'Scary Fast' Apple Event, ?? 24-inch iMac, ?? Macbook Pro and more...
Damien Schreurs
Helping Mac-using solopreneurs save time and money by running their business more efficiently
Hello fellow Apple enthusiast, entrepreneur, business owner or professional using your Mac, iPhone or iPad to make a living!
Hope you and your family are in good health and not too impacted by the global events going on right now.
This is your monthly dose of Apple-related news, curated and summarised just for you ??
Here are the 5 points covered today:
Before jumping into this news, here's a fun fact:
On November 5, 2007, Google introduced the Android operating system based on a modified version of Linux. The T-mobile G1, the first Android-based phone shipped in September 2008 and combined a touch screen with a sliding physical keyboard. Few people know that Google started working on Android in 2006, with the first prototypes resembling Blackberry phones. When Apple announced the iPhone in January 2007, Google quickly pivoted because they realised that the iPhone operating system was much superior to Blackberry's.
'Scary Fast' Apple Event
Right before Halloween, Apple broadcasted a pre-recorded virtual event dubbed ‘Scary Fast’.
Over the course of 30 minutes, Apple introduced:
All these new devices could be ordered immediately, with shipping starting from November 7.
I noticed two big exceptions compared to previous similar events.
First, the event started streaming at 5 pm Pacific time, rather than the usual 10 am slot, which meant that it took place during the night for us in Europe.
I suspect it was partially linked to the Halloween theme and maybe a way to see how many people from Asia would stream the event live (it was 8 am in China and 9 am in Japan).
Second, it’s the first time that Apple releases three variants of a new generation of Apple Silicon chips at the same time: M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max.
Until now, they announced the base model (M1, M2), then a few months later, the Pro and Max variants.
Apart from that, here are my biggest takeaways.
1) Apple clearly identified the ideal customer persona for each of the newly announced products. They even created specific sets mimicking their particular work environment.
2) They’re definitely not resting on their laurels with respect to their chips. They know the competition is hard at work playing catch-up, and Apple is doubling down on their efforts to keep the lead.
3) Now is the best time for anyone who’s still clinging onto an Intel-based Mac stuck at macOS 11 Big Sur or earlier to upgrade either to an M2 or an M3-based machine.
As usual, you can watch the replay of the event on Apple's website: https://www.apple.com/apple-events/
?? 24-inch iMac
The 24-inch iMac has been updated with the M3 processor, which is a significant upgrade from the previous M1 model.
The M3 chip offers up to double the speed of the M1, with an 8-core CPU, an optional 10-core GPU, and up to 24GB of unified memory.
Other enhancements include hardware-accelerated ray tracing for gaming, a Media Engine for improved video editing workflows, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3 support.
However, most features, including the design and color options, remain similar to the 2021 M1 model.
The base model M3 iMac (with an 8-Core GPU) is priced at 1,552€ incl. VAT in Luxembourg and $1,299 + tax in the US.
Having said that, you should avoid it for the following reasons:
Instead, I recommend the 10-Core GPU / 512 GB storage / 8 GB RAM model starting at 1,993€ incl. VAT or $1,699 + tax and you should consider upgrading the internal storage and RAM based on your needs.
To ensure maximum compatibility with future macOS versions, I recommend upgrading the RAM to 16 GB, ideally maxing it out to 24 GB if your budget allows.
This M3 24-inch iMac is the perfect upgrade to a 21,5-inch Intel iMac, simply because it provides astonishingly better performance (4x faster), a better screen and a much improved webcam (1080p vs. 720p).
Those who currently have the M1 iMac shouldn’t upgrade except if they got the base model with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD, and wished they had gone for more of both.
During the event, Apple said that this 24-inch iMac would be a good replacement for the 27-inch Intel model.
This leads me to believe that they don’t plan on releasing a larger iMac with Apple Silicon anytime soon.
That’s a shame and those, like me, who can’t imagine having a screen smaller than 27-inch in diagonal need to decide between a Mac Mini, a Mac Studio or a Mac Pro, all of them requiring the purchase of an external display too.
?? MacBook Pro Models
14-inch MacBook Pro with M3
This entry-level MacBook Pro replaces the previous 13-inch model, which means that Apple officially killed the Touch Bar.
Of all the announced hardware, it’s the only brand new one, even though it looks a lot like the previous 14-inch MacBook Pro.
Compared to the previous generation 14-inch MacBook Pro, it has one USB-C port less (the one on the right side has been removed) while still offering the HDMI port and SD card reader.
Compared to an M2 MacBook Air, it has a much faster chip, a better display, and longer battery life while sharing the same limitations:
Given this, it’s the perfect machine for people who often need to connect their Mac to a projector and/or still deal with SD cards but only do light work on it (web browsing, email, documents, spreadsheets, …)
This entry-level M3 MacBook Pro is available in Silver and Space Gray, and pricing starts at €1,945 incl. VAT or $1,599 + tax with 512 GB storage and 8 GB RAM.
Professionals who need more storage, more memory, and also more oomph should consider a MacBook Pro with M3 Pro or M3 Max instead.
14-inch & 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro & M3 Max
These two machines are the true successors of the M2 Pro & M2 Max MacBook Pros released in January 2023, so less than a year ago.
Like their predecessors, they feature 3 USB-C ports and support at least 2 external displays, up to 4 for the M3 Max model.
Here are the main differences compared to the previous generation:
1) New Space Black colour replaces Space Gray (only available for M3)
2) M3 Pro MacBook Pro is limited to 4 TB of SSD (vs. 8 TB for the M2 Pro model)
3) Unified memory starts at 18 GB (vs. 16 GB before) and can go up to 128 GB (vs. 96 GB before)
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4) Top of the line M3 Max chip has 16 CPU cores and 40 GPU cores (up from 12 and 38 respectively)
In my humble opinion, these machines only make sense for professionals who need more than 24 GB of RAM, and/or more than 2 TB of storage, and/or to connect two or more external displays.
If you don’t need any of these three things, then chances are that either the M3 MacBook Pro or the M2 MacBook Air will be plenty enough, while being more affordable.
It’s important to note that the amount of unified memory that can be ordered depend from the chip itself:
Operating System Updates
On October 4, 2023, Apple released iOS 17.0.3 and iPadOS 17.0.3 to patch two vulnerabilities, one of them actively exploited in the wild.
Then, six days later, on October 10, Apple released iOS 16.7.1 and iPadOS 16.7.1 to patch the same flaws for older devices.
On October 25, Apple issued a slew of operating system updates to bring new features for all devices compatible with the latest OS version and to patch security problems for older devices.
As usual, make sure to backup your device(s) before installing any update.
If your Mac is happily running macOS Monterey or Ventura, I’d recommend installing only the security updates and refraining from upgrading to macOS Sonoma for the time being.
If your Mac is compatible with Sonoma, you can safely test it on a secondary computer or an external drive.
During this time, make an inventory of the apps and peripherals you absolutely depend upon and double-check they are compatible with the latest operating system version.
Here are the latest OS versions available at the time of writing:
Mac
iPhone
iPad
Apple Watch
Apple TV
Artificial Intelligence
Apple
Apple is making significant strides in integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its products and services.
Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, emphasized that AI is not just being developed but is already a fundamental technology integral to every product they ship, including features in iOS 17 like personal voice and live voicemail.
Additionally, Apple is investing heavily in generative AI, planning to enhance its operating systems and potentially revamp Siri by 2024 with a $1 billion technology push.
On the user side, a study by Setapp found that 42% of Mac users use AI-based apps daily, and 63% believe AI apps are more beneficial than non-AI ones.
Mac developers are also embracing AI, with 44% having already implemented AI or machine learning in their apps and another 28% working on doing so.
Popular AI apps include Google Bard, Bing, Descript, DeepL and Grammarly.
This growing adoption signifies the transformative potential of AI in enhancing user experiences and app functionalities.
OpenAI
In October, OpenAI made several noteworthy announcements.
Firstly, the company is reportedly exploring the development of its own AI chips to train and run future AI models, considering strategies such as acquiring an AI chip manufacturer or designing chips internally.
Secondly, OpenAI introduced DALL-E 3 to ChatGPT Plus, allowing users to create images by describing them.
Alongside this, OpenAI is developing a tool capable of detecting fake images with a reported 99% accuracy.
Lastly, OpenAI formed a new team called Preparedness to study the "catastrophic risks" associated with future AI systems, including potential nuclear threats and other significant dangers.
AI safety
Talking about AI safety, several initiatives have been undertaken by tech companies and governments to address the challenges and risks associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The United Nations has formed a high-level AI advisory board comprising 39 individuals from government, academia, and industry to explore AI governance and make recommendations by 2024.
Meanwhile, politicians have committed to collaborating on AI safety, with the U.S. launching a new AI safety institute within the Department of Commerce.
On the other hand, concerns have been raised about AI jailbreaks and prompt manipulations, where users manipulate AI models to generate unintended or harmful content.
These developments underscore the growing recognition of the need to ensure that AI technologies are developed and used responsibly and safely.
Macpreneur podcast
On October 26, I kicked off Season 3 of the Macpreneur podcast to explore the world of Artificial Intelligence.
The goal of this season is to focus on how AI can help solopreneurs streamline their business on their Mac.
Here’s the link to the Season 3 episodes published so far: https://macpreneur.com/category/season-3/
If you know solopreneurs who run their business on their Mac, I’d be super grateful if you could tell them about it.
Hey, solopreneurs! Are you overwhelmed with this AI stuff? Not sure where to start or what tool to use on your Mac?
Discover the?Top 10 AI tools every?Mac-based?business owner need to know about!
Just visit https://macpreneur.com/ai to grab your FREE cheat sheet now!
Disclaimer:?EasyTECH Sarl?is not affiliated with Apple Inc. Damien is not an Apple employee and he doesn't own Apple stocks. iPhone, iPad, MacBook, iMac and all other Apple product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Apple Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.