenced the event with the unveiling of the updated iPad Air, now equipped with the M3 chip. It retains the same 11-inch and 13-inch sizes as previous versions. Color options include blue, purple, starlight, and space gray, with storage variants ranging from 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, to 1TB.
A newly designed Magic Keyboard tailored for the iPad Air includes a function row and a slightly larger trackpad. The pricing is set at $299 for the 11-inch version and $349 for the 13-inch model.
The starting price for the 11-inch iPad Air is $599, with the 13-inch variant beginning at $799. The first shipment of orders will arrive on March 12.
Discover more about the new iPad Air
The New iPad (A16)
The updated iteration of Apple’s budget-friendly iPad boasts the new A16 chip, claimed to deliver up to 30% enhanced performance compared to the earlier A14 model. It now offers double the storage of its predecessor, starting with 128GB for the same price of $349.
However, the new iPad does lack support for Apple Intelligence—though this is likely not a major concern for most users at the moment.
Fresh iPhone Cases and Apple Watch Bands
Apple’s silicone cases are now offered in four new color options:
Additionally, new Apple Watch bands have been released:
The New MacBook Air
On Wednesday, Apple revealed the M4 MacBook Air, offered in both 13-inch and 15-inch screen sizes. In addition to the enhanced performance with the M4 chip, the new MacBook Air introduces a stylish sky blue color option.
The most exciting news for the MacBook Air is the price drop—now $100 less than before. The 13-inch M4 MacBook Air begins at $999, while the 15-inch variant starts at $1199. Base configurations include 16GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage. This might just be the best value in a MacBook that Apple has ever provided.
Learn more about the new MacBook Air
Unveiling the New Mac Studio and M3 Ultra
This week’s standout announcement was the launch of a new Mac Studio. It now comes equipped with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. While the M4 Max chip first appeared in the MacBook Pro last year, this marks the debut of the M3 Ultra chip.
- An impressive 32-core CPU with 24 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores, making it the Mac with the highest number of CPU cores yet.
- An extraordinary 80-core GPU, surpassing all other Apple Silicon chips.
- Nearly double the performance over M4 Max in tasks that leverage high CPU and GPU core counts.
- Performance up to 2.6 times faster than the Mac Studio with M1 Ultra.
The M3 Ultra Mac Studio starts with 96GB of unified memory, expandable up to 512GB, and offers SSD storage options up to a whopping 16TB.
Conclusion
What was your highlight from Apple’s announcements this week? Have you purchased any of the newly revealed devices? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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