Apple's 'One More Thing' Event: Everything You Need To Know About The New Generation Of MacBooks

Apple just announced its first MacBook Pro laptop that will run on their very own Apple-designed processor at the recently concluded “One More Thing” event, ushering in a new era of Mac computers.

This marks Apple's departure from Intel to the more industrial-focused processor manufacturing company ARM, a move which we knew was coming since we've speculated Apple using Apple-designed processors by 2021.

The new MacBook Air

Apple's latest MacBook Air is powered by its new M1 processor. This is the first MacBook Air, and one of the first laptops, to feature Apple’s own Arm-based CPUs, designed specifically for Macs.

The new MacBook Air starts at $999, the same price as the last generation MacBook Air released back in March. (That model appears to have been discontinued when you go to Apple’s website.) It’s available on November 17, but you can pre-order it today at BestBuy. A 512GB storage model is also available for $1,249.

The base model includes a seven-core GPU and 256GB of storage, as well as 8GB of memory. Models with an eight-core GPU and 512GB of storage start at $1,249 with 8GB of memory. The maxed-out configuration with 16GB of memory and 2TB of storage comes in at a whopping $2,049.

The new MacBook Pro

The new MacBook Pro comes in a 13-inch size and starts at $1,299. It replaces the previous entry-level MacBook Pro model, although the high-end model, with four Thunderbolt ports, will still be sold as a separate model. An extra 256GB of storage will bump up the price to $1,499.

The new MacBook Pro will feature Apple’s new M1 chip, which the company says features the “world’s fastest CPU core,” the fastest integrated graphics, and big power-to-performance gains compared to the Intel chips it had used in previous generations. It’ll also launch with macOS 11 which Apple dubbed Big Sur, which Apple says it designed especially to take advantage of their new, shiny hardware. Big Sur will be the 17th major release of Mac OS.

Beyond the new M1 chip, there are several configuration options available. You can get either 8GB or 16GB RAM, and either 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB of SSD storage.

Marathon runners

Battery life is one of the things that separate laptops from desktops. The point of having a portable workstation is the ability to use it away from the wall. With the new M1 chips, Apple claims a battery life of the new MacBook Pro at up to 17 hours (15 for the Air) of web browsing and 20 hours (18 hours for the Air) of video playback. Apple says that’s 10 hours longer than before and the longest battery life ever offered on a Mac and, more importantly, way longer than what you would see on conventional laptops. This is a huge leap in battery performance and we're excited about what Apple will do to improve upon this even further in its future releases.

What's Next?

Apple said that it's working on a range of MacBooks with 5G cellular connectivity, which could launch as early as 2020, although we aren't that confident since there's barely 2 months left in the year. However, the possibility of a 5G-capable line of MacBooks is definitely something to be excited about.

Future 5G dreams behind, the current lineup that we do have is very impressive. Power users and creatives alike will appreciate the increase in processing power while also increasing battery life. Apple didn't seem to do too much to change its tried-and-tested MacBook design. However, a few little changes like the keyboard mechanism design are appreciated.