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| The closing scene of the Halloween-themed Scary Fast event. Source: Apple |
So, Techtober came to a close with a new lineup of Apple's Macintosh Computer just announced on October 30th, 2023. The theme of the online event was "Scary Fast" just to make it Halloween relevant, which was impressive in my opinion.
This round, the event was scheduled out of its regular programming, whereas in Cupertino, US, it is from morning to afternoon. This time, Apple decided to do it in Prime Time hours, that is 8PM (3AM in Kenya). So, it was Good Evening, not the regular, Good Morning.
In all from what went down from the 33-minute event, here's what Apple announced:
The new M3 Processors
From what we all saw coming, Apple’s M3 processors (or chips if you're American) took the spotlight during the event. The new lineup includes the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max processors, all 3 made using the more efficient 3-nanometer process.
Apple said that these processors have a faster and more efficient CPU and are packed with an updated GPU that supports ray tracing, mesh shading, and Dynamic Caching — a feature that optimizes the amount of memory the device uses during tasks.
The M3 processors offer up to 128GB of unified memory, with the most powerful M3 Max chip coming with up to 92 billion transistors, a 40-core GPU, and a 16-core CPU.
All new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros with M3
New MacBook Pros get the new range of M3 treatment as a power upgrade. Both the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are packed with a Mini LED display, a 1080p camera, a six-speaker sound system, 22 hours of battery life, and up to 128GB of RAM (Unified Memory).
The new MacBook Pro models finally ditch the Touch Bar, so it is all physical keys. In addition to new colour options, there's a colour option of Space Black alongside Space Gray and Silver.
Price: From $1,999 14-inch model (KES 301,049.40)
iMacs refreshed with M3 Processors
After 2 and a half years, iMacs finally get an upgrade, well, sort of. The M3 range is now in the new 24-inch iMacs which also have other features like a 4.5K Retina display with more than 1 billion colours, support for Wi-Fi 6E, and a 1080p webcam.
The iMac also offers up to 24GB of RAM (unified memory) and comes in seven colours: green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. There are also colour-matched accessories that come with the iMac, but they still feature Lightning connectors. (why?)
Price: From $1,299 8-core CPU (KES 195,499.50)
From $1,499 10-core CPU (KES 225,749.40)