Perhaps the biggest news from the event was that the company is finally releasing a long anticipated revamp to its MacBook Pro line of high-performance laptops. The new line-up will feature 14- and 16-inch models with Apple’s proprietary M1 processors, and will (thankfully) also include HDMI output ports, headphone jacks, an SD card slot, and MagSafe chargers.
Despite the numerous bells and whistles, what seems to be the most noteworthy features of the MacBooks is the inclusion of the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. Both chips have benchmarked at significantly higher speed than previous M1 model Macbooks, but the M1 Max, touted as “the world’s most powerful chip for a pro notebook,” doubles the system’s GPU to up to 32 cores, and up to 64GB of fast unified memory with 400 GB of memory bandwidth.
Although the laptops have yet to be released to the public until October 26, Apple’s own tests boast significantly increased performance with video and VFX applications, including Maxon’s Cinema 4D with Redshift, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro.
“3D artists on the new MacBook Pro can now easily work with extreme geometry and textures in scenes that pro PC laptops can’t even run,” states Apple’s press release.
Both laptops will also feature MiniLED technology, with higher refresh rates and denser screens than previous models. The 14-inch and 16-inch models will start at $1999 and $2499 price points, respectively. They are currently available for preorder and are scheduled to begin shipping later this month.
While news of the increased performance of the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips is exciting for VFX professionals, the caveat remains that many versions of client software are not yet fully compatible with the hardware.
Wondering about whether or not to upgrade to Apple’s newest models of MacBook Pros? Nodal can help. Contact us today!