In a special Halloween event dubbed “Scary Fast” held 31st October, Apple unleashed the much awaited MacBook Pro line up for tech enthusiasts and creatives alike. The Cupertino giant announced a stellar lineup of all-new M3 family of chips. I mean, who could’ve seen this coming? Everyone obviously but that doesn’t take away from the impressive nature of the new chips.
First things first, let’s talk about that M3 chip. Apple has taken a quantum leap in the GPU game with these chips. They’re the first to use the groundbreaking 3-nanometer technology, bringing some serious horsepower to the MacBook Pro lineup. The M3 chip features a next-gen GPU architecture and a CPU that can finally allow us to say the words “MacBook for Gaming” without anyone rolling their eyes.
The M3 family is all about choices. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 is the ideal companion for students, entrepreneurs, and aspiring creatives. It’s like a Swiss army knife for your computing needs. With a price tag starting at RRP A$2,699 inc. GST, it’s an incredible bang for your buck. It’s 60 percent faster than the previous 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1. Plus, it’s packing some serious thermal performance under the hood, ensuring your M3 chip never breaks a sweat.
If you’re craving for more, the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro takes things to the next level. These models deliver up to 40 percent more performance compared to the previous 16-inch model with M1 Pro which was already impressively fast. So, if you need that extra oomph for tasks like photo editing in Adobe Photoshop or basecalling for DNA sequencing in Oxford Nanopore MinKNOW, these laptops are your best friends.
Now, let’s talk about the MacBook Pro with M3 Max. If you’re a machine learning programmer, a 3D artist, or a video editing wizard, this is your Holy Grail. It’s up to 2.5 times faster than the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max and supports up to a whopping 128GB of unified memory. It’s a beast, and it’s available in a brand new, Space Black color that is sure to be everyone’s Christmas’s wish list. The finish features an anodization seal to greatly reduce fingerprints. M3 Pro and M3 Max models are also available in silver, and the 14‑inch MacBook Pro with M3 is available in silver and space grey.
Back again is the stunning Liquid Retina XDR display that’s now 20 percent brighter for SDR content; that’s 1000nits in SDR and 1600nits of peak brightness in HDR. These MacBook Pros come with a built-in 1080p camera for all those important video meetings, a top-notch six-speaker sound system for immersive audio, and a plethora of connectivity options. Not to mention, you can enjoy up to 22 hours of battery life which is absolutely bonkers for a laptop this powerful!
Gaming on a MacBook, for real!
Apple made a big deal at the event of how capable the new M3 chips are for gaming as well, citing hardware based ray-tracing as part of the new architecture. Combined with the MacBook Pro’s excellent display and industry leading speakers, gaming on a Mac can finally be a thing. Games like Baldurs Gate 3, Lies of P and Death Stranding being some coming natively to MacOS Sonoma.
We can’t wait to test how well the new MacBooks will run these games. Its about time that we stopped relying on laptops like the Razer Blade to give us the Macbook + Gaming experience we’ve all been craving. Should be really interesting to see how the GPU on the M3 chip compares to Nvidia’s laptop GPU’s.
But that’s not all. Apple is also going green with the MacBook Pro. The device is built to last, using 100 per cent recycled aluminium and is incredibly durable. MacBook Pro also uses 100 per cent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, and 100 per cent recycled tin soldering and gold plating in multiple printed circuit boards. Now that’s impressive! Apple’s commitment to the environment is evident as they aim to be carbon neutral across the entire manufacturing supply chain and product life cycles by 2030.
Pricing and Availability
So, what’s the damage? Well, you can order the new MacBook Pro starting today, with availability beginning on November 7. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 starts at RRP A$2,699 inc. GST, and for education, it’s RRP A$2,529 inc. GST. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro begins at RRP A$3,499 inc. GST, and for students, it’s RRP A$3,239 inc. GST. Meanwhile, the 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at RRP A$4,299 inc. GST, and for education, it’s RRP A$3,949 inc. GST.
I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these machines to really put it through the paces and compare with a similarly priced gaming laptop like the Aero 16 OLED. Suffice to say, if you are coming from an Intel or M1 based MacBook, you will see huge gains in performance. Those on M2 might not feel as fast but yeah, stay tuned for our review, cause it will be really exciting.
