Tuesday, November 10th 2020

Apple Announces New Line of MacBooks and Mac Minis Powered by M1

On a momentous day for the Mac, Apple today introduced a new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini powered by the revolutionary M1, the first in a family of chips designed by Apple specifically for the Mac. By far the most powerful chip Apple has ever made, M1 transforms the Mac experience. With its industry-leading performance per watt, together with macOS Big Sur, M1 delivers up to 3.5x faster CPU, up to 6x faster GPU, up to 15x faster machine learning (ML) capabilities, and battery life up to 2x longer than before. And with M1 and Big Sur, users get access to the biggest collection of apps ever for Mac. With amazing performance and remarkable new features, the new lineup of M1-powered Macs are an incredible value, and all are available to order today.

"The introduction of three new Macs featuring Apple's breakthrough M1 chip represents a bold change that was years in the making, and marks a truly historic day for the Mac and for Apple," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "M1 is by far the most powerful chip we've ever created, and combined with Big Sur, delivers mind-blowing performance, extraordinary battery life, and access to more software and apps than ever before. We can't wait for our customers to experience this new generation of Mac, and we have no doubt it will help them continue to change the world."
MacBook Air: A Thin and Light Powerhouse
MacBook Air is Apple's most popular Mac and the world's best-selling 13-inch notebook. With the M1 chip, MacBook Air speeds through everything from editing family photos to exporting videos for the web. The powerful 8-core CPU performs up to 3.5x faster than the previous generation. With up to an 8-core GPU, graphics are up to 5x faster, the biggest leap ever for MacBook Air, so immersive, graphics-intensive games run at significantly higher frame rates. 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 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 ever. And in MacBook Air, M1 is faster than the chips in 98 percent of PC laptops sold in the past year.

With the industry-leading power efficiency of M1, MacBook Air also delivers this performance in a fanless design, which means no matter what users are doing, it remains completely silent. And the new MacBook Air features extraordinary battery life, with up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing and up to 18 hours of video playback—the longest battery life ever on MacBook Air.2

When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered 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 a frame.
  • 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.
Other new features in MacBook Air include Apple's latest image signal processor (ISP) in the M1 chip, which improves camera image quality with better noise reduction, greater dynamic range, and improved auto white balance and ML-enhanced face detection so users look their best during video calls. Support for P3 wide color results in an even more vibrant, true-to-life Retina display. The Secure Enclave in M1, combined with Big Sur, delivers best-in-class security with features like Touch ID, which makes it easy to unlock MacBook Air and make secure online purchases using Apple Pay with the touch of a finger. And Wi-Fi 6 delivers faster wireless performance, while two Thunderbolt ports with USB 4 support allow for connectivity to a wide range of peripherals.

With its sleek wedge-shaped design, stunning Retina display, Magic Keyboard, and astonishing level of performance thanks to M1, the new MacBook Air once again redefines what a thin and light notebook can do. And it is still just $999, and $899 for education.

13-inch MacBook Pro: Even More Powerful and Even More Pro
The 13-inch MacBook Pro is Apple's most popular pro notebook. Students use it to power through college, and pros use it to channel their creativity. With the M1 chip and Big Sur, the 13-inch MacBook Pro becomes even more powerful and even more pro. The 8-core CPU, when paired with the MacBook Pro's active cooling system, is up to 2.8x faster than the previous generation, delivering game-changing performance when compiling code, transcoding video, editing high-resolution photos, and more. The 8-core GPU is up to 5x faster, allowing users to enjoy super smooth graphics performance whether they are designing a graphics-intensive game or a new product. And with M1, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is up to 3x faster than the best-selling Windows laptop in its class.3 ML is up to 11x faster, and for on-device ML tasks that use the Neural Engine, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is now the world's fastest compact pro notebook.4 With up to 17 hours of wireless web browsing and up to a staggering 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.2

When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered 13-inch 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.
  • PerformML 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 amazing performance of the Neural Engine.
  • Play back full-quality, 8K ProRes video in DaVinci Resolve without dropping a single frame.
  • Compile four times as much code on a single charge, thanks to the game-changing performance per watt of the M1 chip.
Other new features in the new 13-inch MacBook Pro include studio-quality mics for super clear recordings and calls, and Apple's latest camera ISP in the M1 chip enables sharper images and more detail in shadows and highlights on video calls. The new MacBook Pro also delivers best-in-class security with the Secure Enclave in M1 and Touch ID. And it features two Thunderbolt ports with USB 4 support to connect to more peripherals than ever, including Apple's Pro Display XDR in full 6K resolution.

With its amazing performance and unbelievable battery life, combined with its gorgeous Retina display, Magic Keyboard, and 3-pound compact design, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is the ultimate expression of what the M1 chip can do. And it is available for the same starting price of just $1,299, and $1,199 for education.

Mac mini: Staggering Performance and an Ultracompact Design
Mac mini is Apple's most versatile computer, and now with M1, it packs a staggering amount of performance and incredible new features in such a compact design. M1 brings an 8-core CPU with up to 3x faster performance than the previous generation, dramatically accelerating demanding workloads, from compiling a million lines of code to building enormous multitrack music projects. An 8-core GPU delivers up to a massive 6x increase in graphics performance, allowing Mac mini to tackle performance-intensive tasks like complex 3D rendering with ease. ML workloads also take a quantum leap forward with up to 15x faster performance over the previous generation. And when compared to the best-selling Windows desktop in its price range, the Mac mini is just one-tenth the size, yet delivers up to 5x faster performance.

When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered Mac mini can:
  • Compile code in Xcode up to 3x faster.
  • Play a graphics-intensive game like "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" with up to 4x higher frame rates.
  • Render a complex timeline in Final Cut Pro up to 6x faster.
  • Take music production to new levels by using up to 3x as many real-time plug-ins in Logic Pro.
  • Magically increase the resolution of a photo in Pixelmator Pro up to 15x faster.
  • Utilize ML frameworks like TensorFlow or Create ML, now accelerated by the M1 chip.
Mac mini also features an advanced thermal design to sustain its breakthrough performance while staying cool and quiet, support for up to two displays including Apple's Pro Display XDR in full 6K resolution, and Wi-Fi 6 for faster wireless performance and the Secure Enclave in M1 for best-in-class security.

With M1 and Big Sur, Mac mini represents a massive shift in what an ultrasmall desktop can do. Far more versatile and far more capable than ever, Mac mini is now available for just $699, $100 less than the previous-generation quad-core model.

macOS Big Sur
All new Macs come with Big Sur, the latest version of the world's most advanced desktop operating system. Big Sur introduces a beautiful redesign that is entirely new yet instantly familiar, and powerful updates to apps including Safari, Messages, and Maps. Big Sur is engineered, down to its core, to take full advantage of all the capability and power of M1, delivering a massive boost in performance, astonishing battery life, and even stronger security protections. With M1, things users do every day feel noticeably faster and smoother. Just like iPhone and iPad, the Mac now instantly wakes from sleep. Browsing with Safari—which is already the world's fastest browser—is now up to 1.5x speedier at running JavaScript and nearly 2x more responsive.

With Big Sur and M1, Mac users can run a greater range of apps than ever before. All of Apple's Mac software is now Universal and runs natively for M1 systems. Existing Mac apps that have not been updated to Universal will run seamlessly with Apple's Rosetta 2 technology. And iPhone and iPad apps can now run directly on the Mac. Additionally, the foundations of Big Sur are optimized to unlock the power of M1, including developer technologies from Metal for graphics to Core ML for machine learning.

Pricing and Availability
  • The new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini with M1 are available to order today on apple.com and in the Apple Store app. They will begin arriving to customers and will be in select Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers starting next week. The new MacBook Air starts at $999 (US), and $899 (US) for education; the new 13-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,299 (US), and $1,199 (US) for education; and the new Mac mini starts at $699 (US), and $679 (US) for education.
  • Customers are able to find the same great shopping and support services at apple.com/shop, in the Apple Store app, and at Apple Store locations. Customers can get shopping help from Apple Specialists, choose monthly financing options, trade in eligible devices, and get Support services and no-contact delivery or Apple Store pickup options. Customers are encouraged to check apple.com/retail for more information on the health and safety measures in place, and the services available, at their local store.
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85 Comments on Apple Announces New Line of MacBooks and Mac Minis Powered by M1

#76
SL2
DrediAnandtech seems to be 100% sure that this is just a (very weird) translation error.
I checked dk, de, fr, jp, au, hu, es, se, and ee (didn't have the new site), and none of them actually said HBM, only fi.
Posted on Reply
#77
R0H1T
Maybe they meant (m)AIrfi, the memory's airborne :pimp:
Posted on Reply
#78
dragontamer5788
TheLostSwedePlease find that text on the English site, as I can't. Apple's reality distortion filter doesn't help either, as they clearly don't want to post any kinds of real spec.
www.apple.com/mac/m1/
Apple says is a 128-bit bus, which is far smaller than 2x stacks of HBM (1024-bit bus per stack). We can clearly see the two stacks of RAM: if it were HBM, then it'd be a 2048-bit bus.

64-bits bus per chip matches the specifications of LPDDR4.
Posted on Reply
#79
TheLostSwede
News Editor
dragontamer5788Apple says is a 128-bit bus, which is far smaller than 2x stacks of HBM (1024-bit bus per stack). We can clearly see the two stacks of RAM: if it were HBM, then it'd be a 2048-bit bus.

64-bits bus per chip matches the specifications of LPDDR4.
Apple or Anandtech?
If you saw on on Apple's site, can you please share where?
Posted on Reply
#80
dragontamer5788
TheLostSwedeApple or Anandtech?
If you saw on on Apple's site, can you please share where?
Hmmm, seems like its Anandtech where I saw it.

Posted on Reply
#81
Vya Domus
The die shot is from a slide Apple put up in the presentation.
Posted on Reply
#82
RandallFlagg
Well if cpu-monkey is to be believed (and it probably isn't) :

- The M1 turbos all core up to 3.1Ghz, and single core to 3.1Ghz, not sure what this is about
- Geekbench multi-core score is about 3% under a 9700K, which turbos all cores to 4.6 Ghz
- Single core ties it up with a 5900X which has a single core turbo of 4.8Ghz
- i7-1185G7 (Tiger Lake) 4c/8t is within a percent or so of the M1 on single core, but has a 4.8Ghz single core turbo

Interestingly, the 4C TGL gets a 6102 on multi-core vs the 7220 from the 8 core M1. Presumably this is the 4 slow cores not pulling their weight so to speak in highly threaded use.


Reference :
www.cpu-monkey.com/en/cpu-apple_m1-1804
Posted on Reply
#83
Darksaber
Senior Editor & Case Reviewer
TheLostSwedeBut they did differentiate the SKUs, in a sneaky way. The bar model Air has 7 GPU cores, whereas all other devices have 8.
Right! I noticed that today - I don't think they mentioned anything during the launch event. I wonder why they are doing that? Seems like an odd choice, but I guess it could be for yield reasons?

Still numbers are pretty good - even those running on Rosetta. So my plan for M2 remains unchanged :)
Posted on Reply
#84
remixedcat
Will DAWs other than logic pro work on them ... ?
TheLostSwedeTime to get some reading glasses. It's the GPU that has core differences, not the CPU.


No-one will need more than 16GB of RAM on these new Macs...
You do when you produce music. Bitwig takes up a few GB a RAM and even more when I load more VSTs.
Posted on Reply
#85
TheLostSwede
News Editor
remixedcatWill DAWs other than logic pro work on them ... ?


You do when you produce music. Bitwig takes up a few GB a RAM and even more when I load more VSTs.
I guess I forgot to add /s
Posted on Reply
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