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Apple introduces the 3rd Gen AirPods
by Livia Gamper
Macbook Pro M1 2021: the Pro notebook is getting a notch
18.10.2021
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Support: Martin Jud
Apple didn’t present just one new CPU at its October event, but two. There’s also a new 16-inch Macbook Pro, the return of the MagSafe Charger, and a notched MiniLED screen.
At Apple’s October 2021 «Unleashed» event, CEO Tim Cook promised a lot. New Macbooks with unprecedented performance. Essentially, things have improved across the board. According to Cook, the new Macbooks are noteworthy for one thing above all else: their M1 Pro and M1 Max CPUs.
But first: did they really play the Doom soundtrack during the first minute of the livestream? Doesn’t matter, sounded good either way. Throughout the entire event. Apple is definitely cruising through October.
The good news
- In addition to the 14-inch Macbook Pro, there’s also a 16-inch model.
- The novel Macbook Pro will be powered by the new M1 Pro chip. Or the new M1 Max, whichever performs even better.
- The Touch Bar is gone. Your Macbook Pro will once again possess physical F-keys.
- MagSafe Charging is back.
- The Macbook Pro will have an HDMI port, version unknown.
- There’s also a card reader.
- The Macbook Pro will have Lightning ports which can also charge the device.
- Its webcam has been upgraded to 1080p, making any selfie cam pics taken from the notch sharper.
- The hard disks in the new Macbooks have a read speed of up to 7.4 GB/s.
The bad news
- The Macbook Pro now has a notch. Really.
- Its webcam HAS been upgraded to 1080p. no early morning meetings, then.
M1 Pro: a tailor-made chip
The new Macbook Pro chip is called M1 Pro, a CPU specifically dedicated to professionals. Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus mentioned app programmers. But video editors will also enjoy the new architecture. At least if the display is pre-calibrated accordingly. Apple still owes us some information.
By redesigning the M1 Pro, speeds have also increased. The device can now achieve up to 200 GB/s data transfer, handling 32 gigabytes of RAM. Its 10-core CPU is said to be up to 70% faster than the default M1. In addition, there are 16 graphics cores that are supposedly twice as fast as the integrated GPU on the M1.
Furthermore, hardware encoding for H.264 videos is on board. Will the M1 Pro be able to render 4k/60 fps in real time? Don’t know yet, but ProRes and ProRes RAW were at least announced.
M1 Max: even faster
To a few specific users, such as the aforementioned video editors, the M1 Pro still might not be fast enough. That’s where the M1 Max comes in. It’s even stronger than the already quite speedy M1 Pro, which in turn is faster than the current M1, all far ahead of the competition. At least, that’s what Apple’s show claimed.
The M1 Max supports up to 64 gigabytes of RAM, has a data transfer rate of 40 gigabytes per second and a 32-core GPU.
4k/60 fps in real time sounds extremely plausible.
What about the graphics?
Apple can’t let it go after all. Whereas concrete numbers in the description do provide a lot of information regarding the two new CPUs, there’s nothing on the graphics.
The power consumption stated along the X-axis is decent. Nothing much to say there. But the Y-axis highlights a problem. The description implies percentages. Still, nothing has been confirmed. The only thing I can read from it is «The M1 Max has 200». 200 what? 200 apples? 200 kilos? 200 cats’ noses?
The Retina display, notch included
Apple has finally arrived in the present with the Macbook Pro. The distance between the screen and actual physical edges of the device is thin. However, the installed webcam requires a notch. Still, said notch is the same size as macOS’ menu bar at the top of the screen. Thus, the notch takes up as little space as possible.
- The 16-inch Macbook Pro has a screen diagonal of 16.2 inches.
- The 14-inch Macbook Pro has a screen diagonal of 14.2 inches.
- Both displays run with MiniLED technology.
- Frame rate: 120 hertz.
- Brightness: 1000 nits
- Peak Brightness (HDR): 1600 nits
- We don’t yet know about the exact resolution of the displays.
- Whether the colour values for either display are calibrated for graphic designers and editors (DCI-P3, Adobe RGB, etc.) is also unknown.
Better sound, in a nutshell
Apple has also come up with something new in terms of audio. However, we can’t say much before any proper review. Only this: the bass should be better, with six speakers now providing the sound.
Price and availability
Apple will set prices for its Macbooks between CHF 2199.– and 3849.– Exact prices outside the Apple Store may vary slightly, so these are just guidelines. Euro prices apply only to Austria, but are likely to be similar in Germany.
MacBook Pro 14.2"
- Octa-Core CPU, 14-Core GPU, 512 GB SSD: CHF 2199.– / 3849 Euros.
- 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 1 TB SSD: CHF 2749.– / 2749 Euros.
MacBook Pro 16.2"
- 16-core CPU, 14-core GPU, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD: CHF 2749.– / 2749 Euros.
- 16-core CPU, 14-core GPU, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD: CHF 2969.– / 2979 Euros.
- 32-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD: CHF 3849.– / 3849 Euros.
The devices should arrive on store and warehouse shelves around October 26th according to Apple.
First impressions: much ado about marketing
It’s an open secret that Apple keynotes are as much tech demos as they are the company dramatising itself. I’d do the same if I had something like the M1 in my back pocket. Nevertheless, the sheer amount of marketing is quite staggering. Big enough to cast shadows over the raw performance numbers.
And that’s a shame, as these figures sound quite amazing already. Everyone knows it’s «the fastest Macbook ever» already. But the raw numbers make even real-time rendering a possibility. And all that without significant battery life loss? How? Is that even possible?
There’s only one way to get any answers: a test. Because if there’s one thing we pride ourselves on, it’s that we’re not overly impressed by marketing. Which is why we proudly proclaim: bring it on!
Something to end on: The track which played as the keynote was about to start was «Orck» by Gesaffelstein.
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
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