It might look like a Mac mini, but it might be better to liken it to a compact Mac Pro. And that’s a valid comparison given that Apple claims this new device will be faster than even the top-of-the-line Mac Pro.
The Mac mini comparison is valid, too, because it comes in the same square form factor. But this one is 3.7 inches tall. Apple says it will still fit “perfectly under most displays.”
It does get the inclusion of many ports you’ll need:
- 4 x Thunderbolt 4 ports
- 10Gb Ethernet port
- 2 x USB-A ports
- HDMI
- Audio jack
- 2 x USB-C (10Gbps on M1 Max & 40Gbps/Thunderbolt 4 on M1 Ultra)
- SD card slot
The Mac Studio supports up to four Pro Display XDRs and a 4K TV, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.0.
Let’s talk about that M1 Max and M1 Ultra more. The M1 Ultra is the latest iteration of Apple’s processor. And from the looks of it, it’s the most powerful one yet.
The M1 Ultra supports up to 128GB of memory and has a 20-core CPU with 16 high-performance cores and four efficiency cores, 64-core GPU, and 32-core neural engine. Apple claims it is “nearly” eight times faster than the M1.
If you wanted performance comparisons from Apple, the company claims:
Mac Studio with M1 Max
- 50 percent faster CPU performance than Mac Pro (16-core Xeon)
- 2.5 times faster CPU performance than 27-inch iMac (10-core Core i9)
Mac Studio with M1 Ultra
- 90 percent faster CPU performance than Mac Pro
- 3.8 times faster CPU performance than 27-inch iMac
Apple plans to sell the Mac Studio (M1 Max) at a starting price of USD 1,999 or PHP 117,990 and a starting price of USD 3,999 or PHP 237,990 for the M1 Ultra model. Preorders kick off today in some markets, with orders expected to drop on March 18.
Apple Studio Display
To go with the new Mac Studio, Apple introduces a new external display. It’s built to work with the company’s Mac lineup, featuring a 27-inch 5K display encased in an aluminum enclosure. It reaches up to 600 nits of brightness, supports P3 wide color, and works with macOS’s TrueTone feature. Unfortunately, this prosumer monitor only has the typical 60Hz refresh rate.
It comes with three USB-C ports and a Thunderbolt 4 port at the back. The latter supports 96W passthrough charging, which can juice up the Apple laptops you intend to connect.
This monitor also has a built-in 12-megapixel ultrawide camera and an A13 chip to optimize performance with Apple’s Mac devices and enable features like Center Stage, spatial audio, and Hey Siri voice commands made through the built-in three-mic array. It also has a six-speaker system with four woofers and two tweeters.
Apple will sell the Studio Display with a starting price of USD 1,599 or PHP 94,990. In typical Apple fashion, you pay extra for features like an optional matte nano-texture glass finish (USD 300 or PHP 18,000) and the different stand and mounting options. But we heard you’d get the controversial polishing cloth for free with the model with the nano-texture glass finish. Preorders have already begun today—even in the Philippines—with availability scheduled on March 18 for some markets.
iPhone SE 2022
The iPhone SE makes a comeback in 2022, looking very much like its predecessor. Instead, this new, most affordable iPhone gets refreshed internally. It now has Apple’s A15 Bionic chip, which powers the latest iPhone 13 models. The processor promises improved performance and battery life, which you will need given this handset now supports 5G.
The Verge reported that the iPhone SE gets a larger battery, but the company doesn’t want to highlight that. It does seem to promise improved battery life across the board: up to 15 hours of video playback (instead of 13 hours on the previous generation SE), 10 hours of streaming video playback (instead of eight hours), and 50 hours of audio playback (instead of 40 hours). It supports Qi wireless charging, but there’s no MagSafe support here.
It still has a 4.7-inch display, and the home button for Touch ID is around, but you won’t get Face ID here. It also still retains the solitary 12-megapixel f/1.8 camera but gets improved software-based photo features, including Deep Fusion and HDR 4. These features are designed to enhance high-contrast scenes and noise reduction. It retains IP67 water resistance.
The iPhone SE 2022 comes in Midnight, Starlight, and (PRODUCT)RED colors, with a starting price of USD 429 or PHP 28,990. It’ll be available for preorder in some markets starting Friday, March 11, with shipping expected on March 18.
(There are also new green color options for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro!)
iPad Air 2022
Here’s another Apple device that gets an incremental upgrade. This latest iPad Air is the first to come out after a year and a half since it got the iPad Pro-like redesign. Like the iPhone SE, the design seems to be relatively the same. But it gets an M1 processor under the hood, adds 5G support, and its USB-C port offers data transfer speeds as fast as 10Gbps.
It gets a performance boost of up to 60 percent faster for the 8-core CPU when compared to the last generation’s A14 Bionic processor. Its 8-core GPU is also expected to be two times faster than its predecessor. Storage starts at 64GB and maxes out at 256GB.
The front-facing camera is now a 12-megapixel sensor instead of a 7-megapixel one. And it now supports Apple’s Center Stage feature, which keeps you in the frame while on calls. Unfortunately, camera positioning is still in a weird position when you do landscape-oriented video calls. The rear camera still has a 12-megapixel resolution.
The iPad Air’s 10.9-inch display reaches a peak brightness of 500 nits and has HDR support and landscape stereo speakers. Apple didn’t mention ProMotion, so don’t expect that. It uses Touch ID for biometric security. And it still supports the Apple Pencil, Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio, and Smart Folio covers.
The Apple iPad Air 2022 has a starting price of USD 599 or PHP 35,990 for the Wi-Fi only model and USD 749 or PHP 44,990 for the Wi-Fi + cellular model. You can get it in gray, pink, purple, blue, and Starlight (a cross between silver and gold). There are no preorder details yet for the Philippines, but in some markets, preorders kick off on Friday, March 11, with the general sale on March 18.
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