Apple finally announced the first Macs to feature the company's own custom-made silicon tonight, and there was something to suit pretty much every user. From the impossibly powerful MacBook Pro to the super-portable MacBook Air, the Mac range has been updated across the board – but there was one glaring omission.
As for what Apple did announce, the headline was definitely its brand new M1 chip. The company claims that the first Apple-designed chip will completely transform every Mac which uses it – and we've no doubt we'll be seeing some Apple silicon in our best laptops for graphic design roundup soon.
Apple's brand new M1 chip (Image credit: Apple)
Offering significantly higher performance and high efficiency thanks to the world's fastest CPU core, the M1 could be a game-changer for creatives – with super-fast speeds and super-long battery life.
Apple today announced not one but three new Macs that will ship with its M1 chip next week. The new MacBook Pro is "more powerful and more Pro", with up to 2.8x CPU performance and it features the longest ever MacBook battery life, at 20 hours. The new MacBook Air, meanwhile, is said to be faster than 98% of Windows laptop, "redefining what a thin and light laptop can do". Third in line is Apple's diminutive desktop device, the Mac Mini, which gets similar performance boosts.
These all sound like truly exciting machines for creatives. The combination of raw power and extended battery life should turn both MacBooks into portable powerhouses, perfect for running the best graphic design software or video editing software on the go.
All of Apple's new MacBooks feel rather familiar on the outside (Image credit: Apple)
Our only disappointment is that all three devices borrow the exact same design as their predecessors. With rumours suggesting Apple might revive the 12-inch MacBook, or even cram the internals of a MacBook Pro into the body of a MacBook Air, we were hoping to see something truly exciting from a design perspective. Indeed, the one thing Apple didn't announce was a truly 'new' Mac.
Alas, of the many new Macs we've seen in 2020, not a single one has featured a new design – and one could argue that the line up is beginning to feel a little stale from a visual perspective. The new 2020 iMac, for example, features an eight year-old design – despite rumours it could be due an iPad Pro-inspired makeover.
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The new MacBook Air looks exactly the same as its predecessor (Image credit: Apple)
Still, this is only the beginning of the Apple silicon journey, and Apple could end up revealing an entirely new take on the MacBook or iMac in 2021. If this year is anything to go by, we've no doubt next year will be yet another onslaught of new products (including Apple's much-rumoured AirPods Studio).
And for creatives especially, it's fair to say it's the inside that counts – and the internals of these new Macs are sounding pretty incredible. That said, the last of Apple's intel-based MacBooks are also hugely capable devices. Check out today's best deals below, and don't forget to take a look at the best offers available as part of Apple Black Friday.
Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
