Take a Peak

That was an event alright.

Like the last event, Apple ended up sending invites 6 days in advance rather than the usual 7, and in the midst of uncertainty and chaos around the world, people were tirelessly speculating for 24 hours the day before the invite. But here we are.

Most of the products announced were leaked days ago, and quite frankly they’re not all that exciting. It could just be me being salty because of the lack of MacBook Air redesign, but it genuinely felt lacking. Apple can do more events in a digital format but that just makes each events seem less significant.

The most anticipated product today is iPhone SE, but that’s just because it’s the SE. The new features still feel like the bare minimum for a $399, sorry, $429 phone. Like the last SE, with an increasing amount of people around me who are considering switching to an iPhone, this will definitely be a huge hit, despite being extremely underwhelming and a price hike.

The headline product though is Mac Studio, and while the naming is not promising (Beats Studio, anyone?), the specs speak for itself. Unfortunately, the price too. This is the cheapest way to get an M1 Max at “just” $1999, which is not that bad considering the specs. The fact that the Ultra outperforms the maxed out Mac Pro is quite funny, though the maxed out Mac Studio is approaching Mac Pro prices.

The display though. It’s certainly a better all-in-one display than the 24 inch iMac, with a higher resolution, seemingly slightly better speakers, webcam with centre stage and a nano-texture glass option. But it’s absolutely not $300 better, especially when that iMac has a computer inside. For context, the Cinema Display costs just above $1000 after adjusting for inflation. It doesn’t solve the problem of the Pro Display XDR, where it’s just too expensive for hobbyists, yet too compromising for actual Pros. Like a lot of Apple’s products with the Pro/Max moniker.

Oh and new iPhone colours. At least the new colour is available for both the regular and the Pro. I just don’t think buying an iPhone in March is a great idea.

Going back to the problem of being too expensive but too compromising, I hope they go for the extreme high end for the Mac Pro teased during the event. Being the last device without an Apple Silicon, it has a chance of defying the consensus that Apple’s Pro desktops are overpriced compared to PC towers in terms of performance. And as a halo product, it also let us know the limit (or the lack there of) of the Apple Silicon. I can’t wait to see it, even if the price is way too high for anyone but actual studios, as long as it can wash away the criticisms that the Mac Pro has carried all these years.