Spring has officially sprung, and Apple is showcasing a new lineup of upgrades, consisting of a brand new (sort of) chip and a handful of devices to go with it. The lead-off hitter here is Apple’s new chip in the M3 family. Up to bat behind it are upgraded iPad Air, Mac Studio, and MacBook Air models. These new devices have been updated to take advantage of the newer M3 family of chips. In the case of the Studio, it is getting support for the latest M4 silicon as well.
Apple’s Spring Lineup
Let’s survey the field and check out the newest member of Apple’s silicon team as it takes the field alongside familiar devices, albeit with some new wrinkles up their sleeves and, in one case, a new look as well:
- a new M3 Ultra chip with boosted performance and support for Thunderbolt 5 connections;
- a new M3-powered iPad Air and a new Magic Keyboard;
- new Mac Studio models, powered by M3 Ultra and M4 Max chips, and Thunderbolt 5 support, and;
- A new MacBook Air with M4 is available in a new color.
The New M3 Ultra Chip
The M3 Ultra is the highest-performing chip yet from Apple. Along with increased CPU and GPU power, it doubles the Neural Engine cores and expands the unified memory. Built using Apple’s innovative packaging architecture, the Ultra links two M3 Max dies into as a single, unified processor for increased performance.
Thunderbolt 5 Support
The M3 Ultra features Thunderbolt 5 for high bandwidth connectivity and peripheral expandability. This equates to more than double the bandwidth per port. When Apple Upgrades Thunderbolt, those of us who move huge files are always happy.
The New iPad Air with M3
The iPad Air with M3 is nearly twice as fast as the iPad Air with M1. The increased power and efficiency of the new silicon will boost computer-intensive tasks such as video editing and gaming. It’s available in an 11-inch and a 13-inch size.
A New Magic Keyboard
Apple upgrades the Magic Keyboard to be more versatile and capable at a lower price than its predecessors. This Magic Keyboard was designed in conjunction with the new iPad Air. Like earlier models, the new Magic Keyboard includes a 14-key function bar, USB-C connector with pass-through charging, and multiple viewing angle capabilities.
New Mac Studio Models
Apple’s powerhouse desktop computers get even more powerful with M4 Max and the new M3 Ultra chips. The most powerful Mac that Apple has ever made, the new Studios are built for handling intensive applications such as AI large language models and professional video editing. Thunderbolt 5 connections offer increased bandwidth to eliminate or minimize lag when working with large files across devices while allowing an expansive number of peripherals.
M4 Max Power
The Mac Studio with M4 Max can achieve performance of over three times that of a Mac Studio with M1 Max. It features a CPU of up to 16 cores and a GPU of up to 40 cores. It’s unified memory begins at 32GB, expandable to 128GB. Two ProRes accelerators in the M4 Max’s Media Engine turbocharge video editing performance.
The New MacBook Air with M4
The M4 comes to the MacBook Air and brings it improved performance without impairing the device’s efficiency and long battery life (up to 18 hours). The laptop also gets a brand new 12MP webcam and support for two external displays in addition to the internal display. With the new silicon, this model is up to twice as fast as the M1 version. The enhanced Neural Engine in the M4 increases speeds in some tasks, such as photo and video manipulation, up to three times over the M1 MacBook Air.
A New Hue for You
What would spring be without some fresh colors in the air or, in this case, on your MacBook Air. The color of the season is Sky Blue, a light metallic blue that reflects a subtle gradient when reflected by light. It joins the existing color crew of midnight, starlight, and sliver. The Sky Blue model also comes with a color-matched charging cable.
Apple Upgrades Offer Something for Everyone
The new team taking the field for Apple this Spring is very much like the old team, for better or worse, but if you’re an Apple fan, it’s likely for the better. Apple continues to push the performance of its custom silicon to deliver high performance while maintaining energy efficiency. This means that their new devices can continue to increase in power while still leading with outstanding battery life and portability.
I can’t say whether it was a conscious decision on the part of Apple, but there is an update here for everyone, whether you’re in search of your next tablet, laptop, or desktop super-computer. Are these new chips game-changers? It’s hard to say, but it will depend on your use case. If you mainly use your devices for web surfing and video streaming, you likely won’t see much improvement with the updated silicon.
However, if you’ve found yourself amidst performance issues with your current device, work with intensive applications such as audio, video, or current generation gaming, these new models will offer you more headroom than what you’re currently using.
These new devices are solidly evolutions. There’s nothing revolutionary here—just the steady progress of incremental improvements. It’s not eye-grabbing but the combination of proven design with substantial performance improvements delivers when it counts most, when we step up to the plate to get things done.
