Tuesday, November 10th 2020
Apple Announces New Line of MacBooks and Mac Minis Powered by M1
On a momentous day for the Mac, Apple today introduced a new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini powered by the revolutionary M1, the first in a family of chips designed by Apple specifically for the Mac. By far the most powerful chip Apple has ever made, M1 transforms the Mac experience. With its industry-leading performance per watt, together with macOS Big Sur, M1 delivers up to 3.5x faster CPU, up to 6x faster GPU, up to 15x faster machine learning (ML) capabilities, and battery life up to 2x longer than before. And with M1 and Big Sur, users get access to the biggest collection of apps ever for Mac. With amazing performance and remarkable new features, the new lineup of M1-powered Macs are an incredible value, and all are available to order today.
"The introduction of three new Macs featuring Apple's breakthrough M1 chip represents a bold change that was years in the making, and marks a truly historic day for the Mac and for Apple," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "M1 is by far the most powerful chip we've ever created, and combined with Big Sur, delivers mind-blowing performance, extraordinary battery life, and access to more software and apps than ever before. We can't wait for our customers to experience this new generation of Mac, and we have no doubt it will help them continue to change the world."
MacBook Air: A Thin and Light Powerhouse
MacBook Air is Apple's most popular Mac and the world's best-selling 13-inch notebook. With the M1 chip, MacBook Air speeds through everything from editing family photos to exporting videos for the web. The powerful 8-core CPU performs up to 3.5x faster than the previous generation. With up to an 8-core GPU, graphics are up to 5x faster, the biggest leap ever for MacBook Air, so immersive, graphics-intensive games run at significantly higher frame rates. ML workloads are up to 9x faster, so apps that use ML-based features like face recognition or object detection can do so in a fraction of the time. The M1 chip's storage controller and latest flash technology deliver up to 2x faster SSD performance, so previewing massive images or importing large files is faster than ever. And in MacBook Air, M1 is faster than the chips in 98 percent of PC laptops sold in the past year.
With the industry-leading power efficiency of M1, MacBook Air also delivers this performance in a fanless design, which means no matter what users are doing, it remains completely silent. And the new MacBook Air features extraordinary battery life, with up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing and up to 18 hours of video playback—the longest battery life ever on MacBook Air.2
When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered MacBook Air can:
With its sleek wedge-shaped design, stunning Retina display, Magic Keyboard, and astonishing level of performance thanks to M1, the new MacBook Air once again redefines what a thin and light notebook can do. And it is still just $999, and $899 for education.
13-inch MacBook Pro: Even More Powerful and Even More Pro
The 13-inch MacBook Pro is Apple's most popular pro notebook. Students use it to power through college, and pros use it to channel their creativity. With the M1 chip and Big Sur, the 13-inch MacBook Pro becomes even more powerful and even more pro. The 8-core CPU, when paired with the MacBook Pro's active cooling system, is up to 2.8x faster than the previous generation, delivering game-changing performance when compiling code, transcoding video, editing high-resolution photos, and more. The 8-core GPU is up to 5x faster, allowing users to enjoy super smooth graphics performance whether they are designing a graphics-intensive game or a new product. And with M1, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is up to 3x faster than the best-selling Windows laptop in its class.3 ML is up to 11x faster, and for on-device ML tasks that use the Neural Engine, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is now the world's fastest compact pro notebook.4 With up to 17 hours of wireless web browsing and up to a staggering 20 hours of video playback, MacBook Pro delivers up to twice the battery life of the previous generation and the longest battery life ever on a Mac.2
When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro can:
With its amazing performance and unbelievable battery life, combined with its gorgeous Retina display, Magic Keyboard, and 3-pound compact design, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is the ultimate expression of what the M1 chip can do. And it is available for the same starting price of just $1,299, and $1,199 for education.
Mac mini: Staggering Performance and an Ultracompact Design
Mac mini is Apple's most versatile computer, and now with M1, it packs a staggering amount of performance and incredible new features in such a compact design. M1 brings an 8-core CPU with up to 3x faster performance than the previous generation, dramatically accelerating demanding workloads, from compiling a million lines of code to building enormous multitrack music projects. An 8-core GPU delivers up to a massive 6x increase in graphics performance, allowing Mac mini to tackle performance-intensive tasks like complex 3D rendering with ease. ML workloads also take a quantum leap forward with up to 15x faster performance over the previous generation. And when compared to the best-selling Windows desktop in its price range, the Mac mini is just one-tenth the size, yet delivers up to 5x faster performance.
When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered Mac mini can:
With M1 and Big Sur, Mac mini represents a massive shift in what an ultrasmall desktop can do. Far more versatile and far more capable than ever, Mac mini is now available for just $699, $100 less than the previous-generation quad-core model.
macOS Big Sur
All new Macs come with Big Sur, the latest version of the world's most advanced desktop operating system. Big Sur introduces a beautiful redesign that is entirely new yet instantly familiar, and powerful updates to apps including Safari, Messages, and Maps. Big Sur is engineered, down to its core, to take full advantage of all the capability and power of M1, delivering a massive boost in performance, astonishing battery life, and even stronger security protections. With M1, things users do every day feel noticeably faster and smoother. Just like iPhone and iPad, the Mac now instantly wakes from sleep. Browsing with Safari—which is already the world's fastest browser—is now up to 1.5x speedier at running JavaScript and nearly 2x more responsive.
With Big Sur and M1, Mac users can run a greater range of apps than ever before. All of Apple's Mac software is now Universal and runs natively for M1 systems. Existing Mac apps that have not been updated to Universal will run seamlessly with Apple's Rosetta 2 technology. And iPhone and iPad apps can now run directly on the Mac. Additionally, the foundations of Big Sur are optimized to unlock the power of M1, including developer technologies from Metal for graphics to Core ML for machine learning.
Pricing and Availability
"The introduction of three new Macs featuring Apple's breakthrough M1 chip represents a bold change that was years in the making, and marks a truly historic day for the Mac and for Apple," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "M1 is by far the most powerful chip we've ever created, and combined with Big Sur, delivers mind-blowing performance, extraordinary battery life, and access to more software and apps than ever before. We can't wait for our customers to experience this new generation of Mac, and we have no doubt it will help them continue to change the world."
MacBook Air is Apple's most popular Mac and the world's best-selling 13-inch notebook. With the M1 chip, MacBook Air speeds through everything from editing family photos to exporting videos for the web. The powerful 8-core CPU performs up to 3.5x faster than the previous generation. With up to an 8-core GPU, graphics are up to 5x faster, the biggest leap ever for MacBook Air, so immersive, graphics-intensive games run at significantly higher frame rates. ML workloads are up to 9x faster, so apps that use ML-based features like face recognition or object detection can do so in a fraction of the time. The M1 chip's storage controller and latest flash technology deliver up to 2x faster SSD performance, so previewing massive images or importing large files is faster than ever. And in MacBook Air, M1 is faster than the chips in 98 percent of PC laptops sold in the past year.
With the industry-leading power efficiency of M1, MacBook Air also delivers this performance in a fanless design, which means no matter what users are doing, it remains completely silent. And the new MacBook Air features extraordinary battery life, with up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing and up to 18 hours of video playback—the longest battery life ever on MacBook Air.2
When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered MacBook Air can:
- Export a project for the web with iMovie up to 3x faster.
- Integrate 3D effects into video in Final Cut Pro up to 5x faster.
- For the first time, play back and edit multiple streams of full-quality, 4K ProRes video in Final Cut Pro without dropping a frame.
- Export photos from Lightroom up to twice as fast.
- Use ML-based features like Smart Conform in Final Cut Pro to intelligently frame a clip up to 4.3x faster.
- Watch more movies and TV shows with up to 18 hours of battery life, the longest ever on MacBook Air.
- Extend FaceTime and other video calls for up to twice as long on a single charge.
With its sleek wedge-shaped design, stunning Retina display, Magic Keyboard, and astonishing level of performance thanks to M1, the new MacBook Air once again redefines what a thin and light notebook can do. And it is still just $999, and $899 for education.
13-inch MacBook Pro: Even More Powerful and Even More Pro
The 13-inch MacBook Pro is Apple's most popular pro notebook. Students use it to power through college, and pros use it to channel their creativity. With the M1 chip and Big Sur, the 13-inch MacBook Pro becomes even more powerful and even more pro. The 8-core CPU, when paired with the MacBook Pro's active cooling system, is up to 2.8x faster than the previous generation, delivering game-changing performance when compiling code, transcoding video, editing high-resolution photos, and more. The 8-core GPU is up to 5x faster, allowing users to enjoy super smooth graphics performance whether they are designing a graphics-intensive game or a new product. And with M1, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is up to 3x faster than the best-selling Windows laptop in its class.3 ML is up to 11x faster, and for on-device ML tasks that use the Neural Engine, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is now the world's fastest compact pro notebook.4 With up to 17 hours of wireless web browsing and up to a staggering 20 hours of video playback, MacBook Pro delivers up to twice the battery life of the previous generation and the longest battery life ever on a Mac.2
When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro can:
- Build code in Xcode up to 2.8x faster.
- Render a complex 3D title in Final Cut Pro up to 5.9x faster.
- Fluidly design intricate game scenes in Unity Editor up to 3.5x faster.
- PerformML tasks in Create ML up to 11x faster.
- Separate out beats, instrumentals, and vocal tracks from a recording in real time in djay Pro AI, thanks to the amazing performance of the Neural Engine.
- Play back full-quality, 8K ProRes video in DaVinci Resolve without dropping a single frame.
- Compile four times as much code on a single charge, thanks to the game-changing performance per watt of the M1 chip.
With its amazing performance and unbelievable battery life, combined with its gorgeous Retina display, Magic Keyboard, and 3-pound compact design, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is the ultimate expression of what the M1 chip can do. And it is available for the same starting price of just $1,299, and $1,199 for education.
Mac mini: Staggering Performance and an Ultracompact Design
Mac mini is Apple's most versatile computer, and now with M1, it packs a staggering amount of performance and incredible new features in such a compact design. M1 brings an 8-core CPU with up to 3x faster performance than the previous generation, dramatically accelerating demanding workloads, from compiling a million lines of code to building enormous multitrack music projects. An 8-core GPU delivers up to a massive 6x increase in graphics performance, allowing Mac mini to tackle performance-intensive tasks like complex 3D rendering with ease. ML workloads also take a quantum leap forward with up to 15x faster performance over the previous generation. And when compared to the best-selling Windows desktop in its price range, the Mac mini is just one-tenth the size, yet delivers up to 5x faster performance.
When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered Mac mini can:
- Compile code in Xcode up to 3x faster.
- Play a graphics-intensive game like "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" with up to 4x higher frame rates.
- Render a complex timeline in Final Cut Pro up to 6x faster.
- Take music production to new levels by using up to 3x as many real-time plug-ins in Logic Pro.
- Magically increase the resolution of a photo in Pixelmator Pro up to 15x faster.
- Utilize ML frameworks like TensorFlow or Create ML, now accelerated by the M1 chip.
With M1 and Big Sur, Mac mini represents a massive shift in what an ultrasmall desktop can do. Far more versatile and far more capable than ever, Mac mini is now available for just $699, $100 less than the previous-generation quad-core model.
macOS Big Sur
All new Macs come with Big Sur, the latest version of the world's most advanced desktop operating system. Big Sur introduces a beautiful redesign that is entirely new yet instantly familiar, and powerful updates to apps including Safari, Messages, and Maps. Big Sur is engineered, down to its core, to take full advantage of all the capability and power of M1, delivering a massive boost in performance, astonishing battery life, and even stronger security protections. With M1, things users do every day feel noticeably faster and smoother. Just like iPhone and iPad, the Mac now instantly wakes from sleep. Browsing with Safari—which is already the world's fastest browser—is now up to 1.5x speedier at running JavaScript and nearly 2x more responsive.
With Big Sur and M1, Mac users can run a greater range of apps than ever before. All of Apple's Mac software is now Universal and runs natively for M1 systems. Existing Mac apps that have not been updated to Universal will run seamlessly with Apple's Rosetta 2 technology. And iPhone and iPad apps can now run directly on the Mac. Additionally, the foundations of Big Sur are optimized to unlock the power of M1, including developer technologies from Metal for graphics to Core ML for machine learning.
Pricing and Availability
- The new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini with M1 are available to order today on apple.com and in the Apple Store app. They will begin arriving to customers and will be in select Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers starting next week. The new MacBook Air starts at $999 (US), and $899 (US) for education; the new 13-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,299 (US), and $1,199 (US) for education; and the new Mac mini starts at $699 (US), and $679 (US) for education.
- Customers are able to find the same great shopping and support services at apple.com/shop, in the Apple Store app, and at Apple Store locations. Customers can get shopping help from Apple Specialists, choose monthly financing options, trade in eligible devices, and get Support services and no-contact delivery or Apple Store pickup options. Customers are encouraged to check apple.com/retail for more information on the health and safety measures in place, and the services available, at their local store.
85 Comments on Apple Announces New Line of MacBooks and Mac Minis Powered by M1
Is this is a single chip ?
My guess is one or two 8GB HBM2e stacks next to the M1 chip depending on the model.
It is clear that Apple offers the M1 to the entry-level segment of their products. Mac Mini, MB Air and entry-level, 2-port MBP 13. The simple fact, that the on-die DRAM maxes out at 16 means that there needs to be another SOC chip to allow for more. On top of that, this is shared memory - while discreet GPU based systems don't have that shortcoming.
I am guessing that there will be an even faster version - more CPU cores, more GPU cores, more memory - an M2 - that goes into the higher-end Mac/Mac Pro/MB Pro 13s and the 16-inch units in 2021. I dare say, that we may also see a 13-inch MBP phased out at that point, replaced by 14-inch versions. Currently, the Macbook Air and MBP are way too similar with the exception of the display quality, so there needs to be further differentiation. Also, even if they did not talk about it, the Air is passive while the MBP is not - so are they clocked at different speeds to keep within power envelopes?
Financially it would also make sense. With a single silicone SKU, they no longer have the ability to differentiate different price points within a product stack. So if they want to be able to charge 2000+ USD for a Macbook Pro, they NEED to have a faster and thus more expensive SKU. In the end, that means more money in their pocket as they don't have to pay Intel anything anymore too.
I will buy the last-gen Intel MBP13 once they phase them out completely, or go for a brand spanking new high-end M2 based one at that point.
Just my 2 cents.
This transition will be a *lot* easier than PowerPC to x86 for developers. Development tools were much more primitive 10+ years ago.
Also Mac mini for instance went from 4 usb ports to 2 usb ports. So for some of the cheaper production uses those are lost displays. Yes I actually have workflow to use more than a few displays through Presentation software. New Mac Mini is now useless for that use for me. Also Macbook Pro 13 again only two ports. So it is like it is replacing the 8th gen Intel version. Not the newer 10th gen. Seems like the IO might have some limitations. Still curious how they will ever compete with an actual Mac Pro tower. Compete with the server software. Server ECC memory etc. Not only that but the actual compute power of GPU's from Nvidia or AMD on the higher end.
Also interesting as it seems eventually SKU's are going to have to be reduced to just having options for more memory or more ssd space. Seems they are simplifying things, but think it might pull them out of the more professional spaces long term and more into the consumer prosumer spaces.
If it lives up to the hype, by this time 2021 they should be in a good position to move up the line. Comparisons to difficulty migrating from PPC to x86 are really very weak, I was into Macs at the time and it was pretty fluid for one, but also the tools are 10X better now. In fact, I suspect that many applications can be compiled and migrated in a matter of days if not hours - especially if it is written in Swift, which is a lot closer to java / C# than Objective-C. Most of the time would likely be spent on testing and validation.
I think the transition will be far faster than the PPC->x86. If it lives up to the hype, that is.
liliputing.com/2020/11/rosetta-will-let-x86_64-apps-run-on-macs-with-arm-based-m1-chips.html
They also based on their ridiculous non information graphs made reference multiple times to 10w laptops. Which basically is what is in ultrabooks. Not what is found in higher end laptops with dedicated GPU's. I think the gpu numbers at best are making reference to macbook pro intel 645. in context a 1050ti is about 400 percent faster in benchmarks compared to a 645. The 1050ti is over 4 years old and was a low end part when it came out from nvidia.
I think for what Apple is doing it will work. I just don't see them competing long term in the high end. Maybe AMD will stall out but they increased in IPC 20 percent this last gen leap. Apple says they increased 16 percent from a13 to a14.
While Apple might bring some costs down by doing it in house they are now fronting the cost of r&d and fabrication for their chips instead of just purchasing them. They are also having to maintain somewhat of a relationship with other companies including Intel for thunderbolt and having controllers for things like that. Arm seems to be moving pretty swiftly lately but just like all tech I am sure they will hit a wall at some point. Either Arm will front the cost to develop some of that as they grow or Apple will to work around it. AMD had to redesign from the ground up and that is what cost money. Still curious if ARM licensing will be effected long term by the Nvidia purchase which is still an unknown. Regardless if Apple is making their own chips or not. They are still Arm.
It doesn't seem like it took Apple 2 or more years to roll out to Intel from PPC. Just seems kind of long and drawn out and at the point risky as well. Again just not sure I see a world that what they are doing translates into the server and enterprise areas. They will bring gaming in the form of mobile games to their devices but lose things like Steam and real PC gaming it seems. And with all of this transition it seems rather short sighted to not include LTE for mobile or touchscreens to the devices as you integrate mobile apps. Something Windows laptops and tablets have been doing for years in both Intel and Arm based products.
I'm wondering if Nvidia has or when they have cleared (all done?) legal hurdles and own ARM, if they are going to get a Windows optimized version for ARM so they can start competing against Intel and AMD?
That said, Apple deviated from standard ARM architecture on the iPhone 4S if I recall correctly, and at this point it really isn't ARM anymore even though it uses ARM microcode instruction sets.Actually I suspect Apple is going to lose money initially on these, especially if you consider the R&D invested. This first year is probably the bait, holiday 2021 and beyond will be the hook and I bet prices go up at that point. Sorta like the original iPhone cost $499.
Translation of the relevant sentences is ”M1 chip enables up to 16 gigabytes of super fast unified memory. Low latency HBM-memory is integrated to a single component, which allows apps to share data efficiently between the processor, the GPU and the neural engine.”.
It is possible that the translated websites were not properly QA:d and that the memory is not HBM.
They showed a picture with the board showing the DRAM, so for the love of God can we stop with this pointless debate ?
www.apple.com/mac/m1/