In the world of technology where we have super devices and super technology that keeps making it easier to do everyday activities. Apple is stepping it up a notch with its newest addition to the MacBook Pro collection and this is not just any MacBook.
This MacBook is coming with an M2 chip and according to Apple this is definitely life-changing and sets a new standard in the department of super-fast and battery-conserving devices.
The technology company had earlier teased an M1 model in June 2022, which features in MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini models, and it has got great reviews from users due to its incredible performance and efficiency since this marked Apple’s first step towards transitioning from Intel chips to its System on a Chip (SOC). This was a welcoming boost for Apple.
What made the M1 chip so good and faster than Intel chips was that the unified memory architecture that Apple included, made it easy for all of the technologies in the M1 to access the same data, without having to swap between multiple pools of memory.
So what is so special about Apple’s latest addition to its MacBook series?
The 14 and 16 inches MacBook Pro which was launched on 16 January 2023 are the best range of MacBook that Apple sells. This new series comes with the new improved M2 System on a Chip (SOC) which integrates several different components which includes CPU, GPU, unified memory architecture (RAM), Neural Engine, Secure Enclave, SSD controller, image signal processor, encode/decode engines, Thunderbolt controller with USB 4 support and many more.
All this feature gives Apple MacBook Pro 3.9x faster video processing and 7.1x faster image processing. This is a whole new world of fast and with the help of the unified memory architecture on the M2 chip just like the M1 chip, the CPU, GPU, and other processor components do not need to copy data between one another for processing since they access the same pool of data. However, this means the RAM is not user upgradeable anymore and this isn’t much of a surprise as the latest Macs do not have user-accessible RAM, only a few, but the M2 Macs are fitted with 24GB RAM which is more than enough for everyday tasks.
Apple also disclosed that M2 chips are next-generation processors built with 5-nanometer technology, with better performance per watt. The M2 chip, which is 1.4x faster than the M1 chip, has an 18% faster CPU and a 35% more powerful GPU, running at 3.49GHz compared to 3.2GHz for the M1 chip.
The M2 chip impacts more on an Apple MacBook Pro more than just faster processing and memory, it is also battery efficient. The M2 chip on a MacBook Air affords it 18hrs of battery life while on a 13-inch MacBook Pro, battery life is up to 20hrs.
Battery life in an M2 Mac lasts 2x longer than the prior version of Mac that came with Intel chips and the 13-inch MacBook Pro has the longest battery life, which is 20hrs due to the M2 chip SOC on it.
Currently, Macs that run on an M2 chip include the 2022 MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro and also the recently launched 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro.
In the security department, Intel Macs were fitted with T2 chips which handled security and other features but with M1 and M2 chips, no need for a separate chip, M1 and M2 took care of everything. With its inbuilt Secure Enclave that handles Touch ID and a storage controller with AES encryption hardware for better and secure SSD performance.
Apple is also pushing back on the software department with the development of the Rosetta 2 transition layer. This layer, which is added due to the unique style of the M2 chip architecture, allows developers to create universal app binaries that run flawlessly on both Apple silicon chips and Intel chips. It also developed the Rosetta 2 translation layer to allow it to run x86 apps on the m1 chip.
This means Rosetta 2 can allow Apple users to run apps designed for Intel machines on both M1/M2 chips, however with some limited performance compromises, most apps will run smoothly on both Intel and M1/M2 Macs due to performance improvement.
Here are also some features for the 14-inch MacBook Pro as well as their prices.
14-inch MacBook Pro
WAS: M1 Pro, 8-Core CPU, 14-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD: $1,999/£1,899
NOW: M2 Pro, 10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD: $1,999/£2,149
WAS: M1 Pro, 10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD: $2,499/£2,399
NOW: M2 Pro, 12-Core CPU, 19-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD: $2,499/£2,699
while
NEW: M2 Max, 12-Core CPU, 30-Core GPU, 32GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD: $3,099/£3,499
16-inch MacBook Pro
WAS: M1 Pro, 10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD: $2,499/£2,399
NOW: M2 Pro, 12-Core CPU, 19-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD: $2,499/£2,699
WAS: M1 Pro, 10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD: $2,699/£2,599
NOW: M2 Pro, 12-Core CPU, 19-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD: $2,699/£2,899
WAS: M1 Max, 10-Core CPU, 32-Core GPU, 32GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD: $3,499/£3,299
NOW: M2 Max, 12-Core CPU, 38-Core GPU, 32GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD: $3,499/£3,749
Apple which continues to make hitting new milestones in the smartphone and laptops division has proven to the world once again and according to Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing “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”.
What feature excites you the most about the latest Apple MacBook Pro 2023
