iPad Air to MacBook Air, Mac Studio: Everything Apple announced this week

Apple announced Mac Studio, powered by M3 Ultra and M4 Max, M3 Ultra, MacBook Air with M4, iPad with A16, and iPad Air with M3

This week has been quite eventful for Apple as the consumer technology giant released iPad Air, iPad, MacBook Air, and Mac Studio. The M3 Ultra debuted with the Mac Studio launch to iPad Air with M3 and Macbook Air with M4, these announcements drew the attention of tech enthusiasts. Let us go over each of the key announcements made by Apple this week:

 

Mac Studio powered by M3 and M4 Max

 

Apple has launched Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips, supporting up to 512GB of unified memory. Designed for handling large language models (LLMs) in memory, the M3 Ultra leverages advanced graphics and high memory capacity, said Apple. The Mac Studio supports Apple Intelligence, arriving in India in April. Pre-orders are live on Apple’s website, with sales starting March 12. Prices begin at Rs 2,14,900 for M4 Max and Rs 4,29,900 for M3 Ultra.

 

The M4 Max is configurable in up to a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and 32-core Neural Engine. The M3 Ultra, Apple’s most powerful silicon yet, offers a 32-core CPU, 80-core GPU, and 32-core Neural Engine for AI and ML tasks. The new Mac Studio includes Thunderbolt 5 ports, 10Gb Ethernet, HDMI, and an SDXC slot, with the M3 Ultra supporting up to eight 6K Apple Pro Display XDRs. Apple claims the M4 Max delivers 2.1x faster Xcode compilation than M1 Max, while the M3 Ultra provides up to 16.9x faster LLM token generation than M1 Ultra.

M3 Ultra chip

 

Apple has introduced the M3 Ultra, its most powerful chip yet, in the latest Mac Studio. It features the highest CPU and GPU core count in a Mac, supporting up to 512GB of unified memory—the most in any personal computer. Designed for AI and ML tasks, it includes a 32-core Neural Engine. Available in two configurations, it offers a 28-core CPU with a 60-core GPU or a 32-core CPU with an 80-core GPU. The base model supports up to 256GB unified memory and 16TB SSD, while the top-tier version extends memory to 512GB.

 

Built on Apple's UltraFusion technology, the M3 Ultra links two M3 Max dies with over 10,000 high-speed connections, ensuring high bandwidth and low latency. With 184 billion transistors, it outperforms its predecessors—its 32-core CPU is 1.5x faster than the M2 Ultra and 1.8x faster than the M1 Ultra, while the 80-core GPU is 2x and 2.6x faster, respectively. It supports dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, and ray tracing. The Mac Studio with M3 Ultra can run LLMs with over 600 billion parameters on-device, leveraging its 800GB/s memory bandwidth.

 

MacBook Air with M4 chip

 

Apple has launched the MacBook Air with M4, featuring a new sky blue colour alongside midnight, starlight, and silver. The base model now starts with 16GB unified memory (up from 8GB) and includes a 12MP Center Stage camera. Available in 13-inch and 15-inch variants, it packs a 10-core CPU, with GPU options ranging from 8-core to 10-core. Prices start at Rs 99,900, with pre-orders open and sales beginning March 12. Configurations go up to 32GB of unified memory and 2TB of storage.

 

The MacBook Air with M4 boasts a Liquid Retina display (500 nits, P3 color), a four or six-speaker system, and improved connectivity with Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, MagSafe charging, and Thunderbolt 4. It supports up to two external 6K displays. The 12MP Center Stage camera offers automatic framing and Desk View, while battery life remains strong with fast charging support. The laptop is fully compatible with Apple Intelligence, with localised English (India) support arriving in April.

 

iPad with A16 chip and iPad Air with M3 chip

 

Apple has launched an updated base-model iPad with the A16 chip, alongside the iPad Air with M3. The new iPad starts at Rs 34,900, with storage options now beginning at 128GB (up from 64GB) and going up to 512GB. It features an 11-inch Liquid Retina display, a 12MP rear camera, a landscape 12MP Center Stage front camera, and Touch ID in the power button. Apple claims a 30 per cent performance boost over its predecessor and up to six times faster performance than the best-selling Android tablet. It supports Wi-Fi 6, 5G (on cellular models), USB-C charging, and accessories like the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard Folio.

 

The iPad Air with M3, available in 11-inch and 13-inch variants, starts at Rs 59,900. It includes an 8-core CPU, 9-core GPU, and AI-driven Apple Intelligence features like Clean Up in Photos, Image Wand in Notes, and a revamped Siri integrated with ChatGPT. The new Magic Keyboard features a trackpad, function keys, and a USB-C charging port. The iPad Air with M3 is up to four times faster than the M1 model, enhancing gaming with hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing. Pre-orders are open, with sales beginning on March 12.