Apple is just fresh off their most recent launch of the new M1 Ultra chip in a very expensive Mac Studio. In their most recent launch event, they also released a certain display made for the studios at a much more affordable rate than their premium Pro Display XDR. They launched an MYR 6,999 monitor called the Studio Display with 5K resolution and three options for a stand and mount.
The monitor works exclusively with USB Type-C ports with one of them being a Thunderbolt 3 port that feeds the display feed from Mac devices. But the fact that it is a Thunderbolt supported device should also mean that any PC users can enjoy the clarity that is offered by a 5K display.
Apple says to MacRumors that PC users can use the Studio Display with little to no issues at all. Thunderbolt capability means that any PC with Thunderbolt and display capability on its USB Type-C port can output a display on the Studio Display. So far so good, anyone looking for a studio display with more than 4K resolution on tap. They did say that there are certain limitations though.
Despite the Apple A13 Bionic chip they are putting in the Studio Display, it does not do anything that a regular display does not. There are no smart elements to this display like Samsung’s Smart monitors for work. It only works when there is another Mac or PC connected to it. Except, a PC will not be able to take full advantage of what the display has to offer.
There is a native firmware that runs on the Studio Display. The firmware is what runs the webcam, its Centre Stage function, True Tone, Spatial Audio, or any other functions that might require a firmware to work with. All of those requires MacOS to run.
That also means that the only thing you are going to be using the Studio Display as just that, a display. Apple also said that the resolution will also depend on what system it connects too. That could also mean that you might not even get the 5K resolution that is promised by the display.
The 27-inch Apple Studio Display starts at MYR 6,999. There are three mounting and stand option for the new 5K resolution monitor. Its availability date in Malaysia has not been confirmed thus far, but an official pricing also means that it will be available not too long after the United States gets their share of the new Apple displays. More information on the Apple Studio Display can be found on their website.
No, Apple did not introduce two computing solutions in the Apple event today. They only introduced one computing solution. It is one Mac Studio, and a Studio Display. The Studio Display is just that, a display, not a computing device.
Apple Studio Display
Source: Apple
It might as well be though; it packs enough hardware in it to house Apple’s iOS or iPad OS. Yes, it packs Apple’s A13 bionic System on a Chip (SoC). It is a slightly older generation chipset, but still a capable one at that.
The chipset is not used to power an operating system within the display though. It is used to run centre stage capabilities on the built-in 12-Megapixel camera with ultra-wide lens. The powerful chip also allows the six-speakers built into the display to have Apple’s Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos for an immersive audio when you need it for entertainment.
The main highlight is the 27-inch 5K (5,120 by 2,880 pixels) IPS panel. They say it features 1 billion (10-bit) colours at a wide DCI-P3 colour gamut. This should mean that it features a highly accurate colour reproduction, a sort of requirement if you want to seat it in professional workflows. You can even configure it with something they call Nano-texture coating that acts as an anti-glare coating without the display losing its gloss and colour saturation.
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Like any good display there are plenty room for I/O expansions on the Stuido Display. Unfortunately, they are all USB Type-C ports. Besides the mandatory power cable for the 27-inch display, you only need on small USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3 capable cable to come out from the back to your Mac. It does not support HDMI or DisplayPort, which is rather sad. At the same time, the Thunderbolt port also outputs 96W to keep your MacBook charged when it is plugged it.
The way you work with the Studio Display can be very flexible too. There are three stand options for the Studio Display. You can choose to work with it with a very basic tilt-adjustable stand, a stand with tilt and height adjustment, or a simple VESA ready mounting behind the display.
Price and Availability
The Apple Studio Display will be available in the United States (US) from the 18th of March onward. It is available in a few configurations. There are not confirmed dates for its availability in Malaysia. We are guessing that it might come somewhere in April.
You can opt for a regular glass display without coating at MYR 6,999 or one with the anti-glare Nano-texture coated glass at MYR 8,299. There are three stand or mount configuration to choose from as well. Unfortunately, they do not seem interchangeable. You also want to add MYR 1,600 to the price tag if you want the stand with both tilt and height adjustments. More information on the Studio Display can be found on their website.
Apple Mac Studio with M1 Ultra
Source: Apple
There is no M2 here, not when they have not touched on the Mac Pro. We do not want to say that there is nothing ground-breaking here too, because it is an interesting solution to a problem that Apple created for themselves when they shifted to their own silicon platform for all their computing needs. At the same time, there is nothing too ground-breaking or too surprising on this new Mac Mini lookalike.
Let us get one thing straight though, it is not a Mac Mini. It just looks like one from certain angles. It is also taller than a Mac Mini with more vented ports. Where the Mac Mini stops at the M1 SoC, the Mac Studio starts from an M1 Max, not even an M1 Pro variant here. It is not even priced like a Mac Mini.
There is no need to introduce the M1 Max SoC. It is the same one that you can find on the MacBook Pro. The M1 Ultra though, needs a small introduction, but not that much, you will see our point. Like the M1 Pro and M1 Max, the M1 Ultra is based on the same architecture that the M1 is built upon. They just managed to make it larger than the M1 Max. The result is more processing cores, more GPU cores, more power consumption, and in theory, more power delivered for the MacOS it powers.
Source: Apple
Very much like the M1 Max and M1 Pro chipsets though, the M1 Ultra is not truly unique on its own. The only really interesting thing about it is that it is basically two Apple M1 Max SoCs glued together by a connecting bridge that Apple claims to be unique to Apple and no one else. You can hardly refute that claim though, you have never seen the likes of Intel and AMD gluing two of their chips together to make a single larger operating chip. You might see Qualcomm trying to follow suit with their future computing solutions, but we do not see that happening anytime soon.
The result is the M1 Ultra doubles its processing speed from the M1 Max allowing for up to more than triple the CPU performance and nearly five times more GPU performance (Apple claims). It doubles the memory bandwidth allowing for up to 128GB in unified memory, and we expect it to also double the power consumption. They did not specify that, but it makes sense.
Source: Apple
Double the power also means twice the heat to manage, which also means that the Mac Mini-esque Studio block gets proper cooling and ventilation to keep the M1 Ultra happy at pace. Thanks to all of that, the Mac Studio is capable of handling 18 simultaneous 8K ProRes video streams in one go for a smooth multi-camera workflow when you need it. Then again, Apple ProRes is Apple’s proprietary video format that should be optimised to Apple’s chipsets and use case. But 18 streams is, at the very least, properly impressive.
According to Apple, the Mac Studio is also capable of handling up to 5 displays. According to the presentation, the Mac Studio can work with up to four Pro Display XDRs and one 4K display. To afford that kind of set-up requires you to spend upward of MYR 100,000 though. The more sensible set up for an editing studio would be a two-monitor editing set-up and a 4K presentation display. If you are going to go all Apple on that, it is still about MYR 40,000 onward.
Still, we should not steal any limelight from the star of the show, the Mac Studio. It packs six Thunderbolt 4 capable USB Type-C ports (four at the back, two up front) and one HDMI port. As per their presentation, it supports up to five displays at the same time. For content creators, there is an SDXC card slot up front for a much more fluid workflow when you need it. Of course, if you work with CF Express cards, you still need a reader.
Price and Availability
You can buy the new Apple Mac Studio in two main configurations – M1 Max, or M1 Ultra. The M1 Max Mac Studio starts at MYR 8,799, which is the price of a decent gaming PC. The M1 Ultra variant of the Mac Studio starts at MYR 16,799, which can be more expensive than a high-end gaming PC. You can top out the Mac Studio with and M1 Ultra with 64-core GPU, 128GB in unified memory and 8TB in SSD storage. That will set you back MYR 32,799. If you really want to, you can add Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro into the package and pay nearly MYR 35,000 for on Mac Studio with M1 Ultra.
It will be available in the US from the 18th of March 2022. As per the Studio Display, there are no confirmed local (Malaysia) availability dates for the Mac Studio currently. We are guessing as well that it would hit the Malaysian shores somewhere in April or May. More information on the Apple Mac Studio can be found on their website.
When the Apple iPad Air first launched, we thought: “hmmm, this is a very interesting device”. We must admit too, we wanted one. It is the first Apple iPad that features a modern and generally accepted USB Type-C connectivity. It also brought the Apple iPad ecosystem, save for the iPad Pro, to the modern world with the most powerful Apple System on a Chip (SoC) at its time. The new A14 bionic matched the Apple iPad experience to the most modern Apple iPhone you can find at the time.
The M1 on Air
Source: Apple
Still, at its price, it became one of the most desirable Apple tablets you can find. It would be also our recommendation of you had money to spare for a tablet. To be fair, Apple’s tablet game has been unrivaled for quite some time now, why would the Apple iPad Air be any different with what it could offer, before the iPad Pro leapfrogged it with the M1 chip.
Now though, the Apple iPad Air for 2022 has become the most desirable Apple iPad again. It now packs the power of the M1 SoC, the same one you can find on a MacBook Pro and iPad Pro. That is not all they did to improve the Apple iPad.
Built for Video Calls
Source: Apple
You now get Centre Stage 12-Megapixel FaceTime HD camera. The previous iPad Air did not get this feature because the front camera is not wide enough for the feature. Out the back is a the regular 12-Megapixel camera that you get from before. Thanks to the new chipset, the Apple iPad Air also gets 5G connectivity out-of-the-box for a quick workflow anywhere, and anytime. Of course, you still could opt for a Wi-Fi only version. That is about it for the improvements on the Apple iPad Air though.
The display is still a 10.9-inch, like before. The 2,360 by 1,640 Liquid Retina display with wide colour gamut (DCI P3) is unchanged. There is no home button out front too, like the older device. The Touch ID enabled power button still sits in the same place and the same as before. The iPad OS 15 though, is an expected update.
Price and Availability
The Apple iPad Air for 2022 will be available in the United States starting from the 18th of March 2022 onward. There is no confirmed local (Malaysia) availability for it at this time, but we are guessing that it will be available later in March, or somewhere in April 2022. It will be available in Space Grey, Pink, Purple, Blue, and Starlight colour options. It is also available in only 64GB and 256GB configurations. Of course, you can choose between a Wi-Fi only or a 5G capable options. Prices start from MYR 2,699 and MYR 3,349 respectively. More information on the Apple iPad Air can be found on their website.
Apple’s event just happened, and there is a lot to talk about at the event. The event is also almost everything we expected it to be. Everything, except the new colours of the iPhone 13 series. You can now have them in Green. Samsung’s new S22 series in their green colour might have something to do with that. Then there is the Apple iPhone SE, now more powerful than ever.
Source: AppleSource: AppleSource: AppleSource: Apple
If you scroll through its micro site on Apple.com, the Apple iPhone SE opens with its price tag at MYR 2,099 (US$ 429) onward. Yes, it is the most affordable iPhone still, and it looks like the classic iPhone of old (iPhone 8), before they move into the new generation edge-to-edge display that you first see in the iPhone X.
The new iPhone SE is now powered by an A15 Bionic chip, the same one that powers the Apple iPhone 13 series. Hold on, that’s not right. This brings the iPhone SE ahead a few generations from the old one, at a price point much lower than the iPhone 13 flagships. It also brings 5G capability to the most affordable iPhone in their current range. We are not complaining.
More Of The Classic
Source: Apple
Of course, as Apple’s most affordable device, there are going to be a few compromises and differences over the iPhone 13. The most obvious difference being the display. It features a 4.7-inch IPS display that you probably recognise from the iPhone 8. You get a display just slightly over 720p at 1,334 by 750 pixels. Because the display is not that big, the ppi count is still at 326. It also features a wide P3 colour gamut, which is good. It is nothing like the Apple iPhone 13’s XDR display, but you are also paying a lot less.
Turn the IP67 chassis around and there is more tribute to the classic iPhone design of old. You are met with a 12-Megapixel camera. That is it, a traditional single camera jutting out of the top left corner of the device supported by a single LED flash. The good thing here is that you get the full processing power of A15 Bionic for your photos, and a simplified interface without the fuss of choosing your lenses. It is also capable of 4K video recording thanks to the System on a Chip (SoC). Out front is a rather regular 7-Megapixel camera, nothing much to shout about there.
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Yes, the home button is back. The iconic home button is also their traditional Touch ID sensor for biometric security. Unfortunately, that also means that there is no Apple Face ID here.
Bigger Battery Life
The biggest improvement on the Apple iPhone SE that makes them a popular choice is probably their battery life. The Apple iPhone SE of old offers a battery life that is even longer than the flagship devices. Given, the hardware from the iPhone SE requires less power than the flagship iPhones. You can charge the iPhone SE at 20W or even via a wireless charging pad. They claim that the iPhone SE can last up to 2 hours longer than the iPhone 8 in video playback. That is as specific as they get with the battery life though.
Price and Availability
The new Apple iPhone SE will be available for pre-order in Malaysia on 18th March 2022 onward in Malaysia and will ship 25th March 2022 onward. It is available in three colour choices – the traditional Midnight black, Starlight white, and (Product) RED. There are also three configurations available to you at 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. Prices start at MYR 2,099 and tops out at MYR 2,799. More information on the Apple iPhone 13 can be found on their website.
Rarely today you get a product that is leaps and bound from its previous generation product that it would replace. Then again, there is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX, the new 12th Generation Intel Core Alder Lake processors, and even AMD’s Ryzen processors. Maybe a huge generational gap is not that unique after all. This DJI Mavic 3 though, is a special one.
The DJI Mavic 3 is meant to replace the DJI Mavic 2 series of drones. If you remember, the DJI Mavic 2 came in two flavours; the Pro and Zoom. The Pro variant comes with a Hasselblad engineered camera module while the Zoom variant comes with a camera module with optical zoom lens, you get the idea. The DJI Mavic 3 does not follow the same path with the Mavic 2 series though. Instead, DJI introduced one Mavic 3, and one Mavic 3 Cine edition.
An Aerial Video Powerhouse
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
The Mavic 3 series has more in common with the DJI Mavic 2 Pro than the Zoom variant. It packs a 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad engineered camera. The only traces of the Zoom variant is its 28x hybrid zoom capability.
The camera module, to be fair, is not that big of an improvement compared to the older Mavic 2 Pro to be fair. It records videos at up to 5.1K resolution at 50 fps. The biggest improvement is on its 4K resolution recording though. Now you can record 4K videos at 120fps for even better-looking slow-motion videos. This is where the Mavic 3 stops and where the Cine edition starts.
The Mavic 3 Cine edition is truly a special thing. It offers Apple ProRes 422 HQ encoding for even higher quality videos for post processing. It is not RAW, but it is the first integrated drone system that can record at ProRes 422 HQ format. Of course, if you choose to record at that format, ou are going to run out of storage space pretty quickly if you use a humble SDXC memory card. The Cine edition has a 1TB internal SSD storage for all your recording needs though.
Longer, Smarter Flights
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
To ensure that your Mavic 3 does not get tumbled around mid-air, it has even more sensors than before too. It now packs omnidirectional sensors that can detect objects up to 200 meters away just so that it knows where and when to stop or how to avoid the obstacle. It is the easiest full-sized Mavic to fly. It is even cleverer too. It can track a subject, lose it if it goes out of frame, and pick it back up as soon as the subject comes back into the frame with ActiveTrack 5.0. It can even follow the subject wherever it moves. Of course, it also comes with the array of other precision sensors to ensure that it knows where it is at any given time. With the help of GPS, GLONASS< and BeiDou satellites too, it knows where to return to when you call it home or when its battery is running out.
It boasts 15km of remote range with DJI O3+. Even with interference, you are not going to lose remote signal or even clear video signal from 15km away. DJI boasts that this drone can transmit 1080p Full HD/60fps live feed over that distance without loss or lag. Of course, you might not fly the DJI Mavic 3 to that full range, but it is nice to know it can. What is more impressive is that DJI managed to extend the battery life of the Mavic 3 to up to 46 minutes instead of the mere 30 minutes the previous versions used to boast.
Price and Availability
The DJI Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine edition is now available in Malaysia. You can get your hands on either from DJI’s authorised retailers across Malaysia or from DJI’s official stores on Shopee and Lazada. The DJI Mavic 3 starts at MYR 9,799, which is quite a little bit more expensive compared to the Mavic 2 Pro. The Mavic 3 Cine edition however starts at MYR 22,899. For that money you are getting the drone itself with a few extra ND filters, two extra Intelligent Flight batteries, a charging hub, and a special carrying bag. For more information on the DJI Mavic 3, you can visit their website.
It’s not every day you find an earphone with Apple’s H1 technology in it. The new Beats Fit Pro is one of the few that have adopted the technology. Of course, this comes as no surprise as Apple did purchase Beats back in 2014. The company has since continued its legacy of releasing audio accessories made for musicians.
Source: Beats by Dre
The Beats Fit Pro is the latest pair of earbuds joining the new Beats lineup. It’s made for anyone with an active lifestyle. The earbuds have a winged design that Beats claims will help the earbuds stay in your ears securely. They are designed to provide extra support and security “even through the most rigorous workouts”. According to Beats, the wingtips have been designed after doing research and development on “thousands of ears”. The end result is a “perfect combination of soft, pliable material around a rigid core for a comfortable and stable fit on any ear shape or size.” The new true wireless earbuds come with IPX4 certification for dust and water resistance.
It also comes with a new custom transducer which Beats claims will deliver robust sound even with its form factor. With Apple’s H1 chip at the core, the Beats Fit Pro comes with spatial audio compatibility. It’s able to support soundstages designed for 5.1, 7.1 and Dolby Atmos. It also comes with Active Noice Cancellation (ANC) which is enabled by two microphones. These microphones are continually measuring the ambient noise to ensure cancellation. In its press release, Beats claims that the technology in the Beats Fit Pro measures ambient noise up to 200 times per second.
Source: Beats by Dre
The Fit Pro comes with 6 hours of battery life with every charge. The casing gives it an additional 21 hours. It comes with a pocketable casing with USB-C for charging.
Pricing & Availability
The Beats Fit Pro is available for USD$199.99 (MYR827.01). You will be able to choose from four colours: Stone Purple, Sage Gray, White and Black.
Apple’s Silicon M1 chip has proven to be a popular choice for Apple fans. When it was introduced the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro line-up in 2020, the M1 counterpart managed to be cheaper than Apple’s Intel powered MacBook Pro. That could be a good explanation to its popularity. It was a lot more than that though.
The Apple M1 chip has proven itself to be a highly capable processor in both the MacBook and MacBook Pro. This year, Apple launched two more variants of the M1 chip, the M1 Pro and M1 Max. While Apple made the two M1 chips from 2021 sound like completely different processors, they are based on the same architecture and base design. They are still the same M1 chip, just a little oversized, hence more powerful.
2021 sees Apple starting to consider a complete M1 line-up though. They started with the MacBook Pro line-up of course. You will not be able to buy an Intel based MacBook Pro anymore officially starting from now. But the M1 transformation does not stop there. Earlier this year, Apple also introduced the new M1 powered Apple iMac. You still can buy an Intel powered version though, although at a smaller 21.5-inch size.
As of November 2021 though, you can only buy an iMac powered by Apple’s own M1 chip starting at 24-inch. To be fair though, the 21.5-inch Apple iMac is a little outdated for 2021 and beyond. For a little under MYR 5,000, you are getting an older generation Intel processor. Not just one or two generations older though, if you consider the 11th Generation Intel, the 21.5-inch iMac sports a four-generation old Intel processor.
That does no mean that you cannot get an Intel powered Apple iMac though, you still can. Your only choice is the 27-inch iMac that starts at MYR 7,999. You get a 10th generation Intel Core i5 with up to 8GB of memory and 256GB in storage. For graphics you get an AMD Radeon Pro 5300 GPU. You get a brilliant 5K display with that though. Considering that the M1 powered iMac starts at MYR 5,599 though, the 27-inch Intel powered alternative looks expensive.
With the launch of the M1 Max and M1 Pro chips, we are guessing that Apple will also start shifting directions with their high-end computing solutions like the 27-inch iMac. In that case, we might see Apple axing the Intel powered 27-inch Apple iMacs in the coming year. Would you still want an Intel powered iMac though?
In the day and age where laptops are becoming a staple in the world of content creation and professional work requirements, there are two camps. On one camp is the one that supports the PC, on the other, the side that glorifies the MacBook Pro. There are a lot of obvious bonuses with the PC market before this. Get that, before this.
Apple introduced their Apple Silicon product, the M1 chip last year in 2020 and it broke the internet. Well, not really, but it did become a headline. It is Apple’s first step in stepping away from chip manufacturers like Intel, and obviously, AMD as well. The M1 chip in the MacBook line-up, especially the MacBook Pro was a popular choice though. Content creators that rely on their MacBook Pro with M1 chips swore by the performance of the chip on their tools. They managed to make the M1 chip equipped MacBook Pro even cheaper than what they could offer with and Intel badge.
The no brainer decision buys you into a platform that is still being tested though. It was an experimental platform at best with many developers still trying to adapt their apps to run natively on the M1 chip. You sometimes forget that the M1 chip architecture is so completely different compared to other processor’s construction that apps have to work with different command lines and codes to run natively on the M1 Chip.
A year on, and there are enough apps that runs on the M1 architecture. There are more apps being added in. There are also the new kids on the block, perfect timing.
Apple M1 Max/Pro
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Before we move on, this is a deeper coverage on the MacBook Pro devices. We will be separately talk about the new M1 chips in detail in the coming days.
The new chiplets are supposed to be bigger than the original M1 chip from last year though. That also means that the new chips pack more CPU and GPU cores. The M1 Max packs 10 CPU cores and 32 GPU cores. The M1 Pro packs the same 10 cores on its CPU end but only makes do with 16 cores in its GPU module.
The integrated architecture allows the M1 Max’s GPU and CPU to have direct access and enjoy 64GB of integrated RAM. The M1 Pro will only come with up to 32GB of integrated memory. All of these leads to a huge performance leap from the original M1 from 2020.
The Apple MacBook Pro
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
The Apple MacBook Pro is now available in two sizes, the 16-inch and 14-inch models. Both comes with either the M1 Pro or the M1 Max options of course. Both laptops feature a Full HD 1080p FaceTime HD camera. You also see the MagSafe 3 charging port making a comeback for magnetically attached chargers on a MacBook Pro. To be fair, it was one of the best features on a MacBook.
The MacBook Pro also packs an advanced six-speaker system with dual subwoofers for an audio experience on a laptop like no other. When people say Apple does not listen to its customers, the Apple MacBook Pro for the 2021 market proves them wrong. The annoying Touch Bar is now gone and replaced with tactile keys from a full-height magic keyboard that we are more used to.
Of course, there needs to be a lot of ports on what Apple calls a “pro notebook”. You have three Thunderbolt 4 pots on the Apple MacBook Pro. Two of them are USB Type-C ports. You also have one HDMI port on the MacBook Pro. That allows you to connect to up to four displays at a time for a five-monitor set up, as long as you have the space. You still have an SDXC card reader on the MacBook Pro too. If you have the money and space, the MacBook Pro is your best workflow powerhouse in this case.
Source: Apple
You get Retina XDR Mini LED panels on both the 16-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pro. Of course, the MacBook Pro in 16-inch clad will feature more pixels than the 14-inch, Apple style. Both displays can project up to 10-billion colours (10-bit) on the panels though.
The added power of the new variants of the M1 chip allows the MacOS on the MacBook Pro to easily work with 4K ProRes videos or even 8K ProRes videos in Final Cut Pro with no hiccups. They say it is more powerful than the Mac Pro even with Afterburner. For the first time ever as well, users can colour grade in HDR on 8K ProRes 444 video formats, even on battery.
The Apple MacBook Pro is supposed to feature improved battery too. At 21 hours of video playback, the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch trumps any pro-level notebook PC that you can find the market, on paper at least. The 14-inch is quoted to have up to 17 hours of video playback time too. If that is not enough, you can charge the MacBook Pro via MagSafe 3 and fast charge it up to 50% in just 30 minutes.
Price and Availability
If you asked us a year ago about the MacBook Pro vs the PC laptops, we would have asked you to get the PC laptop. Right now, we are not so sure, we are tempted to get our hands on the M1 Max or M1 Pro versions of the MacBook Pro. If you are excited about it, you will be happy to know that the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inc and 14-inch will hit the shelves on the 26th of October 2021 onward. That is only the United States and selected countries though, so that is some bad news for some of us. The 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at US$ 1,999 (MYR 8,799*) while the 16-inch variant starts at US$ 2,499 (MYR 19,799*). There are no word on when the MacBook Pro will officially make its way to Malaysia, but we are guessing that it is pretty soon. More information on the MacBook Pro can be found on their website.
It does not really matter whether you like the Apple AirPods or not. It is, in its two generations, the best-selling Truly Wireless Earphones you can find in the market today. In its two generations too, there has not been much in terms of design changes. Until now of course.
The third generation Apple AirPods has just been unveiled in Apple’s event just last night (1 a.m. at +8GMT, Kuala Lumpur time), and it is the best AirPods you can buy today, second only to the AirPods Pro. The new earbuds feature a new design that is supposed to stay in your ears better now without needing a silicon tip. The changes are more than skin deep though.
The new AirPods feature Apple’s proven H1 chip for acoustic processing. Thanks to the H1 chip as well, Apple’s AirPods can now deliver Adaptive EQ with the new Apple AirPods. That also means that the AirPods ensures that users get the best aural experience with the AirPods no matter the fit.
The Dolby Atmos enabled AirPods now features Apple’s brilliant Spatial Audio technology too. That also means that you now get 3D virtual surround sound on Apple Music, Apple TV+, and other apps that supports Spatial Audio. Your audio experience is not just better, but it is now even more immersive and rich thanks to Spatial Audio.
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
At the same time, the Third Generation Apple AirPods can last even longer than before. It now offers 6 hours in listening time, more than enough for your gym sessions. Once you run out of juice, the case can charge the AirPods four more times for a total of 30 hours of music playback time. Of course, it offers wireless charging with MagSafe.
The Third Generation (3rd Generation) AirPods will be available in the United States and 26 other countries in the coming week. It will be available for US$ 179 (MYR 829*) on the 26th of October 2021 onward. There are no confirmations on whether or not Malaysia is included in the list of 26 countries. Considering that Malaysia got the iPhone 13 series quite fast this time round though, we might not have to wait all that long for the new Apple AirPods to arrive. More information on the Apple AirPods can be found on their website.
The Apple iPad has really come into its own in the world of content creation today. It has become one of the go to or must have tools in a remote production set up to quickly get at least photos edited and uploaded quickly. Adobe’s Photoshop app on the iPad is mostly the weapon of choice in that matter. Adobe’s Photoshop for iPad is one of the most powerful photo editing tools you can find on a mobile device, just short of laptops.
It has just become even more powerful though with the added ability to edit RAW files. This not only includes Apple’s ProRAW file format. You can even edit photos in DNG formats from other proper DSLR type cameras if need be.
While you might not see value in taking photos in RAW and editing them on your mobile device, there are good reasons why you want your photos taken and post edited in RAW. For one, RAW photos usually will take full advantage of your camera’s full dynamic capabilities. If you are using your smartphone to take RAW photos, you can even take advantage of its full sensor size. In terms of post editing, there are a lot more manipulation you can do with RAW photos, down to the granular details.
Now you have that ability to edit RAW photos on-the-go with the Apple iPad thanks to the Camera Raw ability on the Adobe Photoshop software. Camera Raw is a known plugin for Adobe’s suite to add RAW decoding capabilities. It gives even Adobe’s Lightroom the ability to open and edit RAW photos.
That also means you have a greater control over photos on your iPad. You can now turn your iPad into a professional photo editing station, and you do not even need a PC to work on your photos now. There is small caveat here though.
The new function is not actually available for current Apple iPad users. Adobe says that the function will be ‘coming soon’, whatever that means. They managed to showcase and tease the power of the Adobe Photoshop on an iPad with Camera Raw capabilities too on YouTube. This feature is also announced ahead of Adobe’s Max 2021 conference, so we may be able to expect the function to come to Apple iPad devices, especially the iPad Pro with m1 chips after the fact. For now, we can only wait.
