Major Announcements from Apple’s ‘One More Thing’ Event

After record-breaking sales of Mac devices in Q4 2020, Apple decided to amaze its customers with more hardware product launches. This week, at Apple’s ‘One More Thing’ event, the company made a host of exciting product launches, including MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and in-house silicon chip, M1.

Despite the pandemic, Apple is on a mission to deliver innovative products for its consumers. The company had launched numerous hardware products throughout the year, including the new 5G-enabled iPhone 12 lineup, iPads, wearable devices, and a mini smart speaker. Apple had a busy Q4, 2020, with $64.7 billion revenue, in which Mac sales broke a new record with 29.2% year-over-year growth that accounted for $9.03 billion. The rapid sales growth and high demand for Mac are due to pandemic-fueled remote learning and work. After a booming Mac sales revenue, Apple decided to surprise its customers with more hardware launches. 

This holiday quarter, the Cupertino tech giant kicked off its third fall event on November 10, 2020. The ‘One More Thing’ virtual event focused on new Mac products, announcing the new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, all powered by its new, in-house silicon chip M1. Let’s dive into the biggest launches of the #AppleEvent.

Apple Bids Adieu to Intel, Unveils In-House M1 Chip for the Mac 

M1 Chip
Source: AppleOpens a new window

At the event, Apple announced M1, its first Arm-based Apple silicon processor, for its next-generation Mac. Earlier this year, at WWDC 2020 event, Apple had already announced its transition from Intel processors to in-house Apple silicon chips. M1 chip is a system-on-chip (SoC) that integrates various technologies into a single chip for remarkable performance and efficiency. 

Similar to A14 bionic chips that power the iPhone 12 lineup, the M1 chip is designed using 5-nanometer technology, packed with 16 transistors, and supports Thunderbolt 4, USB 4, and NVMe storage. In contrast to Intel’s x86 architecture, the M1 chip is based on Arm technology and has an eight-core CPU consisting of four high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores. Additionally, with 2.6 teraflops and an eight-core GPU, M1 features the most advanced integrated graphics for everyday apps and challenging workloads. 

The company claims that the M1 chip delivers:

• 3.5x faster CPU performance
• 6x faster GPU performance
• 15x faster machine learning
• 2x longer battery life

With this announcement, Apple ends its 15-year processor supplier partnership with Intel and makes a powerful entry in the semiconductor industry. Intel is currently facing various manufacturing challenges that have affected Intel and its partners, such as Apple. These challenges have opened opportunities for companies such as Samsung, Arm, and TSMC. Now with less dependence on Intel, Apple has complete control over both software and hardware. 

Wayne Lam, CCS Insight research director, saidOpens a new window , “Apple Silicon is totally in keeping with the strategic goal of Apple to really control an entire stack. Now in computing, they own everything from silicon to the software to how the user moves the mouse around, so it’s tremendously integrated.”

Also Read: When Consumer PCs Start Compromising Your Business

MacBook Air Introduced

MacBook Air
Source: AppleOpens a new window

Apple unveiled its new MacBook Air powered by its in-house M1 chip. Due to the M1 chip, the company claims that the new notebook will perform 3.5x faster than predecessors and faster than 98% of the PC laptops sold in the last year. The 13-inch notebook features a sleek wedge-shaped design, retina display, fanless design, and magic keyboard. It supports a 6K external display, memory up to 16 GB and 2TB SSD, and Thunderbolt/USB4. Due to the M1 processor, the new Mac boasts a powerful battery life, with up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing and 18 hours of video playback.

The MacBook Air starts at $999 and $899 for education customers and is available for preorder from November 10, 2020. 

13-Inch MacBook Pro Announced

MacBook Pro
Source: AppleOpens a new window

Next in the macOS device launch is the new 13-inch MacBook Pro. The device is powered by an M1 chip that delivers a battery life of up to 17 hours of web browsing and 20 hours of video playback. It has similar features to MacBook Air and performs 2.8x faster with 5x faster graphics than the previous generation. Unlike MacBook Air, it features an active cooling fan system and comes with a touch bar and two Thunderbolt ports with USB 4 support.  

MacBook Pro starts at $1,299 and $1,199 for education users. Preorder starts from November 10, 2020, and will be available next week. 

Ultracompact Mac Mini Introduced

Mac Mini
Source: AppleOpens a new window

The event’s final product was a new Mac mini — an ultrasmall desktop machine with 3x faster CPU and 6x faster graphics than its predecessors, thanks to the M1 chip. Mac mini features an advanced thermal design to sustain performance-intensive workloads and Wi-Fi 6 for faster wireless performance. It is equipped with an ethernet port, two thunderbolt ports that support 6K XDR display, a USB A port, and a 3.5 mm headphone port. 

Priced $100 lesser than its previous generation, the new Mac mini starts at $699 and $679 for education customers. Preorder starts from November 10, 2020, and will be available next week.

Also Read: Apple Event: iPhone 12 Models & HomePod Mini Speaker Unveiled

macOS Big Sur Launches on November 12, 2020

The new macOS Big Sur operating system, which was announced in June 2020 at the WWDC event, will now be available for shipping from November 12, 2020. The new operating system is optimized for M1 and comes with new upgrades, including a new menu bar with a customizable control center and redesigned notification center. 

The company saidOpens a new window , “With Big Sur and M1, Mac users can run a greater range of apps than ever before. All of Apple’s Mac software is now Universal and runs natively on M1 systems. Browsing with Safari is now up to 1.5x speedier and nearly 2x more responsive.”

Apple ended its ‘One More Thing’ event with a throwback cameo by John Hodgman, who featured as PC Guy in old Apple commercials.

Hi, I’m a PC

😍😍😍#AppleEventOpens a new window pic.twitter.com/jgTfObTUgaOpens a new window

— Pato González 🦆 (@patog7) November 10, 2020Opens a new window

As we enter the holiday season, Apple’s third and final event for 2020 ended on a high note. With a slew of Mac products, Apple reaffirms its commitment to innovation. If the M1 processor claims powerful battery life and CPU performance, then Apple will give a tough competition to its existing PC rivals, including Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Microsoft. For now, Apple customers have tons of tech goodies to add to their cart and enjoy during the upcoming holidays.

Which of these Mac products will you add to your shopping cart? Comment below or let us know on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We’d love to hear from you!