Apple Event Live Blog: iPhone SE, iPad Air, Mac Studio, and More

[Eagle1001]

How did they want to expand the M1 chip to create M2 and other variants that would allow a 1.5 TB Mac Pro capacity? Can anyone guess?

 

[Zdigital2015]

I just saw the price of the cable they used to connect the MacBooks to the Studio Display.... depending on length, those cables cost £130-160 GBP!!!!! (over $200 USD equivalent). Madness. Should be included in the box for £1,500.

The Studio Display comes with a Thunderbolt cable to connect to a Mac, what are you going on about?

 

[jayducharme]

Single thread performance is going to be the same as your M1 MM, keep it and enjoy it. These are designed for 4K/8K youtubers.

I'm one of those YouTubers, but I agree that upgrading at this point doesn't really make sense.

 

[siddavis]

$200 for a keyboard
$150 for a trackpad
$100 for a mouse
This is where they hide all the cost.

 

[wyarp]

I’m surprised the studio starts at $1999. They might have a hit with this one

Couldn't agree less... $2000 for the computer then another $1500 for the display.... play it how you like, that's far beyond the budget of most ppl, 'prosumer' or otherwise.

 

[Devnul0]

Commenters here: "We dislike that iMacs include a monitor, why can't we just have a powerful mini?"
Apple: "Here's Mac Studio!"
Commenters here: "But I wanted a 27" iMac!"

 

[ruka.snow]

You have two USB-C slots on the front to plug in your preferred card reader. Let it go.

Nope. I have 4 TB4 slots on the back for my card readers. USB is too slow and not compatible with my TB3 readers.

 

[AndrewC89]

I'm confused. What is the difference between the 11" iPad Pro and the new iPad Air now, except price and a little more base storage?

FaceID, thunderbolt, quad speakers, better camera, brighter display, promotion…

 

[Zdigital2015]

It is incredible how, at the beginning of every event now, Tim Cook praises and advertises Apple TV+. Business is not doing good there.

Every computer nerd, supply chain guy wants to be cool and hang out with celebrities. This is also part of the Services business they want to expand. Competition for streaming dollars is tough, especially considering they have zero back catalog. Not sure why there is so much hate for AppleTV+ on MacRumors.

 

[techwhiz]

You don’t want separate video memory. That’s too limiting. Having a ******** of unified memory is superior to that outdated method.

Buy the specs you need to future proof it some… that’s literally all you have to do lol

You are wrong.
It's not outdated and a shared memory architecture like in new Mac's is a compromise because they don't support a separate video memory bus/architecture.

Using HBM or some other very wide architecture for system memory doesn't make sense for a CPU but it does for a GPU.

I don't want everything soldered to the board so I can't upgrade it.

So I will not be paying a minimum of $4k for a machine with no slots and memory I can't upgrade.

Hard pass.

 

[endemize]

This marks the first day of a 2-3 year wait. Scenario one - the 2nd gen 27" Studio display is released with Promotion. Scenario two - Pro Display XDR comes down to $2500 on Ebay. Pulling the trigger on whatever occurs first.

My 4K 144Hz 27GN950 serves me well in the meantime.

I have the same display. It's been great and I use it for gaming.

I did order one of the new Apple Studio Displays as it will go in my office and fit my development needs better with it giving a true 2:1 pixel ratio at 1440 scale, charges my macbook, and suits my environment better.

 

[ruka.snow]

Good news! You don't need to use the slot if you don't want to.

Still better if it wasn’t there. Though they aren’t marketing it specifically at Pros even if it is one of the fastest machines out there for a pro.

 

[vlotty]

Here is a rant. Bear with me please - I have a feeling this is what a lot of people think so I wanted to say it.

I have really wanted to go back to the Mac OS land...I have switched back to the Windows OS after my 2009 iMac hard drive went kaput with no warning in 2015. Honestly, while the entry level Studio seems to be performing wonderfully and is much more compact than any PC, the thing that is preventing me from clicking that "Place Your Order" button is the tone of this presentation. It literally embodied all the BS political correctness, virtue signalling and slimy fake car salesperson tactics that pervades our Western societies. It all seemed very artificial and disingenuous - it felt like Apple has become primarily a marketing company rather than a tech company with a focus on innovation in terms of user experience. The whole shtick about not having enough time to stir your coffee before getting to work because the files are opening so fast on the new Studio pushed me over the top. You don't need to treat your professional customers like idiots, Apple. These are people who know how beneficial it is to cut the rendering time of a project in half. Sometimes you do not need to spell things out literally and treat your customer base in a heavy-handed fashion.

With the inflation going rampant, prices of gas going bonkers and a war in Europe threatening to spread further, Apple had a wonderful opportunity to have a more down-to-earth, scaled back presentation that captured the sombre zeitgeist better. Perhaps have a more humane concept for your presentation that would resonate with the viewers. While they have slowly been losing touch with me as a consumer since Steve Jobs passed away, today felt particularly tone deaf. And I am not saying that they should have politicized this event - not at all. Just that they have to be aware that their customer base is the middle class whose buying power has been steadily eroded by the inflationary trends. Further to this, a lot of us have been losing our trust in various corporate institutions over the last few years, so to have Apple present a more humane face would have been a huge plus. This way, it is strictly business as usual - the $600 Mac Pro Wheel Kit kind of business.

Is this just a long way of saying…

“ABSURD PRICING”

I kid, but do agree it was a missed opportunity regarding your second point on Apple acknowledging the pain many are feeling.

That being said, some of that is perception. On an inflation adjusted basis, gas prices hit higher levels back under Bush. Inflation generally is around normal levels relative to trends, we just got hit with 2-3 years worth all at once due to the pandemic putting a pause on price increases last year (for a significant portion of “inflation”). Etc. Apple has basically leapfrogged all competitors in CPU performance in the last year (especially per watt), but many here keep saying “where’s the innovation??”

Ultimately, we probably cannot count on Apple to fulfill all of our hopes and dreams. Just some.

 

[Zdigital2015]

Nope. I have 4 TB4 slots on the back for my card readers. USB is too slow and not compatible with my TB3 readers.

Then plug it into the back, good grief…or buy the Ultra version. People complained endlessly about an SD Card slot, now they give one on the front no less and all anyone can do is complain it’s not their preferred slot. Sheesh. This is why Apple chopped ports on their 2016-2020 Intel MacBook Pros in the first place. Here’s a Swiss Army knife, make it your own. Forum members….waaaahhhh I need my USB-A ports, I need HDMI, I need SD…I give up.

 

[ric22]

The Studio Display comes with a Thunderbolt cable to connect to a Mac, what are you going on about?

Apple's UK website stated on the In The Box page that the Studio Display came with only the screen and the power lead. Now it states it comes with only the Thunderbolt cable and screen (no power lead).

 

[axcess99]

Sigh.

I know it doesn't make for a splashy presentation, but I wish they would just pay some attention to their low-end offerings. The Mac mini is languishing again, I believe the last true update was the initial M1 in jan 2020, over 2 years ago.

I've been eyeing replacing my old system with a basic setup for over a year. For me, that meant Mac Mini that had been updated less than 1 year at the time of purchase, supported dual USB-c display natively (I know about DisplayLink or that an "extra" HDMI could be used), and TouchID. The latter they have now with their new external keyboard, but the former needs just a minor iteration.

I am also still disappointed in the "studio display". What they showed is fine, but still very high-end. I suppose it is a step in the right direction to sell computers starting sub 1K and monitors 5K to monitors 1.6K, but that is still an absurd ratio. The entry computer shouldn't cost less than the entry monitor, period. It doesn't need to have all the bells and whistles, but it is an obvious gap that should be embarrassing. I was hoping they would have a version of it appropriately priced for their lower-end computers.

 

[star-affinity]

You are wrong.
It's not outdated and a shared memory architecture like in new Mac's is a compromise because they don't support a separate video memory bus/architecture.

Using HBM or some other very wide architecture for system memory doesn't make sense for a CPU but it does for a GPU.

I don't want everything soldered to the board so I can't upgrade it.

So I will not be paying a minimum of $4k for a machine with no slots and memory I can't upgrade.

Hard pass.

I think it’s sad that the the GPU, storage and memory isn’t upgradable. If looking at the Mac Pro (Mid 2010) I have it has been able to survive so long for me just because of the upgradable GPU, storage, RAM (it had 32 GB RAM). Also the PCIe slots make adding modern features such as USB-C 3.2 (Gen2) ports.

I feel the CPU by far outlive the GPU. At least it's been like this historically. Seems the only true modular Apple silicon Mac will be the Mac Pro. And looking at the Mac Studio entry level price it seems I can forget seeing a price close to what the 6-core Mac Pro I have costed.

Still really like the Mac Studio in many ways. Just a bit curious how many years it will last before some of its locked down components will start to be outdated. ? Hopefully it will take many years.

 

[Zdigital2015]

Is this just a long way of saying…

“ABSURD PRICING”

I kid, but do agree it was a missed opportunity regarding your second point on Apple acknowledging the pain many are feeling.

That being said, some of that is perception. On an inflation adjusted basis, gas prices hit higher levels back under Bush. Inflation generally is around normal levels relative to trends, we just got hit with 2-3 years worth all at once due to the pandemic putting a pause on price increases last year (for a significant portion of “inflation”). Etc. Apple has basically leapfrogged all competitors in CPU performance in the last year (especially per watt), but many here keep saying “where’s the innovation??”

Ultimately, we probably cannot count on Apple to fulfill all of our hopes and dreams. Just some.

I am eager to hear about all this innovation forum users keep asking for from Apple from a settled category as the Macintosh/Personal Computer. Do they even have any ideas. Or will they simply say, that’s Apple job while complaining all the time about this “lack” of innovation?

 

[The Game 161]

so no new Macs. was hoping for cheaper SE guess not.

 

[AndrewC89]

or maybe Ludicrous ?

They’ll partner with the rapper and make a whole thing of it. LUDA!

 

[avkills]

So for fun I looked to see what Apple's gives for Mac Pro trade ins....a measly $2500 for my 16-core Mac Pro (with the 580x, no way they would get the W6800x Duo also.) Ummmm, no thank you, you are on drugs Apple again. Ha ha.

Now what I really like the Studio for is a possible travel machine to run Millumin; with the massive ProRes decode and playback capability, it is really going to shine for that workflow; can drive plenty of pixels also; now the only thing is how it plays out across multiple outputs.

 

[ruka.snow]

Then plug it into the back, good grief…or buy the Ultra version. People complained endlessly about an SD Card slot, now they give one on the front no less and all anyone can do is complain it’s not their preferred slot. Sheesh. This is why Apple chopped ports on their 2016-2020 Intel MacBook Pros in the first place. Here’s a Swiss Army knife, make it your own. Forum members….waaaahhhh I need my USB-A ports, I need HDMI, I need SD…I give up.

I don’t want more ports. Remove everything but the Ethernet and TB4 ports and it’s a solid machine. I don’t need nor want legacy ports like USB-A and SD on my machine.

 

[Zdigital2015]

Sigh.

I know it doesn't make for a splashy presentation, but I wish they would just pay some attention to their low-end offerings. The Mac mini is languishing again, I believe the last true update was the initial M1 in jan 2020, over 2 years ago.

I've been eyeing replacing my old system with a basic setup for over a year. For me, that meant Mac Mini that had been updated less than 1 year at the time of purchase, supported dual USB-c display natively (I know about DisplayLink or that an "extra" HDMI could be used), and TouchID. The latter they have now with their new external keyboard, but the former needs just a minor iteration.

I am also still disappointed in the "studio display". What they showed is fine, but still very high-end. I suppose it is a step in the right direction to sell computers starting sub 1K and monitors 5K to monitors 1.6K, but that is still an absurd ratio. The entry computer shouldn't cost less than the entry monitor, period. It doesn't need to have all the bells and whistles, but it is an obvious gap that should be embarrassing. I was hoping they would have a version of it appropriately priced for their lower-end computers.

The Mac mini was upgraded to M1 in November of 2020, so it’s been 16 months. The Mac mini will most likely end up with the M2 when that CPU is introduced which wasn’t today.

If you wanted something less than a year old when you buy it, you should have bought it last year, but you didn’t do it, so that’s on you.

 

[star-affinity]

I am also still disappointed in the "studio display". What they showed is fine, but still very high-end. I suppose it is a step in the right direction to sell computers starting sub 1K and monitors 5K to monitors 1.6K, but that is still an absurd ratio. The entry computer shouldn't cost less than the entry monitor, period. It doesn't need to have all the bells and whistles, but it is an obvious gap that should be embarrassing. I was hoping they would have a version of it appropriately priced for their lower-end computers.

This one seems nice for the price:

https://www.dell.com/en-us/https//wwwdellcom/en-us/work/shop/dell-ultrasharp-32-4k-usb-c-hub-monitor-u3223qe/apd/210-bdph/monitors-monitor-accessories

Not the same pixel density as Apple's Studio display, but still not bad and 32" in size.

I also think the design is nice – not too far off from the Apple Studio display. Just wish it had support for 120 Hz.

 

[Zdigital2015]

So for fun I looked to see what Apple's gives for Mac Pro trade ins....a measly $2500 for my 16-core Mac Pro (with the 580x, no way they would get the W6800x Duo also.) Ummmm, no thank you, you are on drugs Apple again. Ha ha.

Now what I really like the Studio for is a possible travel machine to run Millumin; with the massive ProRes decode and playback capability, it is really going to shine for that workflow; can drive plenty of pixels also; now the only thing is how it plays out across multiple outputs.

Then use it until it falls apart. If time is money then sell it privately and buy the Ultra. Otherwise, buy the Ultra and keep the Mac Pro. Expecting Apple to give you back bank on your Mac Pro is naive at best, stupid at worst.