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Three new Macs – one new chip
Apple has rolled out the M1-chip in the new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini – delivering 3.5x faster performance than the Intel-based predecessors.
What’s new in the MacBook Air
The new chip in the MacBook Air is a powerful 8-core CPU that performs up to 3.5x faster than the previous generation. With up to an 8-core GPU, graphics are up to 5x faster, which is the biggest leap in graphics yet for the MacBook Air. ML workloads are up to 9x faster, so apps that use ML-based features like face recognition or object detection can do so in a fraction of the previous time. The M1 chip’s storage controller and latest flash technology deliver up to 2x faster SSD performance, so previewing massive images or importing large files is faster than before.
It also packs performance in a fanless design, which means no matter what users are doing, it remains silent. It also features a longer 15 hours of wireless web browsing and up to 18 hours of video playback
Apple provided the following information on comparisons to the previous Intel-based MacBook Air.
The new MacBook Air can:
- Export a project for the web with iMovie up to 3x faster.
- Integrate 3D effects into video in Final Cut Pro up to 5x faster.
- For the first time, play back and edit multiple streams of full-quality, 4K ProRes video in Final Cut Pro without dropping frames.
- Export photos from Lightroom up to twice as fast.
- Use ML-based features like Smart Conform in Final Cut Pro to intelligently frame a clip up to 4.3x faster.
- Watch more movies and TV shows with up to 18 hours of battery life, the longest ever on MacBook Air.
- Extend FaceTime and other video calls for up to twice as long on a single charge.
What’s new in the 13-inch MacBook Pro
The new MacBook Pro features the same M1 chip as the MacBook Air, but comes with a fan. This means the chip will not be thermally throttled when it’s put under a high workload. With this in mind, the 8-core CPU is up to 2.8x faster than the previous generation, while the 8-core GPU is up to 5x faster.
ML is up to 11x faster, so those who are running TensorFlow applications will experience a significant difference in their workflows. With up to 17 hours of wireless web browsing and up to a whopping 20 hours of video playback, MacBook Pro delivers up to twice the battery life of the previous generation and the longest battery life ever on a Mac.
The new MacBook Pro can:
- Build code in Xcode up to 2.8x faster.
- Render a complex 3D title in Final Cut Pro up to 5.9x faster.
- Fluidly design intricate game scenes in Unity Editor up to 3.5x faster.
- Perform ML tasks in Create ML up to 11x faster.
- Separate out beats, instrumentals, and vocal tracks from a recording in real time in djay Pro AI, thanks to the performance of the Neural Engine.
- Play back full-quality, 8K ProRes video in DaVinci Resolve without dropping frames.
- Compile four times as much code on a single charge, thanks to the game-changing performance per watt of the M1 chip.
Read more on the next page about what’s new in the Mac mini.
