{"id":81037,"date":"2022-03-08T15:29:03","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T21:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=81037"},"modified":"2022-03-09T12:58:06","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T18:58:06","slug":"peek-performance-highlights-of-apples-3-8-22-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/81037-peek-performance-highlights-of-apples-3-8-22-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Peek Performance: Highlights of Apple’s 3\/8\/22 Event"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a high-performance streaming event that lasted just under an hour, Apple announced four major new products that further strengthen its dominance of the tech world. Titled Peek Performance<\/strong>, the event brought a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Mac display to consumers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To start with, let’s take a look at the last two items announced at the event…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mac Studio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Toward the end of the Peek Performance<\/strong> event, we were teased with the comment that Mac Pro announcements were “for another day”. However, Mac fans got their wish with a new member of the Mac family that has the small footprint of the Mac mini and more power than the existing Mac Pro. It’s called Mac Studio<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mac Studio and two Studio Displays in an audio studio environment. Image via Apple. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mac Studio is even smaller than a Mac mini, measuring at 7.7 inches square and just 3.7 inches tall. What’s inside that little box? Either Apple’s existing M1 Max<\/strong> system-on-chip or a new supercharged version called M1 Ultra<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M1 Ultra takes two M1 Max systems and links them together with a new multi-die architecture called UltraFusion<\/strong>. Ultra Fusion creates a chip with 114 billion transistors, resulting in the two M1 Max SoCs communicating at up to 8000 Gb\/s. An M1 Ultra can have up to 20 CPU cores (16 performance and 4 efficiencies) and up to a 64-core GPU. The M1 Ultra is configurable with up to 128GB of unified memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Architectural highlights of the M1 Ultra system on-chip. (Image via Apple.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A base M1 Ultra Mac Studio starts at $3,999 with 32GB unified memory and 1TB SSD storage. With “just” the M1 Max inside, a Mac Studio can be purchased for as little as $1,999 with 32GB unified memory and 512GB SSD storage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Graphic from Apple showing the superlatives of Mac Studio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like the Mac mini, the Mac Studio has a plethora of ports. On the front are two ports, which are USB-C (up to 10Gb\/s) on the M1 Max Mac Studio and Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40Gb\/s) on the M1 Pro model. There’s also an SD card reader right in front where it is easily accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The back features four Thunderbolt 4 ports, DisplayPort, HDMI, 10Gb\/s Ethernet, two USB-A ports (up to 5 Gb\/s), audio out, and a plug for the power cord. Contrary to my prognostication from last week, Apple did not include a MagSafe connector in the Studio. Order a Mac Studio today, and it can arrive as soon as March 18. My guess is that these will be in short supply for quite some time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple notes that Mac Studio can drive over 90 million pixels of displays. And fortunately, they also announced a new display…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why It’s Important:<\/strong> Apple now offers a “pro” performance device that blows the doors off of any other Mac, while still teasing a new Mac Pro for the future. The UltraFusion technology bodes well for connecting more power SoC’s in the future while creating an efficient performance that is unrivaled by any other chip technology. No wonder Apple gave the event the name “Peek Performance”!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studio Display<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The new Studio Display<\/a><\/strong> starts at $1,599 and is a 27-inch 5K Retina display with some incredible features. It’s the first Mac display with an Ultra-Wide 12MP camera<\/strong> supporting Center Stage<\/strong>. It features 14.7 million pixels at 5120 by 2880 resolution (218 pixels per inch), supports up to 1 billion colors in a P3 gamut, and boasts 600 nits of brightness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Features of Apple’s new Studio Display. (Image via Apple.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There’s a nano-texture glass option to reduce reflections in bright environments. The display can actually charge a 2021 MacBook Pro with 96W of power delivery through Thunderbolt. For those who want their keyboard, mouse, and\/or trackpad to match the silver and black tones of the Studio Display, there are accessories that match perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The standard Studio Display only comes with tilt adjust, similar to the 24-inch iMac. There’s an option for a tilt and height-adjustable stand, and of course, a VESA mount adapter option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why It’s Important:<\/strong> An incredible display with lots of connectivity for less than half the price of an Apple Pro Display XDR? Yes, please! Heck, a lot of users may end up purchasing two Studio Displays rather than the Pro Display. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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iPad Air<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There’s also a new iPad Air<\/a><\/strong>. It starts at just $599 for a Wi-Fi model with 64GB, or $749 for the 64GB cellular model. For the first time, the iPad Air features 5G<\/strong> connectivity. Available starting March 18, the iPad Air comes in space gray, pink, purple, blue, and starlight tones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weighing in at 1.02 pounds, the new iPad Air is still the lightest iPad with a full-size (10.9-inch) display. It’s powered by the M1 system-on-chip with 8 CPU cores, 8 graphic cores, and 8GB of unified memory. Like the iPad Pro, the iPad Air now has a 12 MP ultra-wide FaceTime camera supporting Center Stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The new iPad Air with the Magic Keyboard. (Image via Apple.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This new iPad Air puts the model on par with the iPad Pro in many ways, although the Pro does have a better display and comes in two sizes. It’s still quite impressive for a mid-range tablet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why It’s Important: <\/strong>Apple continues to upgrade the midrange iPad with increasingly better specifications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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iPhone Product Line Manager Francesca Sweet shows the features of the 2022 iPhone SE. (Image via Apple.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

iPhone SE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As expected, Apple also updated the low-cost iPhone SE<\/a><\/strong>. Starting at $429 for a 64GB version and up to $579 for a 256GB model, the iPhone SE remains the entry-level iPhone. For the first time, the SE includes 5G<\/strong> connectivity. Powering the small iPhone is Apple’s A15 Bionic<\/strong> system-on-chip with a 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, and 16-core neural engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"iPhone
The 2022 iPhone SE. (Image via Apple.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Available in Midnight (black), Starlight (white), or PRODUCT(RED), the iPhone SE has the same 4.7-inch diagonal screen as before. The camera is a 12MP Wide camera with a fast \u0192\/1.8 aperture, portrait mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4 for photos, and Photographic Styles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why It’s Important: <\/strong>From a personal standpoint, I think the new iPhone SE is a winner. Many consumers have held off on purchasing 5G-compatible smartphones because of price, and the SE brings fast connectivity within the price range of a lot more people. It’s also perfect for those who don’t need the Pro camera options of the iPhone 13, or who don’t want the bulk of a larger display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Other Peek Performance Announcements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A few other announcements were tossed into the mix at the event. For example, two new shades of green are available for the iPhone 13<\/strong>. The base iPhone 13 is “Green”, while the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max now come in “Alpine Green”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple touted the many Oscar nominations it has received for several of its feature films, and also teased some upcoming new movies and TV shows. The big news\u2014if there is actually a Major League Baseball Season this year due to the current lockout\u2014is that Apple TV+ will feature Friday Night Baseball<\/strong>. Two games will be televised each Friday evening during the season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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