Like all Apple events, this one too – the first of 2022 – has a title, “Peek Performance”. And in fact, there is a lot of talk about performance. It starts with CEO Tim Cook who introduces the news of Apple TV +, the company’s streaming platform. New content will be available, but only in the US, such as baseball on Fridays.
Then we move on to the two new colors for the iPhone 13 (green and alpine green), so here is one of the most awaited news, a revised and corrected iPhone SE, two years after the second generation.
It is the latest iPhone to keep the home button with Touch Id from the older models up to the iPhone X. But it has a new, more resistant glass, water and dust resistance according to the IP67 standard and 5G connectivity. Also changes the processor, which today is that of the iPhone 13, the most powerful ever mounted on an Apple smartphone. Thus, even if there is only one 12 MP photo sensor, images and videos improve thanks to the increased computing capacity. It costs $ 429; in Italy it will be available from 18 March in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models, in midnight, galaxy and (PRODUCT) RED colors, starting from 529 euros. The 2020 iPhone SE is no longer on sale, but even so today the Apple smartphone family has 8 models, including the iPhone 11, the last one left with 4G connectivity.
iPad Air 5G
Apple also unveiled a new fifth-generation iPad Air with M1 chip, 5G connectivity and some brand new colors. The processor is the same Apple Silicon M1 as the current iPad Pro, and so the new tablet is faster than its best Android competitor, according to Apple, but also faster than the most powerful best-selling Windows laptop in the same price range.
The front camera has been updated: it is now a 12MP wide angle with Center Stage support. It also includes support for the second generation of Apple Pencil. For the rest, the new iPad Air has the same design as its predecessor, there are only a few new colors: in addition to Space Gray, Starlight, Purple, Pink and Blue.
The new iPad Air will be available for order starting from Friday 11 March in 29 countries and countries, including Italy, and will be available starting from Friday 18 March, in two memory capacities: 64 and 256 GB. Wi-Fi models start at € 699, Wi-Fi + Cellular models from € 869.
Mac Studio
A completely new computer, which was born from the idea of the Mac mini, but is intended for a completely different audience, as can be seen from the name. “A high-performance machine that many have been waiting for,” according to Apple. A small concentrate of power thanks to the new M1 Ultra chip, which not only increases the number of processor cores, but mounts two on each other, so to speak, in a structure that resembles a wafer. It’s the fastest configuration, while for those who don’t need a lot of power there is a model with the M1 Max chip, the same as the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros launched in the fall. For the Mac Pro with Apple Silicon there will still be some waiting, but meanwhile the Mac Studio is 3.4 times faster than the fastest iMac, boasts 80% more power than the best Intel Macs for professionals in a very compact format. Made from a single block of extruded aluminum, the new Mac Studio has a footprint of 19.7 cm x 19.7 cm and a height of 9.4 cm: it fits easily under most displays. Double-sided fan cooling, carefully calculated airflow channels, and over 4,000 perforations on the rear and bottom of the chassis allow heat to dissipate silently even under the heaviest of workloads.
At the front is an SDXC slot, along with a couple of USB-C ports for the M1 Max version, Thunderbolt 4 for the version with M1 Ultra. On the back are four Thunderbolt 4 ports, plus one 10 Gigabit Ethernet, two USB-A, HDMI, and a headphone jack. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 are also included. Finally, an infinite number of ports to connect everything possible: peripherals, hard drives, monitors and much more.
Studio Display
But the most incredible accessory is the new 5K, 27-inch Studio Display with 4 woofers and 2 tweeters for excellent audio and a range of noise-canceling microphones. An A13 processor controls the front camera, also 12 MP with ultra-wide angle and Auto Framing. There are also 3 USB-C ports that allow transfers of up to 10 Gb / s to connect peripherals, storage drives and high-speed network devices directly to the display. A Thunderbolt port allows you to connect both Studio Display and other connected peripherals to your Mac via a single cable, which is also capable of supplying 96W of power to a MacBook.
The starting price is even affordable, considering what it offers, but be warned: many options are extra expensive.
Mac Studio is on sale starting at € 2,349, Studio Display from € 1,799. Bookable today, they arrive on March 18th, which will be remembered as an ominous date for many credit cards.
