Apple Event : MacBook Pro, AirPods 3, MacBook Pros, AirPods, HomePod

Apple event recap: AirPods 3, new MacBook Pro, HomePod Mini and everything announced

Apple introduced a new version of its wireless earbuds with “spatial audio,” a redesigned MacBook Pro and more on Monday.

Apple wants to turn it up to 11 for its AirPods and MacBook Pro laptops.

During its October product event Monday, Apple announced revamps for its 3rd generation AirPods, new M-series MacBook Pro laptops and a series of new colors for its HomePod Mini.

The company also announced a price drop for Apple Music, offering a $5 per month “Voice” subscription designed to work with Siri.

AirPods 3

Apple redesigned its entry-level AirPods to be a kind of in-between of earlier AirPods and the AirPods Pro. Gone are the Q-Tip looking stems, which now have AirPods Pro-like shortness and sensor controls.

The design for in your ear has a “contour” that Apple said will fit many ears, and it has smarts that can change how audio sounds based on what it believes your ear is hearing.

It has 6 hours of listening time and up to 30 hours total after four recharges through its carrying case. It comes with wireless charging for $179.

MacBook Pro

MacBook Pros got their biggest upgrade in years. Apple announced its next generation of computers Monday, new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros powered by its new M1 Pro and M1 max chip, which Apple claims are a lot faster and may go further to replace the “Pro” performance computers still currently powered by Intel chips. Out is the Touch Bar, in are returning HDMI port, SD card slot and MagSafe connectors.

The new devices follow last year’s M1-powered Macs, which were the first Apple lineup not powered by a chip made by Intel. Instead, Apple is using ones similar to the chips that power the iPhone, and so far has been getting positive reviews for them.

HomePod Mini

Apple didn’t change last year’s popular $99 HomePod Mini so much as it introduced new colorful options. Much like it did with the redesigned M1 iMacs earlier this year, Apple introduced “bold” and “fun” colors to its lineup, offering a “pop of color and personality.” Those new colors — blue, yellow and orange — join space gray and white.

Apple Music “Voice”

Apple is taking on Amazon’s $4 per month single-device music plan by offering its own take, called Apple Music Voice. This service, which is $5 per month, is “designed exclusively for Siri.” So, think of it as Apple Music, but only on Siri. Apple also added “hundreds” of new “mood and activity playlists” to compete better with Amazon and Spotify.

MacBook Pro has pro-like prices

The 14-inch MacBook Pro will be $1,999 and the 16-inch will be $2,499. They can be preordered today, and available next week, Apple said.

The company didn’t say what’s happening to the Intel laptops it used to sell, but this may be it for them.

Better battery life

Apple said the new MacBook Pro gets up to 21 hours of video playback with the 16-inch version and 17 hours with the 14-inch model. The new MagSafe 3 can also charge the laptop up to 50% in a half hour, Apple said.

So can this beat Intel?

Apple a bit of its presentation talking about how much faster its chips can be than its previous version Intel-based laptops. The M1 Max, for example, has 3.7x the performance of a Core i7 MacBook Pro, Apple, said, and graphics performance is up to 13x faster.

Apple said its built-in GPUs are also up to 4x faster than Radeon Pro 5600M from the previous generation MacBook Pro 16-inch.

Upgraded audio for the MacBook Pro

Apple said it upgraded the microphones and the speakers in its laptops. That allows for better recording, Apple said. It also has six speakers for audio, allowing for “spatial audio” which includes Dolby Atmos.

Apple upgrades MacBook Pro, bringing back MagSafe charging, HDMI and SD Cards

The company redesigned its MacBook Pro with popular features like MagSafe charging, SD card slot and an HDMI port. It comes in 16-inch and 14-inch models, and has more pronounced feet.

Apple got rid of the TouchBar, and instead took the popular keyboard from its Magic Keyboard design, and brought it to the laptop.

The computer supports Thunderbolt 4, Apple said. And they can charge the laptop if you’d prefer. Or you can use MagSafe 3, its newest charging standard, which supports more power throughput.

Meanwhile, Thunderbolt 4 can support 3 Pro Display XDR screens and an HDMI TV.

Apple pulls out all the stops for the MacBook Pro

Apple played with the bezel on its laptops, moving its menu bar up into where the bezel used to be in its MacBook Pro screens, with the FaceTime camera now taking up a spot in the middle of the menubar.

The display is called a “Liquid Retina XDR” display, which has mini-LED lighting from the iPad Pro and like the iPhone 13, can move images as fast as 120hz or step down when there isn’t much happening on the screen. (Apple calls this ProMotion.)

Apple said it has 1,000 nits of sustained brightness, allowing for deeper and more dramatic colors.

The FaceTime camera, meanwhile, has 2x better low-light performance, and offers better video quality with an upgraded 1080p webcam.

How MacOS and Apple’s apps benefit from the M1 chips

Craig Federighi, Apple’s head of software engineering said the company’s MacOS software is designed to take advantage of the technology in the M1. He noted that because the CPU and GPU share their memory, they’re able to move data much more quickly than a typical computer, which has separated memory between the GPU and CPU.

To underscore this, he noted upgrades to the company’s pro-apps, like Logic Pro, which can now edit spatial audio on a laptop. Other apps move much quicker as well, he said.

So far, developers have created 10,000 universal apps for Apple Silicon, Apple said.

M1 Max, more-powerful than M1 Pro

Apple built the M1 Max to have more GPU performance than the M1 or M1 Pro. It has 1.7x the number of transistors, and supports up to 64GB of “unified” memory. It also has a 32-core GPU.

Johny Srouji, SVP hardware technologies, said Apple’s GPU delivers more performance than a discrete GPU, like those made by Nvidia or AMD, and with 70% less power consumption.

Compared to the highest end GPU in a laptop, Srouji said, Apple’s GPU uses 100w less power, and outperforms PC laptops plugged in or on battery.

“It’s by far the most capable chip we’ve ever built,” he added.

Apple debuts M1 Pro and M1 Max

Apple says it’s “completely reimagining” the MacBook Pro, starting with the “M1 Pro” chip. Johny Srouji, SVP hardware technologies, said one of its biggest benefits is that the new chip can support up to 32GB of memory, and 2x the transistors of last year’s M1. It has 8 high-performance cores, and 2 “efficiency” cores. It also has a 16-core GPU and it supports ProRes video.

M1 Pro can also support multiple displays.

“M1 Pro is unlike anything in a pro computer,” he said.

New AirPods 3

Apple’s introducing a third generation of its entry-level AirPods with spatial audio built in. The new devices have a an AirPods Pro-like look, with a similar case and force sensor controls on the stems.

Susmita Dutta Apple’s engineering program manager, audio, said the company created a new “low distortion driver” and it’s sweat and water resistant.

Apple has a new “contour design,” and also has “adaptive EQ” to change how you hear sounds based on the conditions in your ear canal.

Apple says it now has 6 hours of listening time on a charge, and up to 30 hours total using the charging case.

Apple’s including wireless charging for $179. Last generation AirPods, meanwhile, will remain on sale for $129, a $30 discount.

Apple upgrades HomePod Mini with new colors

Apple’s adding yellow, orange and blue colors to its $99 HomePod Mini smart speakers. This follows upgrades for the iMac earlier this year, which offered seven colors including orange, yellow and blue as well. The new HomePod Minis will be made available starting in November. (No specific date from Apple yet.)

Upgrading Siri with new playlists and new subscription option
Apple begins with a new “voice” plan for its Apple Music service, offering $5 per month to access Apple Music through Siri.

The new feature will also allow Apple Music subscribers to ask for a playlist based on what’s going on, like a hike, or dinner party.

Good morning! ☀️ The big day is here. See you in just a few hours. #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/k5ekfTDrvN
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 18, 2021

Apple Event – “Unleashed” October 2021

Apple MacBook 2021 event

Apple Event Live Updates: MacBook Pro and AirPods 3 Announced!

Apple’s virtual “Unleashed” event kicks off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, with the headline announcement expected to be redesigned MacBook Pro models based on Apple silicon. We will almost certainly also be hearing a release date for macOS Monterey and may see a few other announcements such as third-generation AirPods and a new high-end Mac mini.

Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company’s TV app across its platforms. We will also be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolds. Highlights from the event and separate news stories regarding today’s announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.

If you’re a fan of Apple AirPods, Monday’s announcement may be music to your ears.

The tech giant revealed during a virtual event the third generation of its popular AirPods wireless earbuds. They cost $179 and are available for preorder starting Monday.

The new AirPods go on sale Oct. 26.

The updated AirPods feature a new contour design with a shorter stem and a force sensor for more intuitive control of music and phone calls. There is also support for spatial audio for fuller sound and adaptive EQ for a more accurate listening experience.

The earbuds also include a low-distortion driver for more powerful bass sounds and crisp, clean high frequencies.

Both the AirPods and their charging case are also water and sweat-resistant with an IPX4 rating.

The AirPods boast six hours of listening time and up to 30 hours when you include the case that recharges the earbuds. The case will also support wireless charging.

Along with AirPods, Apple introduced new models of its HomePod Mini speakers in different colors: white, black, orange, yellow and blue.

New MacBook Pros start at $1,999

It wasn’t just AirPods receiving a moment in the spotlight. Apple also revealed two new MacBook Pro models, one with a 16-inch display and another with a 14-inch display.

The 14-inch display will start at $1,999, while the 16-inch display starts at $2,499. Both are available to preorder Monday, and launch Oct. 26.

The Pros will run with two new chips, the M1 Pro and the M1 Max. Apple says the M1 Pro delivers up to 70% faster processing performance than M1, available on last year’s MacBook Pro models, and the graphics processor performance is twice as fast.

However, upgrading to the Max chip is pricey. It’s only available in the 16-inch model and starts at $3,499. The devices support up to 8 terabytes of storage, which also drives up the price of the new MacBook.

The 14-inch model boasts up to 17 hours of video playback, while the 16-inch model gets up to 21 hours. It can also quick charge up to 50% of battery life in 30 minutes.

The upgraded MacBooks also feature an upgraded keyboard and physical function buttons to replace the touch bar. It’s also bringing back more ports to attach external devices: three Thunderbolt ports, HDMI, an SDXC card slot, and a headphone jack.

List of Apple Inc. media events

Apple Inc. announces new products, product redesigns and upgrades through press conferences that garner a significant following in traditional and online media.

Often the purpose of the event is kept as a secret to create buzz and only unveiled during the event.

These events are usually streamed live on Apple’s website and YouTube channel. Video replays of most Apple events since 2007 are available on Apple’s “Apple Events” podcast.

Apple often announces new products at the annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (“WWDC”).