AirPods 3rd Generation Also Unveiled... Featuring Water Resistance and Spatial Audio Functions
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Apple unveiled a new MacBook Pro equipped with its own chip. The new MacBook Pro is reported to feature the upgraded 'M1 Pro' chip from last year's 'M1,' accelerating Apple's 'escape from Intel.'
On the 18th (local time), Apple held a special event via video at its headquarters, Apple Park, in Cupertino, California, USA, to unveil new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops equipped with its self-designed high-performance computer chips (Apple Silicon).
The newly unveiled laptops are Apple's premium high-end 'MacBook Pro' models. These laptops are equipped with Apple's independently designed new high-performance chips, the 'M1 Pro' and 'M1 Max.'
According to Apple, the M1 Pro and M1 Max are upgraded versions of the previously announced 'M1,' offering the most powerful performance among laptop chips while significantly reducing power consumption to enhance efficiency.
In fact, the M1 introduced by Apple last year applied the ARM architecture, commonly used in smartphone semiconductor design, drastically reducing power consumption while delivering powerful performance comparable to traditional desktop PCs. This shocked the PC industry and put competitors like Intel and AMD on alert.
Apple explained that by independently developing both the operating system and semiconductors, it achieved flexible integration between hardware and software.
The M1 Pro features up to a 10-core central processing unit (CPU), making it 70% faster than the M1, and up to a 16-core graphics processing unit (GPU), which is twice as fast as the M1, Apple said.
It is equipped with a 16-core Neural Engine capable of performing 11 trillion operations per second and offers up to 32GB of unified memory.
The higher-performance M1 Max features up to a 10-core CPU and up to a 32-core GPU, delivering GPU performance four times faster than the M1.
The unified memory reaches up to 64GB. Compared to the 16GB video memory of the latest laptops, Apple stated this means professionals can now perform tasks on laptops that were previously impossible.
Apple also stated that despite this, the M1 Pro and Max reduce power consumption, achieving the industry's highest performance per watt.
For example, Apple explained that the CPU performance of the M1 Pro and Max is up to 1.7 times higher than that of an 8-core laptop chip consuming the same power.
Thanks to this low-power performance, unlike other professional laptops whose performance drops when not connected to external power, the MacBook Pro delivers the same level of performance even when running on battery, Apple said.
The battery life reaches up to 17 hours of video playback for the 14-inch model and up to 21 hours for the 16-inch model.
The MacBook Pro is available for order starting today and will be sold in stores from the 26th. Prices start at 2,690,000 KRW for the 14-inch model and 3,360,000 KRW for the 16-inch model.
Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight, said, "The performance of the newly unveiled chips shows how much Apple has invested in developing its own chips," adding, "Significant advancements have been made in power efficiency, performance, and graphics processing capabilities."
Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush, called the newly unveiled chips a "game changer," predicting that more than 30% of MacBook users will upgrade to the new models.
Additionally, Apple unveiled the 3rd generation AirPods. Priced at 249,000 KRW in Korea, the new AirPods feature shorter stems below the earbuds, resembling the premium 'AirPods Pro.'
They include sweat and water resistance to allow jogging or exercising while wearing them. Both the earbuds and charging case have an IPX4 water resistance rating.
In terms of sound, Apple explained that the newly developed 'low distortion driver' provides stronger bass and clear, crisp high frequencies.
The AirPods also feature spatial audio, which creates an immersive experience by making sounds appear to come from all directions when watching movies or TV dramas.
However, the noise cancellation feature found in the AirPods Pro is not included.
Battery life has been extended to 6 hours of music playback, one hour longer than the 2nd generation. Additionally, a 5-minute charge provides 1 hour of use. Wireless charging via MagSafe is also supported.
Following the announcement of the new MacBook Pro, Apple's stock price rose 1.2% from the previous trading day to $146.55.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
