Insider Apple Mac Week: New power, smarter AI, bold innovations

Apple's Mac announcement week began on October 28th and all of the reveals are now official.

The range includes an updated iMac with the new M4 chip and updated color options, as well as redesigned accessories – keyboard, mouse and trackpad – now with USB-C ports.

Apple also announced the launch of Apple Intelligence, its latest artificial intelligence-powered suite of features for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Apple also introduced a redesigned Mac Mini and the M4 Pro chip.

GET A $500 GIFT CARD IN THE CYBERGUY HOLIDAY SWEEPSTAKES! JUST SIGN UP FOR MY FREE TECH NEWSLETTER TO PARTICIPATE!

Everything about the new iMac

The new iMacannounced on October 28th, comes with the M4 chip, which has an 8-core CPU and up to 10-core GPU. If you remember Apple's iPad announcement earlier this yearthe M4 chip debuted with the iPad Pro (7th generation).

The new iMac now comes with accessories that use USB-C charging ports instead of Lightning. All USB-C ports also support the fastest Thunderbolt 4 standard, allowing you to transfer large videos and other files faster. The display is still a 24-inch panel with 4.5K resolution, but Apple is now offering an additional $200 “nano-texture glass” option that's designed to reduce reflections and glare.

There are a few other updates too. The base RAM has doubled from the previous model to 16GB, with the option to increase it to 32GB on the high-end version. The new iMac also features a 12MP webcam and introduces Apple Intelligence features that are now finally rolling out. These include AI-powered writing and editing tools and a redesigned Siri, now powered by ChatGPT.

The M4 iMac Now available in new colors including green, yellow, orange, pink and purple. Silver also remains an option. It's available to pre-order now, with shipping starting November 8th. The entry-level model costs $1,299 and has two USB-C ports, while the high-end models start at $1,499 and have four ports.

BEST ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR MAC

The Mac Mini is also getting an upgrade

As the name suggests, this is Mac Mini is a compact computer that can handle some serious workloads. First announced in 2005, it kept the same design until 2010, but Apple eventually changed it with the latest model. They reduced the size of the case, reducing the computer's volume by half. The new Mini is now a 5″ x 5″ box just 2″ tall, while the older model measures 7.75″ x 7.75″ and is 1.41″ thick.

The main upgrade for the new computer is the integration of Apple's latest chips, either the M4 or a more powerful version called the M4 Pro. The M4 Mini is equipped with two USB-C ports and a headphone jack on the front. These front USB-C ports support USB 3 at speeds of up to 10Gbps.

On the back you'll find three USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports (up to 40Gbps), as well as Ethernet and HDMI ports. The high-end M4 Pro model also features Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, offering transfer speeds of up to 120 Gbps and the ability to connect up to three displays.

The starting price of the Mac Mini remains the same at $599. This base model comes with the M4 chip with 10 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores as well as 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. For $799 you can double the SSD to 512GB, while the $999 model increases the RAM up to 24GB. Those are solid prices, which is something I don't often say about Apple products.

There's also a $1,399 Mac Mini model that comes with the new M4 Pro processor, which has a 12-core CPU and a 16-core GPU. It also supports up to 64GB RAM and up to 8TB SSD.

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

Enter CYBERGUY's $500 Holiday Gift Card Sweepstakes

The M4 MacBook Pros are also here

Apple has also released some big updates to the MacBook Pro lineup, introducing more powerful chips and new features. Announced on October 30, the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros are now powered by Apple's new M4 series processors – the M4 Pro and the even more premium M4 Max. The 14-inch base model now features an additional USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port on the right side, as well as a new Space Black color option.

Both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro and M4 max are the first Mac laptops with Thunderbolt 5 ports, offering faster data transfer and connectivity. They also come with a new 12-megapixel webcam that offers a desktop viewing mode for a wider angle, as well as an optional nano-texture display that reaches up to 1,000 nits in SDR and 1,600 nits in HDR.

The M4 Pro-equipped MacBook Pros start at $1,999 for the 14-inch model and $2,499 for the 16-inch model, both now upgraded from 18GB of base RAM to 24GB – meaning you get more storage at the same price. The entry-level 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro still starts at $1,599, but Apple has increased the starting RAM to 16GB (a welcome increase from the previous 8GB). These new MacBook Pros will hit stores on November 8th and pre-orders are already open.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO by CLICKING HERE

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR IPHONE AND IPAD FROM MALWARE

Kurt's key to take home

Apple's updates to the Mac lineup bring impressive changes, especially for power users. The new iMacswhich are now powered by the M4 chip, offer significant performance improvements. However, if you only use an iMac for general tasks like browsing or light work, an older model might be better to save some money. However, the M4 Mac Mini is a great value option with a competitive price and an additional $100 education discount. For those who need even more power, the new M4 MacBook Pros come with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, with base RAM now at 24GB on the Pro models and 16GB on the entry-level 14-inch version begins.

Also worth mentioning is Apple Intelligence, which Apple announced back in May but is only now hitting the market. I've tried some of these features and while I found them useful, they're not exactly earth-shattering.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Have you tried the Apple Intelligence features? What do you think about her? Let us know by writing to us Cyberguy.com/Contact

For more tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report newsletter at Cyberguy.com/Newsletter

Ask Kurt a question or tell us what stories you'd like us to cover

Follow Kurt on his social channels

Answers to the most frequently asked CyberGuy questions:

New from Kurt:

Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.