Well, no “spring loaded” Apple Pencil (hey, I can admit when I’m wrong). No spring loaded… anything. Seriously, not a spring in sight. But Apple did spring a few new products on us. These were largely expected, though there were a few nice surprises. Apple revealed updates to existing products, the most radical redesign of the iMac in many years, AirTags, an updated Apple TV, and even service updates to Podcasts and the Apple Card.
Apple’s spring update may be Apple’s most colorful ever. Finally, Apple’s found their way back to unique and lively products.
In This Article:
M1 iMac
This is the most beautiful iMac in recent times. Perhaps it’s the best looking iMac ever. Although, I am still partial to the first iMac, and that G4 iMac was an actual design innovation. Still, just look at that thing. It’s beautiful, vibrant, simple, and so incredibly thin. It’s the thinnest iMac ever, and that’s because Apple could base it around the M1 processor. The size of the motherboard and internal hardware is significantly smaller, and doesn’t require a large heat sink to cool it. The result is an iMac that’s only a little heavier than two 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops. It’s practically a 24-inch iPad on a stand… minus touch… because… well, just because.
Seriously, Apple, just make a Surface Studio competitor out of the iMac. I’d love it for photo editing.
The colors are beautiful and I’m in love with the two-tone design. Each iMac color has a bold, saturated hue on the back, and a more muted on on the front, so you don’t get too distracted or tired of it. There’s also a silver model, if you prefer your office space a bit duller. Although, I will admit, I do think they should have released a black version, or perhaps considered a black bezel around the screen. Still, the colors pop and it’s refreshing. When Apple introduced the first iMac, the bold colors were to fight the army of beige that Apple helped create. Now, every piece of tech is some form of gray aluminum, and it’s once again up to Apple to introduce something that can bring a little joy to a room.
Listen, this iMac is so beautiful that, despite the fact that I don’t have a use for it, I still feel tempted to buy one. A friend of mine is in the same boat. Except he may actually grab one.
The colors also match the AirPods Max, right down to the two-tone color scheme.
I love it, I want this in my office, preferably in red or purple. Unfortunately, I have no idea what I’d use it for, seeing as I already have a 2019 MacBook Pro.
Smart Design Too
The power connector now attaches to the iMac magnetically, so you don’t have to fumble around with wires. Also, to keep your desk uncluttered, you can plug an ethernet cable into the power brick. This way, you could potentially have only one cable coming up from the wall to your iMac. Apple also moved the headphone jack to the side. This makes it more accessible, but also solves a problem we just didn’t think desktop computers could have. The machine is now so thin that the sides are the only places deep enough to fit a headphone jack.
M1 Power
I almost forgot, this is a computer, not a work of art. Sure, it can be both, but then, we ought to talk about both.
Inside the M1 iMac is, well, an M1 chip. You can get it with up to 2TB of storage and up to 16GB of RAM. The base model has 8GB. That doesn’t sound like much, but the memory in these Apple silicon chips are highly optimized, so it may not be as bad as it sounds. Still, I recommend going for the 16GB of memory for everyone.
The M1 processor has been exceptional, but software support still hasn’t completely caught up. For most users, it’ll be fine, but for people using their Macs for work, especially software developers, waiting would be the smart idea.
We don’t know if the M1 in the iMac is the exact same one as the other Macs. It seems to have the same storage and memory capabilities, as well as the same 7 or 8-core GPU, so it’s likely that it’s identical. It’s a fast processor, but Apple doesn’t give many details on it. We’ll have to wait for benchmarks to see if it’s clocked at a higher speed than other M1 chips.
Setting the (Sound) Stage
With the M1 system, Apple has freed up space inside the iMac. Much like the iPad Air and iPad Pro, they decided to use this additional space to improve the speakers. The iMac has a 6-speaker array, with force cancelling woofers and support for spatial audio. That is, audio that has a 3D effect. This works with videos made with Dolby Atmos.
The iMac won’t just sound good either, it’ll listen to you well too. The iMac has a 3-microphone array to focus on the sound of your voice, tuning out background noise. You’ll sound incredibly clear, even with a noisy setting.
Your coworkers will thank you. Although, if you’re this far into working from home and haven’t bought a microphone or at least started using headphones, you likely just don’t care if your coworkers hear background noise.
Display and Camera
The iMac display has been upgraded over previous models. The new display resolution is 4.5k, at 60Hz. Apple also added an anti-reflective coating. The display itself is a 500 nits display, that’s the same brightness as an iPad Air, but not as bright as an iPad Pro. It features a P3 color gamut as well, for accurate color, and True Tone, for when you care more about your screen looking “natural” than perfectly color-accurate displays.
With the Thunderbolt ports, you can also use up to a single 6K external display. The M1 chip doesn’t support any more displays than that though. The M1 chip also doesn’t support external GPUs to drive more displays either. Hopefully two 4K (or better) displays is enough.
Apple also finally updated the camera in their Macs. The iMac now comes with a 1080p front-facing camera, a huge upgrade over the 720p cameras Apple has shipped with their Macs for far too long.
New Accessories Too
Apple also released color-matching accessories to go with their new iMacs. The Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse now come with color-matching aluminum accents. While the design is beautiful, both accessories are ergonomics nightmares. You should not use them if you value your wrists.
However, Apple also updated their Magic Keyboard with three new versions. There’s a compact color-matched version, about the size of their existing Magic Keyboard. Then there’s another compact one, but this adds something new: Touch ID. With this keyboard, you’ll be able to unlock your iMac with your fingerprint, just like you can a MacBook or iPad. The final keyboard is a full version that contains a number pad and Touch ID. It doesn’t seem as though Apple is selling these separately yet.
The 24-inch iMac goes on sale on April 30th. It’ll ship in late May. The starting price is $1,299, or $1,499 for a version with an improved GPU, Touch ID Magic Keyboard, and two additional USB 3 ports.
M1 iPad Pro
The next iPad Pro won’t feature an upgraded version of Apple’s current iPhone and iPad processor. Instead, it’ll feature the same processor that Apple has placed in their MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and the new iMac. The processor is 50% more powerful than the A12z in the previous iPad Pro, and a 40% better GPU. This should put it just out of the reach of the A14 chip in the iPad Air and iPhone. This is the power of a Mac in an iPad.
The USB-C port will support Thunderbolt and USB 4. That support and the M1 chip will allow the iPad Pro to drive a 6K display.
There are two performance levels, defined by storage space. The 1TB and 2TB versions of the iPad Pro will have 16GB of memory, while the others have 8GB of memory. iPad apps aren’t designed to use this much. Even the “base” level is well beyond what the 12.9-inch iPad Pro had with the A12z chip. 8GB will keep your iPad humming alone, but 16GB is practically overkill.
12.9-inch Pro XDR Display
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro will have something new. Apple’s Pro Display XDR technology. This will feature 10,000 mini-LEDs in the display for accurate color and contrast accuracy. This includes up to 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness, with 1,600 nits of peak brightness. Those mini-LEDs allow the display to show a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. It’s not quite as high of a contrast ratio as an iPhone, but it’s phenomenal for a screen of this size. It’ll be great not only for watching movies, but making them too.
5G
The iPad Pro will have a 5G radio, like the iPhone 12.
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It’ll also have a camera and a camera bump.
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I just figured I’d mention the things that won’t matter to most users really quickly.
Make no mistake, 5G will be useful one day. But right now, it just drains your battery looking for a small hotspot where you can momentarily get incredibly fast download speeds.
The Useful Camera
Center Stage keeps you in frame
The front facing camera, however, is getting an update that will make it far more useful. This camera has a new 122º view on the world. The ultra-wide lens will allow it to capture large areas. This won’t be used for fisheye effects though. Instead, it’ll follow a user as they speak to someone, say in a FaceTime call, using something Apple’s calling Center Stage. This uses AI, including face tracking and three microphones, to make sure the person or people talking to those on the other side of a call are always in the frame. The video can zoom in and out automatically during a call. In our newly remote-only world, this can be a great way to connect to your loved ones. Or work.
Mostly work.
New Magic Keyboard
I’m a fan of the Magic Keyboard, and prefer it in black. But perhaps you want one to match your Apple Pencil and AirPods? Apple’s got you covered. No, silly, they didn’t release colorful AirPods or Apple Pencils, that would be too popular. No, they just made a white Magic Keyboard. That’s the only change to the keyboard. It still has a USB-C port and holds up your iPad with magnets, and will be offered alongside the black one.
The iPad Pro will start at $799 for the 11-inch version, and $1,099 for the 12.9-inch version. Preorders will start on Friday, April 30th, with the iPads shipping in the second half of May. While the other new products have a touch of color and flavor, Apple’s “pro” products still retain a boring look, and only come in light gray and dark gray (“silver” and “space gray”).
AirTags
Apple’s AirTags have been long rumored. In fact, we’ve even known what they would look like for some time. You can place the small coin-shaped coins with your keys, in your bags, in your car, just about anywhere. Don’t like memorizing where you parked? Throw an AirTag in your glove compartment. Lose your rare yellow umbrella at a club on St. Paddy’s day? Not with an AirTag on it!
A friend pointed out that, after a night like Alan’s, he might need an AirTag on his kidneys.
The AirTags use Bluetooth 5 and the Find My network. Basically, any device within Bluetooth range can transmit the location of a single AirTag to Apple. Apple will then relay that location information back to the owner. In this way, devices can remain anonymous, but still create a mesh network. Once you’re within Bluetooth range, newer iPhones will be able to pinpoint the exact location of your AirTag. It’ll even point you to the exact location with arrows and distance measurements. Others will have less accurate means of finding your AirTag, like making it play a sound.
The battery is a standard CR2032 coin cell battery, and it’s user-replaceable. This will reduce e-waste considerably, as some other trackers (looking at you, Tile), are disposable. Apple says that, if you check for an item once every day, this battery will last about a year. Hopefully it’ll last you much longer though.
An AirTag will set you back $29. You can also get four for $99. Accessories to attach them to keys or luggage cost extra. Oh, and in case you were wondering, you can get special Hermès versions, which will set you back up to $449. Yes, really. You can also get a Belkin holder or cheap holder from any other third party for under $15.
Orders for AirTags open on Friday, with availability starting April 30th.
Apple TV 4K
The Apple TV was last updated in 2017. Then Apple added 4K, HDR 10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. It launched with an A10X Fusion processor. The version before that, the HD version, launched in 2015. The Apple TV has been due for an update (and I’ve been waiting). This year, Apple’s not upgrading much on the outside. However, it’s powered by an A12 Bionic processor. This enables high frame rate HDR, and new color processing. Now the Apple TV can use the camera in your iPhone to optimize and calibrate color for your setting, so your videos always look as best as they can, in any lighting.
The biggest announcement though is likely Apple’s new remote. The remote replaces the awful, difficult to hold, horribly inaccurate, and fragile Siri remote that was introduced in 2015. The new Siri remote replaces the touch pad with a “clickpad.” The outer ring of the clickpad has a familiar circular gesture that anyone who had an old iPod will instantly recognize. It’s the clickwheel. The clickwheel is making a comeback. However, it’s better than ever, with the internal portion of the wheel also collecting touch information, so you can swipe along it for additional controls and navigation. Or you can press the corners of the “clickpad” (come on, Apple, let me call it a clickwheel!).
The new remote also adds a back button, mute button, power button, and moves the Siri button to the side, where the Siri button is on your iPhone. With this new design, you can also use your Siri remote to control your TV and other appliances. I typically use three remotes. One for my TV, one for my sound bar, and my horrid Apple TV remote. I even broke out my old remote from my first 2006 MacBook for when I’m exceptionally frustrated with the lousy navigation on the old Siri Remote.
Apple also updated their 1080p HD version, which will also come with the new Siri Remote.
Apple overlooked a very important thing here. They didn’t give the new remote a U1 chip, like the one in the AirTags. That means, if you want to track your remote, you may have to get a case or adhesive AirTag mount. Apple really missed an opportunity here to have the first remote that’s impossible to lose.
The Apple TV HD will be $149 for 32GB of storage. The Apple TV 4K is $179 for 32GB of storage, and the 64GB version will cost $199. Orders open on Friday, April 30th, with shipping in the second half of May. While storage isn’t necessary on these devices, as they stream video, you may find it useful for installing apps and games, as well as downloading movies if you have an unreliable internet connection.
iPhone 12 in Purple!
Apple revealed a new color for the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12. If you’ve been holding out on getting a new iPhone because it didn’t come in purple, then I have some fantastic news for you. The iPhone 12 will come in… another shade of gray! No, I kid, it’s purple.
The new color is vibrant and gorgeous. In fact, while I love my red iPhone 12 mini, I have to admit, if given this color at launch, I may have been tempted to go purple instead. The new purple color is available both in the normal-sized iPhone 12 mini and the gigantic, unwieldy 6.1-inch iPhone 12 as well. Preorders start this Friday at 8am Eastern Time, and it’ll be available on April 30th.
Podcast Subscriptions
It’s easy to forget, but Podcasts really took off thanks to the iPod. Apple’s trying to bring podcasts back to their platform. Their new app will highlight “Channels,” that is, collections of a single podcast creator’s shows. It’ll also allow users to subscribe to creators, much like Patreon. This will allow people to directly follow and support their favorite podcasters.
Apple Card Family
Now one Apple Card can be shared between spouses and partners. Families can also share the same card. The Wallet app will gain special family controls, and children 13 and older will be able to use it with spending limits.
Wrapping It All Up
The key takeaways from this event are the way Apple’s expanding its product lineup. We’ve got M1 iMacs and iPads, new AirTags for tracking, and updates to make services more useful. Apple’s new Macs are going to take on a slimmer, more compact design, making better use of their space. We also saw something else during this event. Color. Apple finally isn’t afraid of a little color. They made the iPhone lineup more colorful, and, for the first time since the early 2000’s, Apple finally gave the iMac its signature splash of color back. The design still isn’t overly unique, but it’s gorgeous, vibrant, and finally an embodiment of what the iMac was always supposed to be: a device that sparks joy.
The Apple TV update is pure substance. The remote is larger and heftier, with more aluminum, to address concerns about the thin and small remote breaking or getting lost. It’s just well thought out for the customer and directly answers customer concerns. Apple’s thinking of how people use their devices, not just what they look like. Finally, Apple devices seem to be made for humans, not press photos.
Maybe this means Apple’s going back to those roots. It’s about time.