Apple made some important announcements at its Scary Fast event 2023 today. It kicked off the event with its new M3 chipset series – including the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max versions – in updated MacBook Pro and iMac machines.
The company also introduced a host of new Mac accessories, such as a Magic Keyboard with USB-C ports and a Magic Trackpad that supports USB-C connections. And it announced a new range of colorful 24” iMacs that it says will be up to 2x faster than previous models when they use the new M3 processors.
While the Scary Fast event was not a surprise, it was still a big one. The event was a live-streamed affair and drew over 4 million viewers.
As expected, there was no iPad news at the event, which focused entirely on the MacBook Pro and iMacs. However, the highlight of this year’s Apple event was its M3 chipset series – the first desktop chips to be made using TSMC’s 3nm process. Apple claimed that the M3 chips offer improved computational and graphical performance and are much less power-hungry than the previous generation.
Apple’s new M3 chips are available in updated MacBook Pro machines, starting at $1,300 for the base model with an 8-core CPU and 128GB of storage. There are also M3-based models of the 12-inch MacBook Air, with prices starting at $899.
In addition to the refreshed MacBook Pros, Apple’s Scary Fast event saw an updated 24-inch iMac up to 2.5x faster than previous versions when they used the M3 processor. The iMac keeps the same design and seven color options but now offers up to 2TB of storage, six speakers, WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support, and a 24″ 4.5K Retina display.
Interestingly, the iMac with M3 will be priced at the same price point as an Intel-based iMac, meaning it’s a free upgrade for existing customers. The iMac with M3 Pro and iMac with M3 Max will be slightly higher.
As a bonus, the iMac is now available in a new color, Space Black. And the Mac accessories are getting a new look that will see them adopting the USB-C connector. That will allow them to be charged by a single cable, which can charge the iMac and any other USB-C device. This’s been long overdue since most of Apple’s current Macs only ship with Lightning ports for charging. This means that many customers have been having to buy third-party cables to charge their machines. But, with the switch to USB-C coming soon for many other Apple products, that’s about to change. Apple’s upcoming Mac lineup is looking very promising indeed. The company is also rumored to be working on a high-end MacBook Pro codenamed J514 and J516 that will likely include speedier new M3 Pro and M3 Max processors.
