Following the illustrious line of calendar-spanning corporate events like Lobsterfest and Shark Week, Apple tried something new this year with a celebration unofficially known as Mac Week. (Fortunately for Apple, it coincides with its earnings call on Thursday!) The company's three-day product launch for desktop hardware focused on the M4 chip, created for Apple Intelligence. We tell everything Apple spit out this week, including a new iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Pro and other news like the official arrival of Apple Intelligence to iOS, iPadOS and macOS.
iMac (M4)
The M4-powered iMac has the same design (apart from some new colors) but with more horsepower inside. Apple says the all-in-one desktop is 1.7 times faster for everyday productivity and 2.1 times faster for more demanding tasks like gaming or photo editing. Like all the new Macs announced this week, it loses the measly 8GB of RAM previously seen in cheaper Macs, jumping to 16GB as a base. (Court!)
The new iMac still has a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display encased in an aluminum unibody design. However, it adds a new nano-textured glass display option to reduce glare and a 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Apple's Desk View.
You can pre-order the iMac M4 now, starting at $1,299. Deliveries and in-store sales begin November 8.
Mac mini (M4, M4 Pro)
Apple's little Mac that could live up to its “mini” brand more than ever. The Mac mini 2024 is a box just five by five inches and two inches tall. (That's just a little bigger than the Apple TV 4K!)
The new Mac mini is available in M4 and M4 Pro configurations. Apple says the M4 variant is up to 1.8 times faster than the M1 model from four years ago. Its graphics are up to 2.2 times faster. It should also be much better for Apple Intelligence: it supports 38 TOPS (tera operations per second) of ai processing power. That eclipses the 18 TOPS of the M3 chip (which is only a year old). It also starts with 16 GB of RAM.
For the first time, the machine ditches legacy USB ports. It has two USB-C ports on the front and three Thunderbolt USB-C ports on the back (along with HDMI and Ethernet).
The Mac mini M4 is available for pre-order. Its starting price is $599, while the upgraded M4 Pro variant starts at $1,399. It arrives on November 9.
MacBook Pro (M4, M4 Pro, M4 Max)
The majority of Apple's Mac sales are in the MacBook line, which makes sense. Not only can you use them on the go, but you can also grab a Thunderbolt cable and connect them to the monitor of your choice to serve as a desktop. So the climax of Mac Week was the new M4-powered MacBook Pro.
The only new Mac with three chip levels, the MacBook Pro, comes in M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max options. Apple says the M4 Pro is up to three times faster than the M1 Pro and the M4 Max is up to 3.5 times faster than the M1 Max. The M4 variant is up to 1.8 times faster than the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 technology for photo editing. That increases to 3.4 times faster for demanding jobs like rendering scenes in Blender.
Its Neural Engine for Apple Intelligence (and other ai) is three times more powerful than the M1. Helping on the ai front (and for overall performance) is the same 16GB of RAM as the base.
The laptop offers the same nanotexture display option as the iMac and up to 1,000 nits of brightness for SDR content. It also adopts the 12MP Center Stage camera for much better integrated video calling capabilities. The device has three Thunderbolt 4 ports and an estimated battery life of 24 hours; As Apple says, it's the longest ever on a Mac.
The new MacBook Pro is available in the popular 14- and 16-inch models. The smallest model with the M4 chip starts at $1,599, the M4 Pro variant starts at $1,999, and the ultra-high-end M4 Max will set you back at least $3,199. The 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,499 with the M4 Pro chip, while an M4 Max version costs $3,499 and up.
Apple's intelligence arrives
The first wave of ai features on Apple devices is now in the hands of consumers, with no beta software required. This round includes writing tools such as review, rewiring and summaries, live call transcripts, and notification summaries.
With this batch also came the beginnings of a smarter Siri, including typed queries and an improved ability to recognize stutters or self-interruptions. You also get a sleek new shiny border that announces to the world, “This isn't the shitty Siri you're used to!” But you'll have to wait for the next wave of Siri updates for a more significant overhaul, such as better understanding of personal context.
Now, the bad news. Apple Intelligence is only available on a handful of recent devices in each of Apple's major product categories. For the iPhone, that's the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max and the new iPhone 16 line (including non-Pro models). You'll need a model with an M-series chip in the iPad, although the new iPad mini (with an A17 Pro chip) is an exception. As for Macs, you'll also need a model with Apple silicon from the M series, which dates back to the last four model years.
Apple Intelligence (first round) requires iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1. The x.2 variants of each operating system will bring the next wave of ai features, such as ChatGPT and Image Playground integration.
Hearing features of AirPods Pro 2
Not to be missed among the higher-profile announcements is a new set of hearing health tools for AirPods Pro 2 owners.
Announced at the launch of Apple's iPhone in September, the hearing features include a “clinically validated” hearing test, hearing protection (such as for concerts) and the ability to use the device as a hearing aid if you detect a mild to moderate disability. (If it is serious, it will prompt you to go to a professional).
Engadget audio guru Billy Steele is the person to follow for more information on these features. It has tested them extensively, including hearing tests with an Apple representative and driving tests of AirPods-powered hearing protection at concerts.
