BURST UPDATE! Apple launches 2 new blockbuster Mac products, the M2 Pro/Max chip is here

Cook really fought hard to snatch your year-end bonus.

Just now, Apple released two blockbuster new products in a low-key manner. There was no notice, no press conference, and they were launched directly on the official website.

The most powerful Mac mini in history, the new MacBook Pro in two sizes, came with the M2 Pro/Max chip, which made many "wait for the party" to celebrate the New Year ahead of schedule. Both products are available for pre-sale on January 19th and officially released on February 3rd.

Performance beast, another leap forward

The MacBook Pro launched by Apple in the fall of 2021 is the generation that has changed the most in recent years.

Brand-new appearance design, richer interface, top-level XDR screen, powerful M1 Pro/Max chip, it still maintains stable sales and reputation.

The two newly updated MacBook Pros have the same design as the previous generation, and they are still 14-inch and 16-inch versions. The key update is to switch to new chips and new wireless specifications.

First look at the new chip. The naming logic is the same as the previous generation, sorted from low to high according to performance, it is M2, M2 Pro, M2 Max.

The M2 chip will be the first to be unveiled at the WWDC conference in June 2022. Compared to the M1, the M2 chip offers 18 percent faster CPU, 35 percent faster GPU performance, and 40 percent faster NPU.

The newly unveiled M2 Pro and M2 Max are improvements based on the M2.

A total of 40 billion transistors are integrated inside the M2 Pro chip, which is nearly 20% more than the M1 Pro chip and double that of the M2 chip.

The number of CPU cores of the M2 Pro chip has increased, offering 10-core or 12-core options. Among them, the 12-core CPU M2 Pro contains up to 8 high-performance cores and 4 high-efficiency cores, and its multi-thread processing speed is 20% faster than the fully equipped M1 Pro chip.

GPUs have advanced even further. The highest optional 19-core version has 3 more cores than the previous generation. At the same time, it uses a larger L2 cache, and the graphics processing speed is 30% faster than the M1 Pro chip.

The M2 Max goes a step further in terms of performance, equipped with a 12-core CPU, and a GPU with up to 38 cores. With a larger L2 cache, the graphics processing speed is 30% faster than the M1 Max chip.

It is worth mentioning that M2 Max supports up to 96GB of high-speed unified memory, which is good for workers who have heavy demands on RAM.

The well-known breaking news website Macrumors previously published an article saying that the M2 Max chip scored 2027 in single-core and 14888 in multi-core in Geekbench. Compared with M1 Max's single-core and multi-core scores, they are about 15% and 21% higher, respectively.

For the actual performance, please pay attention to the evaluation after Ai Faner.

In addition, we found that the new MacBook Pro supports Wi-Fi 6E. "E" stands for "Extented", meaning extended. Based on Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E adds the 6GHz frequency band for faster speed and lower latency. However, Wi‑Fi 6E is currently applicable to countries and regions outside mainland China, and we are not yet able to experience it.

An inconspicuous but useful update is that the HDMI interface is more advanced, supporting up to 8K@60Hz displays, and can also connect to 4K displays at a refresh rate of up to 240Hz.

Those are the major updates for the new MacBook Pro. Judging from the extent of the upgrade, it is a regular iteration without much unexpected content. In terms of price, each version has increased by 1,000 yuan compared with the previous generation.

• [14-inch MacBook Pro]
  Equipped with M2 Pro chip from 15,999 yuan Equipped with M2 Max chip from 19,999 yuan
• 【16-inch MacBook Pro】
  Equipped with M2 Pro chip from 19,999 yuan Equipped with M2 Max chip from 27,499 yuan

A variety of collocations, covering the price range from 15999 yuan to 49999 yuan. Is there any configuration you want to start with? Welcome to chat in the comment area.

The most understated Mac yet, with a high-profile update

Mac mini is the cheapest in the Mac product line, and the sound volume is relatively small.

It usually lies quietly under the display stand, hidden in a corner of the table at home or in the company, unlike the MacBook that is often seen in coffee shops.

But it cannot be denied that it is a very cost-effective and powerful Mac.

The new Mac mini is a regular iteration, a replacement processor, and nothing else.

But the point is that this generation of Mac mini not only provides the version of the M2 chip, but also can choose the M2 Pro chip.

When we experienced the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air equipped with the M2 chip, we tested their actual performance, which can be used as a performance reference for the M2 version of the Mac mini:

Take the MacBook Pro 13-inch with a built-in cooling fan as an example: In terms of CPU, GeekBench single-core and multi-core running scores, M2 is 11% and 17% higher than M1, respectively. GPU is the strength of M2, and the running score is 41% higher than that of M1.

Reflected in the game, under the same settings, the average frame rate of M2 running Tomb Raider is 41% higher than that of M1. In terms of video processing, thanks to a more powerful media processing engine, M2 can broadcast 2 videos on the same track than M1, transcoding 4K ProRes RAW projects to ProRes 422 is 50% faster, and transcoding to HEVC is 7% faster.

For programmers, the efficiency of M2 is not small compared to M1. We use Xcode to compile the source code of the Aifaner client. M2 takes 17% less time to compile than M1, and even 11% faster than M1 Pro. archive package test, M2 is also 20% faster than M1.

So the M2 version of the Mac mini should perform well. After all, it has a built-in cooling fan and a fixed power supply, which can better exploit the potential of the M2.

As for the actual performance of the M2 Pro, we will share it with you as soon as we receive the real device.

On the interface, the Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro chips is also distinguished. The former is equipped with 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports and supports simultaneous connection of up to 2 displays; the latter is equipped with 4 Thunderbolt ports and supports simultaneous connection of up to 3 monitors. monitor.

In terms of price, the Mac mini equipped with the M2 chip starts at 4,499 yuan, and the Mac mini equipped with the M2 Pro chip starts at 9,999 yuan.

Apple in 2023 is worth looking forward to

Apple in recent years can be summed up in one word: steady and steady. Observing past financial reports, it can be found that although the market is full of uncertainties, Apple's revenue has been growing steadily.

Stable products and stable product lines bring a problem at the same time: if the stability is too high, it will appear flat and lack some surprises. Some shrill voices began to emerge: Where did Apple's innovation go?

If you also have this question, then Apple in 2023 may be able to give you a satisfactory answer.

According to the breaking news, Apple will make a big debut in Mac, MR (Mixed Reality) glasses, iPhone and other product lines this year.

The new MacBook Pro has just been launched, making a good head start for this year's Mac product line. If you are a technology enthusiast, you should remember that Cook promised at WWDC in 2020 that Apple would spend two years transitioning the Mac product line from Intel to Apple Silicon.

Today, the two-year period has passed, and Apple has "pigeoned". In the Mac system, the Mac Pro is still stuck in the Intel era.

However, with the arrival of the M2 Pro/Max, the rumored Mac Pro equipped with a full-blooded version of the M2 Ultra or the M2 Extreme chip will obviously meet you in the not-too-distant time. Maybe it's the spring conference, or maybe it's the WWDC conference.

What level can this Apple's strongest self-developed chip and Apple's most powerful computer achieve? Thinking about it is quite exciting.

The other is the rumored MR glasses.

At the beginning of the month, Aifaner released its latest news . Involving design schemes, battery life performance, interaction methods, hardware configuration, software ecology and other breaking news, I will not repeat them here.

Not surprisingly, this benchmark product, which is considered to truly open the metaverse era, will be released in the first half of this year, and it will be the focus of Apple's announcement.

Although virtual reality products are not new today, the industry still lacks a product that really ignites the popularity of the Metaverse. Whether it is Microsoft HoloLens, Meta Quest Pro, or PICO 4, which have a certain volume, they do not have this ability.

So can Apple's MR glasses change this situation? With Apple's top market appeal, I have confidence in it.

Finally, the iPhone. In the iPhone 14 series released last year, apart from Smart Island and 4800W pixels, it seems that there are no more eye-catching innovations.

At present, various sources show that there may be a flagship version of the iPhone 15. If it follows the naming rules of the Mac product line, it may be called the iPhone 15 Ultra.

Periscope telephoto lens, titanium alloy frame, USB-C interface, larger storage space… How much people's expectations for it can be realized will be seen in 8 months.

In general, Apple's new products in 2023 may be able to send a signal: the epidemic in the past three years has made the industry doze off, but in the near future, they will wake up more vigorously.

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