Apple unveils upgrades for the MacBook Air, iPad Air and Mac Studio

This week Apple announced significant updates to its Mac and iPad lineups, introducing new hardware and performance enhancements across multiple devices. The latest MacBook Air is now powered by Apple’s new M4 chip, offering improved efficiency, faster performance, and expanded external display support. The iPad Air lineup has also been refreshed, featuring the M3 chip and, for the first time, a larger 13-inch model.

In addition, Apple introduced an upgraded Mac Studio, now equipped with the M3 Ultra chip. The new processor delivers substantial performance gains, with up to 2.6 times the speed of the M1 Ultra, support for up to 512GB of unified memory, and the introduction of Thunderbolt 5 for faster data transfer and expanded connectivity options.

MacBook Air

Apple unveiled the latest MacBook Air, now equipped with the M4 chip, a 12MP Center Stage camera, support for up to two external displays, and an extended battery life of up to 18 hours. The new model is also available in an all-new sky blue color, joining midnight, starlight, and silver. With a starting price of $999, and $899 for education, the latest MacBook Air offers enhanced performance and value. Pre-orders are now open, with availability beginning on March 12.

Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, described the new MacBook Air as an advancement in both technology and design. “MacBook Air remains the world’s most popular laptop, and today we’re making it even better. With the power of the M4 chip, a new Center Stage camera, and a striking new sky blue finish, it offers outstanding performance, portability, and design,” he said.

The M4 chip brings notable improvements in speed and efficiency, enhancing tasks such as multitasking, video editing, and web browsing. Key performance highlights include:

• Up to twice the performance compared to the M1 MacBook Air.
• Up to 23 times faster speeds than Intel-based MacBook Air models.
• Enhanced AI capabilities powered by a high-performance Neural Engine, improving tasks such as photo editing and background noise reduction.
• Improved efficiency supporting up to 18 hours of battery life.

The 12MP Center Stage camera automatically adjusts framing during video calls, ensuring users remain centered. It also supports Desk View, which displays both the user and a top-down view of their workspace. Additionally, the new MacBook Air can now support up to two external 6K displays alongside its built-in Liquid Retina display, enhancing productivity for professionals and students.

The MacBook Air with M4 is optimized for Apple Intelligence, enabling features such as:

• Image Playground for creative visual enhancements.
• Genmoji for personalized emoji creation.
• Writing Tools for improved text composition.
• Enhanced Siri capabilities, including voice and typed requests.
• Integrated ChatGPT access, with built-in privacy protections.

Apple Intelligence processes many tasks directly on the device, ensuring data security. For more complex requests, Private Cloud Compute extends privacy protections into the cloud, ensuring user data is never stored or shared with Apple.

Pre-orders for the new MacBook Air with M4 are available now, with shipments beginning on March 12. Pricing details are as follows:

• 13-inch MacBook Air with M4: $999
• 15-inch MacBook Air with M4: $1,199

Tech Specs

iPad Air

Apple also announced a new iteration of its iPad Air, now powered by the M3 chip, promising significant improvements in performance, graphics capabilities, and AI-driven features. Available in both 11-inch and 13-inch models, the latest iPad Air is designed to enhance productivity and creativity, catering to students, professionals, and content creators alike.

According to Apple, the M3 chip delivers nearly twice the speed of its predecessor, the M1, and offers up to 3.5 times the performance of the A14 Bionic chip. With a 9-core GPU, the device supports hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing, allowing for enhanced gaming and rendering capabilities. Additionally, the M3’s faster Neural Engine is said to improve AI-based tasks and overall efficiency.

The iPad Air now integrates Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI system designed to refine user experiences across various applications. Features include enhanced photo editing tools, improved search functionality, and AI-powered writing assistance. Siri has also been upgraded to support contextual understanding and seamless integration with ChatGPT, enabling users to access AI-generated responses without switching between apps. Apple emphasizes its commitment to privacy by ensuring that user data is processed on-device whenever possible, with additional safeguards in place for cloud-based AI requests.

A redesigned Magic Keyboard, tailored for the iPad Air, is also being introduced at a reduced price compared to previous models. Featuring a larger trackpad, a 14-key function row, and a machined aluminum hinge, the accessory aims to enhance usability. It attaches magnetically and connects via Apple’s Smart Connector, eliminating the need for Bluetooth pairing.

In addition to the iPad Air, Apple has updated its entry-level iPad with the A16 chip and doubled its base storage capacity. The company states that the new model offers up to 30% faster performance than its predecessor and is up to six times faster than competing Android tablets.

Pre-orders for the iPad Air with M3 began on March 4, with availability starting March 12. The 11-inch model starts at $599, while the 13-inch version is priced at $799. The Magic Keyboard is available for $269 (11-inch) and $319 (13-inch). The updated iPad with A16 starts at $349. Additional accessories, including Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), are also available.

Tech Specs

M3 Ultra chip

Apple also unveiled the M3 Ultra, its most advanced silicon chip yet, delivering up to 2.6 times the performance of the M1 Ultra. Built on Apple’s UltraFusion packaging, M3 Ultra links two M3 Max dies with over 10,000 high-speed connections, treating them as a single chip for exceptional performance and efficiency. With 184 billion transistors, a 32-core CPU (24 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores), and an 80-core GPU, M3 Ultra is up to 1.5 times faster than M2 Ultra. It introduces Thunderbolt 5 connectivity for 120 Gb/s data transfer speeds and supports over 512GB of unified memory, exceeding the capabilities of high-end workstation graphics cards.

Optimized for AI and machine learning, M3 Ultra features a 32-core Neural Engine capable of handling large language models with over 600 billion parameters on-device. Its GPU includes dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, and ray tracing, dramatically enhancing graphics-intensive tasks like 3D rendering, VFX, and gaming. The advanced media engine supports H.264, HEVC, and four ProRes encode/decode engines, capable of playing 22 streams of 8K ProRes 422 video simultaneously. Its high-performance display engine powers up to eight Pro Display XDRs, rendering over 160 million pixels.

Thunderbolt 5, supported by dedicated controllers for each port, ensures robust connectivity for faster data transfers, improved external storage, and seamless expansion. The M3 Ultra’s interconnect bandwidth of 2.5TB/s allows multiple Mac Studio systems to link together for demanding content creation and scientific computing. Security is enhanced with Apple’s Secure Enclave, hardware-verified secure boot, and runtime anti-exploitation technologies.

Mac Studio

Apple unveiled the latest Mac Studio, featuring the all-new M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. Designed to push the boundaries of professional computing, the new Mac Studio delivers groundbreaking performance, enhanced connectivity with Thunderbolt 5, and an upgraded architecture within its compact and quiet design. With up to 512GB of unified memory, an ultra-fast SSD reaching up to 16TB, and a highly efficient Neural Engine, the latest Mac Studio provides an unparalleled performance boost for creatives, developers, and professionals handling intensive workflows.

Mac Studio is built for advanced artificial intelligence applications, supporting large language models (LLMs) with over 600 billion parameters, running entirely in memory. With Apple Intelligence integrated, users can experience a new level of personal computing, enhancing productivity while prioritizing data privacy.

“The new Mac Studio is the most powerful Mac we’ve ever made,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. “With M4 Max and M3 Ultra, up to 512GB of unified memory, and Thunderbolt 5, Mac Studio offers unmatched performance in a compact design that’s perfect for professionals worldwide.”

The Mac Studio with M4 Max is designed for professionals across various industries, from video editing and photography to engineering and software development. With a 16-core CPU, a 40-core GPU, and over 500GB/s of memory bandwidth, it significantly outperforms previous Mac Studio generations and Intel-based iMacs. Its advanced Media Engine, featuring two ProRes accelerators, makes video editing seamless, enabling users to work with multiple streams of 4K ProRes effortlessly.

Key performance improvements with M4 Max include:

• 1.6x faster image processing in Adobe Photoshop than Mac Studio with M1 Max.
• 2.1x faster build times in Xcode compared to Mac Studio with M1 Max.
• 1.6x faster video processing in Topaz Video AI versus M1 Max models.

Pushing computing power further, the Mac Studio with M3 Ultra is designed for professionals working with high-performance workflows. It features a 32-core CPU with 24 performance cores, an 80-core GPU, and an industry-leading 512GB of unified memory. Thanks to Apple’s high-bandwidth memory architecture, the M3 Ultra offers 800GB/s of memory bandwidth, providing seamless multitasking and real-time processing for demanding creative and computational tasks.

Key performance advancements with M3 Ultra include:

• 2.6x faster scene rendering in Maxon Redshift compared to M1 Ultra models.
• 1.4x faster 8K video rendering in Final Cut Pro versus M1 Ultra.
• 16.9x faster token generation using large AI models compared to M1 Ultra.

Mac Studio now includes Thunderbolt 5, offering data transfer speeds up to 120 Gb/s, three times faster than the previous generation. This enhancement supports advanced external storage, PCIe expansion, and up to eight Pro Display XDRs at full 6K resolution. Additionally, Mac Studio provides 10Gb Ethernet, HDMI, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth, and an SDXC card slot for seamless professional use.

Mac Studio leverages Apple Intelligence, allowing users to enhance their workflow with advanced AI-driven features. Running on macOS Sequoia, the new Mac Studio introduces iPhone Mirroring, advanced window management, a redesigned Safari browser, and Password Manager integration for a streamlined experience.

The new Mac Studio is available for pre-order today, with shipments beginning March 12. Pricing starts at $1,999.

Tech Specs