While some set calendar updates for every new iPhone announcement from Apple (AAPL), others like to talk about how the new feature changes are getting less and less significant but presented in a way that encourages us to keep wanting the new one.
This week, many techies have been waiting for a new product announcement from Apple and were rewarded with three. Along with updating the chips in both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops, the tech giant also announced a new Mac Mini computer.
The latter, which has been reconfigured with the more powerful M2 and M2 Pro chips, makes a big difference when it comes to battery life and overall longevity -- while the new Macbook Mini does not look particularly different from the old one, it now comes with 24GB of memory and 100GB per second of bandwidth.
Three Revamped Computers And Faster Memory
Apple said that the increased memory will make a particularly big difference for those who use their Mac for video editing while the total price has also been brought down to $599 from $699.
"Bringing even more performance and a lower starting price, Mac mini with M2 is a tremendous value," Apple's SVP of worldwide marketing Greg Joswiak said in a statement. "And for users who need powerful pro performance, Mac mini with M2 Pro is unlike any other desktop in its class."
The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros also feature the new chips and, according to Apple, will make tasks like effects rendering six times faster as well as improve the speed of functions like color grading, animation and connectivity.
The battery life on the new souped-up MacBook Pro is, at 22 hours, the highest available while the prices start at $1,999 for the 14-inch and $2,499 for the 16-inch.
"MacBook Pro with Apple silicon has been a game changer, empowering pros to push the limits of their workflows while on the go and do things they never thought possible on a laptop," Joswiak said.
All three new products are already available for order on Apple's site and the only Mac Mini one can buy comes with the new chips. The only Apple product with the older Intel (INTC) chip is the earlier MacBook Pro.
Apple
This Is What's Going On With Apple's Stock
As pointed out by Apple's marketing team, these changes will truly make a difference for professionals who create videos, process photos or do other things that require a higher-power computer. Those who use their computers primarily to scroll the internet, type and watch videos will get enough use out of cheaper products like the MacBook Air or even an iPad.
But the higher capabilities also help Apple stay competitive with other computer companies that are always racing to win over that percentage of professional users for whom even a small increase in processing power will make a difference.
After the morning's announcement, Apple stock has been up nearly 1% at $136.04 after a tumultuous few weeks amid production challenges in Asia and a new iPhone 14 Plus launch in December that many analysts said cost too much for the relatively few new features it offers.
"Apple is one of the few megacap tech stocks that had avoided getting pummeled in 2022," Brent Kelwell wrote in an analysis for TheStreet. "But the shares began to break down in the latter part of the fourth quarter. The stock on Jan. 3 made new 52-week lows, the first trading day of the new year."
