Top Stories: Apple Event Recap – New MacBook Pro, AirPods 3, and More

Apple's Monday event dominated the news this week. The company spent most of its time talking to the new MacBook Pro models with M1 Pro or M1 Max chips options. However, we did receive a few other announcements during the event.


We are now likely to have Apple's last event in 2021. This week, we also jumped back into the rumor-cycle with reports about future iMacs, MacBook Airs, iPhone SE and AirPods Pro. So, keep reading for all the details!



All the Apple Event Announcements in 7 Minutes

Apple held its virtual "Unleashed", event with many product announcements. This included redesigned MacBook Pro models, 14-inch and 16 inch MacBook Pro models with Apple’s next-generation M1 Pro chips and M1 Max chips. Third-generation AirPods with a similar design to the AirPods Pro, with silicone ear tips and three new HomePod mini colours. Apple Music Voice Plan is also available.

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Apple unveils a new MacBook Pro with Display Notch

In just seven minutes, we have compiled a video that covers everything Apple announced at its event. Check out our top stories for the week to learn more about Apple's announcements at its event.

The redesigned 14 and 16 inch MacBook Pro models have finally arrived after months, if not years, of rumors. They are loaded with new features. Prior to Tuesday's launch, early orders are being shipped.

Apple announces the third-generation AirPods

The new MacBook Pro models feature Apple's next-generation M1 Pro chips and M1 Max chips, mini-LED displays featuring ProMotion for upto 120Hz refresh rate, additional ports such as an HDMI port and SD slot, MagSafe, physical functions keys instead of using the Touch Bar and many more.

Apple's third generation AirPods were unveiled this week. They are similar to the AirPods Pro but have no active noise cancellation and don't feature silicone ear tips.

The key features include enhanced sound quality with AdaptiveEQ and spatial audio, longer life battery, MagSafe charging case and IPX4-rated sweat and water resistance. AirPods third generation are now available for purchase at $179, and will be launched on Tuesday October 26th.

AirPods Pro are now available with MagSafe charging cases for $249.



HomePod Mini Gets Three New Colors in November

Apple has announced that the HomePod Mini will now be available in three colors: yellow, orange, or blue. The price remains at $99, and the space gray and white colors will remain available.

Apple also announced Siri support for multi-user voice identification will be expanding to all regions in which the HomePod mini can be found.

A new Apple Music Voice Plan is also available for $4.99 per Month. It's limited to Siri.



New MacBook Pros Are Over 1.5x Faster Than M1 Macs in Benchmark Results

Geekbench 5 has released the first benchmark results for the new MacBook Pro models. Apple's M1 Pro- and M1 Max chips are more than 1.5x faster that the M1 chip in lower-end Macs.

Apple to Launch 27-Inch Mini LED iMac with ProMotion in 2022

Geekbench graphics results show that the M1 Max chip’s GPU is more than 3x faster than its GPU based upon Apple's Metal framework. Apple claimed that the M1 Max chip's GPU is up to 4x faster then the M1 chip's GPU. We'll need to wait to see further results.

According to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, Apple plans to launch a new 27-inch iMac early in 2022.

Young stated that the iMac's display would feature mini-LED backlighting with ProMotion for adaptive refresh rates between 24Hz to 120Hz.

A few potential features for the 2022 MacBook Air were also mentioned, including MagSafe, MagSafe, off-white bezels and M2 chips. Finally, there were some rumors that the next iPhone SE would be available and the second-generation AirPods Pro. We'll need to wait to see how the rumors develop over the next months.



Apple Declares High Power Mode for 16-Inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max, Designed for Tasks like Color Grading 8K ProRes Videos

According to Apple information, the new 16-inch MacBook Pro equipped with the M1 Max chip features a new High Power Mode that maximizes performance in intense, sustained workloads like color grading 8K ProRes video.

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We also discovered some additional details about the MacBook Pro, such as that the SD card reader can transfer data at up to 250MB/s with UHS-II SD Cards, that eGPUs cannot be supported on Apple silicon and many more.

We publish an email newsletter each week that highlights the top Apple stories. It is a great way for a quick recap of the week covering all the main topics and linking together related stories to give a bigger picture view.

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