Spring is here, and with a new season, Apple has ushered in a host of new must-have products for the creative community. Long known for its iMac and iPad, the company has continued to invest in the popular products, introducing new-and-improved generations, plus many new exciting releases.
The iMac, for example, is so popular that you can find it on the desktops of general users and creative professionals everywhere. The iPad Pro, similarly, has become an essential tool for illustrators, photographers, audio producers, and other pros who need portable tools for on-the-go creative work.
With yesterday’s “Spring Loaded” event, Apple announced several new products that are meant to serve and enable creators worldwide. Two of the most anticipated announcements were the Apple M1 iMac and M1 iPad Pro. After unveiling the silicon M1 in Macbooks and the Mac Mini late last year, we’re excited to see the iMac and iPad Pro get the same upgrade.
Of course, Apple has surprised us with other additional tech and gear upgrades, including Apple TV 4K and AirTag.
Let’s take a deeper dive into all of the exciting releases from Apple:
New Apple iMac with M1 Chip
Key features:
- Slim 24-inch, 4.5K Retina display
- P3 wide color gamut, 500 nits of brightness
- Apple M1 chip
- 8 core CPU and GPU
- 1080p FaceTime HD camera
- Studio quality microphones
- Six-speaker sound system
- Touch ID on Magic Keyboard
- 2 Thunderbolt ports, 2 USB C ports
- WiFi 6 for increased performance
- 1Gbps Ethernet port in the power adapter
- Multiple color options
It’s finally here! The new (and slim!) M1 iMac features a 4.5K 24-inch Retina display with True Tone technology. M1 is Apple’s proprietary chip, and its performance gains are a welcome and impressive improvement. You’ll also be able to get the new 24-inch M1 iMacs in a variety of fancy new colors: green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver.
The powerful 8-core CPU and GPU promises to deliver hefty performance and efficiency when coupled with the 16-core Apple Neural Engine. You should see around an 85% increase in CPU performance and up to two times faster GPU performance for those creatives who work in processor-hungry programs like Lightroom, Photoshop, etc. For video editors, the new M1 iMac should have no issues when trying to edit multiple streams of 4K footage or even a single 8K timeline in Final Cut Pro without dropping frames. Expect increased performance, as well as better export and render times.
Apple also upgraded to a 1080p front-facing FaceTime camera, doubling the previous iMac. The camera works with the M1’s Neural Engine to help improve video quality too. There’s also a studio-quality microphone array with spatial audio support. Your Zoom meetings and podcasts are sure to look and sound better than ever with just these two important upgrades alone.
The new 24-inch iMac also features a headphone jack on the side on the monitor, four USB-C ports (two of which support Thunderbolt), and a new power brick that also includes an ethernet connectivity port that supports up to 1Gbps speeds with wired connections.
You can choose from three different keyboards, all of which are color matched to the iMac you buy. One of the new Magic Keyboard designs also includes Touch ID authentication for security. The Magic Mouse can also be color matched.
You can buy the new iMac in four colors starting at $1,299 and in seven colors with leveled up spec options starting around $1,499. You can pre-order it beginning on April 30th.
New Apple iPad Pro with M1 Chip
Key features:
- 12.9 inch Liquid Retina XDR display
- New Ultra Wide front camera
- Apple M1 chip, 8 core CPU
- Pro Motion & True Tone Technology
- P3 wide color gamut
- 1600 Nits peak brightness
- 16 core Apple Neural Engine
- Pro cameras with LIDAR
- 4 speaker system
- Up to 2TB flash storage
- Thunderbolt support
- 5G Cellular models
Next up to get the M1 treatment is the latest iPad Pro. While it looks relatively unchanged on the outside, there are plenty of changes internally.
The iPad Pro comes in an 11-inch and 12.9-inch version. The 12.9-inch model has a new Mini LED display, which Apple is calling the “Liquid Retina XDR.” The 2021 refreshes also include support for Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4, in addition to 5G connectivity. Both iPad Pros feature a new 12-megapixel ultra wide camera that can automatically track your movement during video calls.
The Mini LED display with local dimming is a huge improvement over previous model displays. It enables for a much higher contrast ratio akin to the realm of OLED technology. The resolution will be much more refined and lifelike with crisp colors.
With all of the updates and capabilities of the new M1 iPad Pro, this could be your new on-the-go creative tool. It makes a natural editing and production tool, especially with the addition of Thunderbolt. Having that capability alone makes transferring large image or video file sizes a breeze. It’s a perfect solution for all types of content creators.
For photographers, the 2021 M1-enabled iPad Pro would be a great lightweight option to have on-hand as your shooter or laptop replacement. The impressive cameras deliver excellent raw results, along with LIDAR technology and Thunderbolt via USB C make this a no brainer to have in your bag. Shoot your photos and edit them in Lightroom with extreme color accuracy or transfer large files at blazing speeds to an external drive. With the M1 iPad Pro, you can view and edit true-to-life HDR content on a large display that you can take anywhere.
Videographers and run-and-gun filmmakers could also benefit from the most versatile iPad Pro ever. Thunderbolt support makes the USB-C port fast, with wired connections up to 40Gbps. Thunderbolt supports 10Gbps Ethernet and opens up a massive ecosystem of high-performance accessories, including external storage and even higher resolution external displays and docks. For coloring your footage, using the M1 iPad Pro as a grading monitor could be a great option for its HDR support and P3 wide color gamut.
Audio engineers and mixers have plenty of options here as well. You can use the M1 iPad Pro seamlessly with Logic Remote or Avid Control iPad Mixer and use it as a control surface when mixing your music, editing your podcast, or doing post production audio for film. The increased performance of the M1 allows for minimal latency issues.
For graphic designers and artists who enjoy creating on the iPad, the new Liquid Retina XDR display features up to 1000 nits of full-screen brightness, 1600 nits of peak brightness, and a 1 million-to-1 contrast ratio for enhanced workflows. This means that you’ll be able to have a more accurate experience that reflects what’s seen in the real world by capturing the brightest highlights and the most subtle details in the inkiest of blacks.
No matter what your passion, hobby, or business, the new M1 iPad Pro is a great multi-tool. It can function seamlessly as a secondary monitor or control surface. If you’re using it as your main workhorse, It’s capable of hooking up an Apple Pro Display XDR at full 6K resolution as a secondary monitor. Overall, you should see a tremendous increase in performance and transfer speeds, making your creative process a whole lot easier. The M1 iPad Pro also supports more peripherals than ever, fitting effortlessly into your workflows and ecosystem.
Prices for the M1 iPad Pro start around $799 for the 11-inch model and $1,099 for the 12.9-inch.
New Apple AirTag
Key features:
- Integration with Apple’s Find My app
- Built in privacy and security
- Built in speaker
- IP67 water and dust resistant
- Polished stainless steel
- Personalization with free engraving
- Hermès accessories sold separately
How many times (a day, perhaps) have you misplaced your phone, car keys, or wallet? Well, fear no more because Apple has come up with a solution to this all-too-common problem: the Apple AirTag. These small, round, and lightweight accessories can be attached to a key ring or bag to help you find the things you lose the most.
Use AirTags with Apple’s Find My app to help track down your lost item, all while keeping location data private and anonymous with end-to-end encryption via the Find My network which utilizes Bluetooth and Ultrawide technology rather than GPS.
Each round AirTag is beautifully crafted from polished stainless steel, and is IP67 water- and dust-resistant. A built-in speaker plays sounds to help locate the AirTag, while a removable cover makes it easy for users to replace the battery. Set up your AirTag the same way you did your AirPods—just bring your AirTag close to the iPhone for instant recognition. Users can assign individual AirTags to an item and assign a name of your choosing, like “keys.”
AirTags start at around $29 for one or just $99 for a four pack, and is available for preorder beginning April 23.
New Apple TV 4K
Key features:
- Newly designed Siri Remote
- Color Balance Technology
- High Frame Rate HDR with Dolby Vision
- A12 Bionic chip
- Home hub to control HomeKit accessories
The sixth-generation of Apple TV gets an update of design and features. Most of the upgrades are internal and to the Siri Remote. This refresh includes the A12 Bionic chip that provides a significant boost in graphics, video, and audio performance. It also supports high frame rate HDR and Dolby Vision at 60 fps which allows for smooth and lifelike video.
One significant change is the ability to “color balance” your smart TV using nothing but your iPhone. You’ll be able to use it to measure the color output on your TV screen and then calibrate the video of the Apple TV 4K. Apple states, “Just point your iPhone at your TV screen once, then sit back and see how amazing your shows and movies are supposed to look.”
The newly designed Siri Remote has a circular button trackpad that also doubles as a touch surface. Power and mute buttons have also been added, and the Siri button has been moved to the side of the remote.
Apple TV 4K works seamlessly with AirPlay and all of your ecosystem devices. The Siri Remote can be bought separately for $59 or with the new Apple TV 4K for $179. Both items are available for pre-order April 30th.
Feature image via Apple
