Peek Performance Apple Event

*Apple’s Peek Performance event was held on March 08 and introduced the new iPhone SE, iPad Air, and Mac Studio & Apple Studio Display.*

An event that was being snubbed online as a snoozefest only weeks earlier turned out to have a couple of pretty significant surprises up its sleeve. Here are a few of my thoughts on Apple's 'Peek Performance' event.

Days Leading Up

Until March 4, rumours and leaks about the Apple event were sparse and underwhelming. We had a good sense that an iPhone SE would be released and a pretty good idea of what an updated iPad Air would look like, but everything else was shrouded in mystery. Would a Mac or multiple Macs be released? Would Apple release an updated M1 chip? Debut the M2? Update the mini? Update the Air? Refresh the iMac? Debut a new Mac? It wasn't until just four days before the event that something called the Mac Studio began filling the rumour channels online. Codenamed J375, the product was rumoured to launch with an M1 Max and a new M1 Ultra chip and look something like a cross between a Mac mini & MacPro. These last-minute leaks turned out to be the main entree of Apple's Event, which debuted the Mac Studio and a new Mac Studio display. But before we got to see Apple's unveiling of the Mac Studio, we got a few updates to some of Apple’s other products.

iPhone

iPhone SE

Now in its third generation), the iPhone SE was updated to the A15, got new colours (Black is now Midnight, White became Starlight), added 5G cellular (though no mmWave), an additional 2 hours of battery life (15 v. 13 hours) and now features photographic styles and Deep Fusion. It's a modest update, but frankly, exactly what I would have expected from Apple for this product.

The iPhone SE is a good budget phone at the base of Apple's iPhone lineup. With a starting price of $429, it is an easy phone to recommend to people looking to upgrade to a phone that feels and looks exactly like the one they were used to (It’s not old design, but an ‘iconic’ one). And with the slight spec and processor bumps, the new iPhone SE offers another half-decade of life and support. The tougher decision for folks looking for a phone in this price range might be whether to spend $70 more and get the iPhone 11 with a larger screen, an Ultra Wide camera, better battery, Face ID, Night mode, & a better front-facing camera.

iPhone 13 Pro

*Is green a feature? Photo Credit: Apple*

The iPhone 13 now comes in green, while the iPhone 13 Pro lineup is now offered in Alpine Green, which in press photos appears a little bit brighter than the Midnight Green finish we got on the iPhone 11 Pro. Releasing a new colour seems like a clever strategy on Apple's part to give the iPhone lineup a bit of a mid-cycle boost.

iPad Air

The second piece of the Apple Event people seemed to have the most certainty about was that Apple would refresh the iPad Air & bring it to spec with the iPad mini released last fall. We mostly got that. Apple bumped up the front camera to an Ultra Wide 12MP camera with CenterStage, & added 5G. But rather than put in the A15 chip (6-core CPU, 4 or 5-core GPU), Apple opted to put in the M1 (8-core CPU, 8-core GPU), which doubles the amount of RAM from 4 to 8GB. This should give this iPad Air a 50-60% boost in performance over an A15 device in Multi-core & Metal computing. For consumers, that means faster performance, quicker loading, better graphics, faster rendering, more layers, etc. And economically, it's also a slam dunk for Apple since they can use the M1 chip across more of their products.

Apple also synchronized colours between the iPad mini 6 & iPad Air, which now both come in Purple, Pink, Starlight, & Space Grey. However, Apple also added a new fifth Blue colour option exclusive to the Air (which I am absolutely smitten by).

*I kinda have a thing for blue-coloured things. Photo Credit: Apple*

But I can't help feeling like Apple phoned it in on the new iPad Air. It's a good update (5G, M1, CenterStage), but it's clear this product is not where a lot of Apple's attention went this year. Even details like the exclusive stock wallpapers are carbon copies of the previous generation, just in new colours. And while last years mini got a flash, that update is suspiciously absent from the new Air. I know the iPad Air isn't the hub of innovation in Apple's tablet lineup, but the first impression is that the Air was an afterthought update. I'm also disappointed by the 64GB base storage for this product because while that's a decent spec for the $329 level iPad, it feels miserly for someone spending at least $600 for the new Air. So while the new Air complicates the existence of the 11" iPad Pro, I would still recommend the $799 128GB 11-inch iPad Pro over a $749 256GB Air. While half the storage, that $50 gives you an additional camera, LiDAR, Thunderbolt support, flash, a brighter screen, ProMotion, Face ID, and more.

Mac Studio

Let me start by saying that I love the name of this product. With products like 'Pro' in the name, I often enter into a philosophical debate: Am I a Pro? What is a 'Pro'? Who & what is or isn't worthy of a 'Pro' device? But Studio makes sense to me; it's a space where serious work gets done. The naming might seem insignificant, but it switches the relationship from the user's identity to the product (i.e. are they a 'Pro' or not) to the environment for that computer to go in.

The Mac Studio positions itself as the middle step between consumer products like the iMac & MacBook Air and Pro products like the MacBook Pro & yet-to-be-released MacPro. However, it seems to be leaning more towards being viewed as a professional-grade device than a consumer-grade one. Its footprint is the same as the current M1 Mac mini, although it's quite a bit chonkier than the mini (3.7 versus 1.4 inches). It's also packed with ports at the front and rear, including two USB-A, 4 or 6 Thunderbolt ports, Ethernet, HDMI, & an SD slot. Its all-in-one design philosophy is reminiscent of the 2013 Trash Can MacPro, though I'm confident that with Apple Silicon, Apple has avoided painting itself into a thermal corner this time around.

*M1 now ranges from 8-to-20 CPU & 8-to-64 GPU cores. Photo Credit: Apple*

Powering the Mac Studio are a pair of new and familiar chips. Alongside the base model M1 Max chip introduced in the MacBook Pro, Apple has debuted a new M1 Ultra chip which doubles pretty much everything: double the CPU-cores (20), double GPU-cores (up to 64), unified memory (128GB), bandwidth (800GB/s), video encoders & decoders, etc. Apple hoodwinked us a bit with the M1 Max, omitting to tell us that the Max had a connecting strip that Apple is calling UltraFusion that essentially combines two Max chips together to form the M1 Ultra. And the M1 Ultra is so powerful that the weight (likely for added cooling) of the Mac Studio with M1 Ultra is a full 2 pounds heavier (5.9 v. 7.9). Opting for the M1 Ultra also nearly doubles the base price, making it fall into the territory of "if you don't know why you'd need one, then you don't need one."

Mac Studio Display (Stand Included)

*A Mac Studio and Apple Studio Display starts at $4,722.90, and can go as high as $14,503.65 after adding all the upgrades & AppleCare.* *Photo Credit: Apple*

For over half a decade, users have been without the option of a standalone Apple display. The best Apple could do for years was point you toward the offensively garish and flimsy LG Ultra-fine display. Sure LG was making Apple's iMac panels, and Apple worked with LG to calibrate these displays, but don't give people a burger when they ask for steak just because they came from the same animal. Then in late 2019, we got the Pro-Display XDR, a $6,000 monitor that broke bank accounts and whose $999 stand cost as much as the Thunderbolt Display did when it debuted a decade ago.

Finally, Apple has reintroduced a new 27" 5K display - basically the panel from the 27" - but added a 12MP webcam with CenterStage and a six-speaker audio setup for spatial audio, all powered by the A13. Furthermore, as a price starting at $1,599 with a +$300 Nano-texture glass option and/or +$400 tilt-and-height adjustable stand, the Studio Display is far better suited to most people's monitor needs and far more accessible from a price perspective.

Misc.

*A range of accessories - from cases to straps to AirTag charms - were also updated at the Peek Performance event.*

Apple also debuted a small range of new Solo Loops, Sport Bands, Sport Loops, Braided Solo Loops, Hermès Jumping Single Tour & leather band options.
Apple added a few new colours to their iPhone cases.
Apple added a new updated Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse accessories in a silver/black key finish. This design style was previously exclusive to the MacPro but has been updated with a rounded design and Touch ID as a standalone accessory. But beware, each of Apple’s black accessories tacks on a $20 premium over its white counterpart.
Apple has updated their Smart Folio colors for the iPad Air, adding a new Marine Blue Smart Folio. Peculiarly, Apple didn't expand this colour to any other iPad or phone accessories.
Apple announced that they will start airing two exclusive MLB games on Friday nights.

Overall

The transition to Apple Silicon has afforded Apple a clean slate to reinvent its Mac lineup. By discontinuing the 27-inch iMac, Apple is creating new product tiers across its Mac lineup. Customers can select displays and computers that pair with their unique workflows unlike ever before, from a range of computers that offers the best performance and battery life Apple computers have ever had.

Peek Performance