Apple unveils ‘scary fast’ 14-, 16-inch MacBook Pro, iMac with 3nm M3 family of chips: Specs, prices

Apple has announced its next-generation M3 family of chips and the first wave of Mac computers to come powered by the new silicon. M3 boasts three new chips based on 3-nanometre technology— M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max. The new chips are at the heart of Apple’s 2023 editions of the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops and the iMac all-in-one desktop. Interestingly, the 13-inch MacBook Pro has been dropped from the line-up following the announcement. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 chip starts at Rs 1,69,900. The M3 Pro-based model starts at Rs 1,99,900. The 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at Rs 2,49,900. The 24-inch iMac, which is getting its first big refresh since 2021, starts at Rs 1,34,900. All the devices are available to order starting today—October 30 – itself with general availability pegged for November 7.    

Apple M3 silicon: Rough cut

The newly launched devices have the same look and feel as the previous-generation models. Apple has added a new “space black” option to the MacBook Pro this year, though you will only be able to get it with the M3 Pro and M3 Max models. You get the same six-speaker setup with spatial audio support with dynamic head tracking, studio-quality three-mic array and 1080 webcam as before, for instance. The real changes are coming on the inside of these devices especially on the graphics front. The M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max bring hardware accelerated ray tracing support for the first time to Mac along with mesh shading.

Apple says the GPU— short for graphics processing unit— on the M3 can hit up to 65 percent faster performance at its peak while its central processing unit or CPU can deliver the “same multithreaded performance as M1 using as little as half the power, and up to 35 percent more performance at peak power.” The neural engine is billed to be up to 60 percent faster (0ver M1) while the advanced new media engine supports AOMedia Video 1 or AV1 decoding for more efficient playback of streaming services. Even with all the performance gains, Apple touts 22-hour battery life on devices like the 16-inch MacBook Pro powered by its new silicon.

MacBook Pro full specs, features

The MacBook Pro display— Liquid Retina XDR— uses mini-LED technology and supports ProMotion (up to 120Hz). The panel can peak 1600nits when playing HDR content. All the models come with an SDXC card slot, HDMI port, 3.5mm headphone jack and MagSafe 3 port in addition to supporting Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. The M3-based pro gets two Thunderbolt ports while the M3 Pro/M3 Max options get you three. Touch ID biometrics are available.

iMac full specs, features

The 24-inch iMac has a 4.5K (4480x2520p) Retina display with 500nits of brightness. It has two Thunderbolt ports and 3.5mm audio jack in addition to supporting Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

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