It’s not always difficult to come up with powerful processors but the challenge is to also make it efficient in energy consumption. Apple has got both things going with its two new processors — M1 Pro and M1 Max, which give the MacBook a big push while moving away from Intel and at the same time give creators — animators, video editors, sound engineers, graphic artists… — more than a few reasons to remain loyal to the device because the most complicated of tasks can now be handled on the move.

The arrival of the chips is also a wake-up call for some laptop manufacturers who have been rebranding gaming laptops to circulate them for creative professionals who want more power.

For creative pros

Astrologers often get away by saying “expect the unexpected” and that is exactly what has happened. In its most aggressive move to leave its partnership with Intel behind and at the same time prove what can be achieved with custom silicon, Apple has introduced two processors — M1 Pro or M1 Max, which follow last year’s M1. The latest processors will help move away from the high-end chips that Intel has provided for the MacBook Pro and other top-end Macs for about 15 years. The transition started last year and now, it’s about outperforming Intel solutions.

The two new chips, which will power the new MacBook Pro (comes in 14 and 16 inch), are up to 70 per cent faster than last year’s M1, and graphics-wise, the M1 Pro is two times faster and the M1 Max is four times faster. Now, that’s insane speeds we are talking about and will leave most laptop manufacturers scratching their heads.

Both built on the same 5nm process, what we are going to see is massive jumps in performance. The M1 Pro has a 10-core CPU (up from eight cores on the M1), with eight high-performance cores and two high-efficiency cores. For graphics, the M1 Pro offers an up to 16-core GPU (with up to 32GB of unified memory) that’s twice as fast as the M1. Meanwhile, the M1 Max features the same 10-core CPU coupled with a 32-core GPU (with support for up to 64GB of unified memory).

In case you are a professional video editor or game designer, M1 Max is almost certain to be your companion. With even the latest PC laptops topping out at 16GB of video memory, having this huge amount of memory available is game-changing for pro workloads, allowing pros to do things that were previously unimaginable on a notebook. It means, 3D artists on the new MacBook Pro can now easily work with extreme geometry and textures in scenes that pro PC laptops can’t even run. You can edit up to 30 streams of 4K ProRes video or up to seven streams of 8K ProRes video in Final Cut Pro.

Staying on with the MacBook Pro, Apple is bringing MagSafe 3. The company had turned its back on MagSafe five years ago by moving to USB-C but the familiar quick-release connector is returning (USB-C charging also stays). The return of MagSafe is helpful for people whose desks are packed with cables.
And here’s something many users have been asking for long — the new computers will ditch the Touch Bar and bring back physical function keys and additional ports (HDMI, SDXC).

One of the rumours to have come true is the arrival of the notch, which appears slick on the 120Hz display. The cut-out will be home to the 1080p camera system with a wider aperture and a larger image sensor that should provide better low-light performance. But there is no Face ID here.
While the smaller MacBook Pro is capable of 17 hours of video playback, the bigger version can go 21 hours. And you can replenish the battery up to 50 per cent in 30 minutes.
Apple arriving at its own chipset has had an interesting history. There was a time when Apple relied on Motorola processor but these didn’t always match the performance of Intel chips. Apple knew it needed full control of computing. At the same time, Intel kept investing towards making powerful chips. As soon as Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, the rebuilding strategy began and at the 2005 WWDC, he announced that Apple would be transitioning to Intel and the first Intel Mac came in 2006. But the company didn’t give up on its chipset dreams. The success of the iPhone gave Apple resources to realise that dream, which came true last year. With this year’s M1 Pro and M1 Pro Max, Apple can now boast of performance per watt, integrated graphics, integrated memory and integrated applications, which indeed is a milestone.

The new AirPods are resistant to both sweat and water, with an IPX4 rating for both the earbuds and the case

AirPods refresh

Third-generation AirPods are arriving with significant changes to the design, especially shorter stems. The more important changes are resistance to sweat and water and the new version comes with a lower distortion dynamic driver for better bass and crisper high-end. The new pair uses computational audio to bring the breakthrough experiences that customers love on AirPods Pro and AirPods Max — like Adaptive EQ and spatial audio with dynamic head tracking — to even more people. Spatial audio creates a three-dimensional theatre-like experience, placing sound virtually anywhere in space.

Standing at just 3.3 inches tall, HomePod mini offers a great music-listening experience, the intelligence of Siri, and smart home capabilities

More colourful

Unexpected but Apple seems to be taking competition to Google’s Nest Mini smart speakers, which are colourful. The company has added yellow, orange and blue versions of its HomePod Mini.

Hey Siri

The company’s new Music Voice Plan tier may appear confusing. It’s a new subscription tier for Apple Music designed around the power of Siri. Subscribers to this plan can access Apple Music’s catalogue of 90 million songs and tens of thousands of playlists as well as the award-winning Apple Music Radio — all through Siri for just Rs 49 per month. What you don’t get on this plan is lossless audio or spatial audio tracks, lyrics and music videos, which can be enjoyed for Rs 99 a month as part of the service’s premium package.

At a glance

Apple Music Voice Plan: Rs 49 per month; available later this fall.

HomePod Mini: Rs 9,900, available in November.

AirPods (third generation): Rs 18,500, availability in stores starting October 26.

MacBook Pro: The 14-inch MacBook Pro begins at Rs 194,900 while the 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at Rs 239,900. Available to order.