Apple officially announced the new M3 chip series, MacBook Pro and iMac

Taking place on the night of October 30th (local time), the highlight of the Scary Fast event was Apple's new computer chips and laptops. These products are expected to breathe new life into the Mac line just before the year-end shopping season, amidst slowing global PC sales.

Apple's new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro.

The new computer models, including the MacBook Pro and iMac, will hit shelves next week, sharing the same design as last year's models except for the upgraded chips. The iMac hasn't been refreshed since April 2021, and the last time the MacBook Pro received a new chip was in January. Apple also introduced the 15-inch MacBook Air in June.

At its Halloween-themed event, Apple announced that the new chip offers significant improvements, delivering faster speeds, longer battery life, and the power needed to develop artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Apple executives emphasized that Macs using the new chip are much faster and more efficient than Macs using Intel chips.

Additionally, Apple also reduced the price of the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, from $1,999 to $1,599.

The new M3 chip series

Apple announced three new M3 chips, including the budget-friendly M3, the M3 Pro (40% faster), and the M3 Max (250% faster) for AI developers and 3D artists.

According to Apple, the M3 chip allows laptops to be used for up to 22 hours on a single charge. The M3 chip has 8 CPU cores and up to 10 GPU cores, the M3 Pro uses 12 CPU cores and 18 GPU cores, and the M3 Max uses 16 CPU cores and up to 40 GPU cores.

The M3's GPU is 1.8 times faster than the GPU on the M2 chip , while the M3's CPU is 15% faster than the M2's in demanding tasks. The M3 chip is 60% faster than the M1. These new chips are manufactured by TSMC using the most advanced 3nm process currently available.

However, Mac computers equipped with the M3 Max chip won't be available until the end of November.

New MacBook Pro and iMac

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 chip starts at $1,599. Last year's model started at $1,999 but used the M2 Pro chip. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro chip starts at $1,999, or you can upgrade to the M3 Max chip at a higher cost.

Space Black color on the high-end MacBook Pro.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro is Apple's largest and most powerful laptop. It costs $2,499 with the M3 Pro chip, with an option to upgrade to the M3 Max chip.

Apple's MacBook Pro models all have an HDMI port and an SD card slot alongside the USB-C ports. In contrast, the MacBook Air only has USB-C ports.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar keyboard does not use the new chip. Additionally, the higher-end MacBook Pro models with Pro and Max chips come in a new "Space Black" color. Apple states that the aluminum used in the laptops is anodized to reduce fingerprints.

Finally, the 24-inch iMac desktop computer has also been updated, using the M3 chip and starting at $1,299.

(According to CNBC)

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