During an online event, the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips were revealed alongside the latest computer models.
On Monday, Apple unveiled its latest lineup of MacBook Pro and iMac computers, accompanied by three new chips to enhance their performance. The company emphasized its significant redesign of the graphics processing units (GPU), a crucial component of the chip that has traditionally been dominated by Nvidia in the market.
The new computers, along with the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips, were introduced during an online event that predominantly catered to the needs of professional users.
New MacBook Pro
In the United States, the initial price for the 14-inch MacBook Pro laptop is set at $1,599, while the 16-inch variant commences at $2,499. Furthermore, the recently introduced iMac desktop, equipped with the advanced M3 family of chips, begins at $1,299. Certain models are expected to be accessible as early as next week, while the shipment of others is scheduled for a later date in November.
Preliminary data from IDC reveals that Apple’s Mac business has experienced a resurgence, with its market share nearly doubling to almost 11% since 2020. This can be attributed to the company’s decision to break ties with Intel and instead utilize its own custom-designed chips as the primary processing unit for its machines.
As part of its emphasis on catering to business users, the company unveiled a novel screen sharing capability during Monday’s presentation. This feature ensures secure remote access to their machines, enabling seamless collaboration from any location.
Leveraging custom chips developed with cutting-edge design technology from Arm Holdings, the company’s Macs have achieved remarkable advancements in battery life and, in certain tasks, outperformed machines operating on Microsoft’s Windows operating system.
Apple’s approach to laptop manufacturing sets it apart from its competitors. While other laptop makers may opt to combine a CPU from Intel with a GPU from Nvidia, Apple has integrated both components into its Apple silicon chips. This unique strategy has resulted in superior performance, as claimed by the company.
Qualcomm has been motivated by Apple’s market disruption to intensify its focus on developing Arm-based chips for Windows. In fact, the company recently revealed its intention to launch a chip that surpasses certain Apple products in terms of speed and energy efficiency. Additionally, Nvidia has reportedly announced plans to enter the PC market by 2025, according to Reuters.
Corporate Buying
The latest machines from Apple have been specifically designed for designers, musicians, and software developers. Apple has emphasized that the memory usage of these machines can also benefit artificial intelligence researchers, who often face limitations in terms of the amount of data that can be stored in a computer’s memory.
Apple made adjustments to its entire range of computers, potentially influencing the purchasing decisions of corporate customers. Notably, the company reduced the price of the new 14-inch MacBook Pro in the United States from $1,999 to $1,599. However, this price reduction seemed to come at the expense of the $1,299 13-inch model, which had been popular among businesses. Ben Bajarin, the CEO and principal analyst at Creative Strategies, observed this change in Apple’s lineup.
That action is expected to bring about a clearer distinction between the various model lines offered by the company, leading to a decision-making process between Apple’s productivity-focused MacBook Air models, which have a maximum price of $1,299, and the newly introduced MacBook Pro models, which start at $1,599.
In fiscal 2022, Apple’s Mac division achieved a remarkable revenue of $40.18bn, constituting approximately 11 per cent of the company’s total revenue. This represents a notable increase of 14 per cent compared to the previous fiscal year. However, similar to the overall PC industry, Apple’s Mac sales have experienced a deceleration this year due to the post-pandemic slump.
Apple has announced that their forthcoming chips will be the pioneering ones to incorporate the cutting-edge 3 nanometer manufacturing technology. This technological advancement is expected to significantly enhance the chips’ performance efficiency, enabling them to deliver superior results per unit of electricity consumed.
Analysts speculate that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing is the manufacturer behind Apple’s chips, although Apple has not confirmed this. During the event, Apple executives highlighted the superior performance of the new MacBooks and iMac machines, comparing them to older Apple machines with Intel chips. The upgrade to devices with Apple’s own chips promises significant speed improvements for customers.
