What Apple DIDN’T tell us at their ‘Scary Fast’ Mac event?

LaptopMedia.com Highlights What Apple DIDN'T tell us at their 'Scary Fast' Mac event?

From: Simeon Nikolov 31 October 2023 / 14:26 | 0

Apple’s masterful reveal of new models is one of its strongest tactics. They always get the attention of enthusiasts, hooking them with events like the recent ‘Scary Fast’ showcase, where they unveiled the new 14/16-inch MacBook Pro and an updated 24-inch iMac. These are indeed great products, and you can read about their advantages and key features across all IT media platforms.

Yep, Apple’s marketing is insane. That’s why it’s harder to find what Apple MISSED telling us at their event, and what we expected but DIDN’T receive.

Specs and prices of all available Apple laptops:
https://laptopmedia.com/specs/

“…While the 14-inch MacBook Pro previously started at $1,999, it now starts at just $1,599!”

Sounds great, but you know that Apple doesn’t just offer such discounts, right? There’s always a catch. The previous generation included 16GB of RAM and the M2 Pro CPU. The base configuration of the new 14″ MacBook Pro comes with the basic M3 and just 8GB of RAM, which could significantly bottleneck those working on heavy projects. So, essentially, the base 14″ MacBook Pro is the successor to the now-discontinued 13″ MacBook Pro:

	MacBook Pro 13″ (2022)	MacBook Pro 14″ (Late 2023)
CPU	Apple M2	Apple M3
RAM	8GB	8GB
SSD	from 256GB	from 512GB
Price	$1299 (256GB SSD) $1499 (512GB SSD)	$1599

Another little money-making trick is that you’re now required to purchase a laptop with at least 512GB of storage. However, it’s worth noting that the new M3 MacBook Pro 14″ is expected to be about 25% faster than the M2 MacBook Pro 13″ in video editing, 9% faster in photo processing, and 21% faster in Excel.

And if you’re considering a configuration with a Pro/Max CPU, prepare for another surprise.

Less memory bandwidth, Fewer performance cores

There are two M3 Pro variants: an 11-core and a 12-core. Let’s start with the 11-core variant and compare it to its 10-core M2 Pro predecessor:

	M3 Pro (11-core)	M2 Pro (10-core)
Performance Cores	5	6
Efficiency Cores	6	4
GPU Cores	14	16
Neural Engine	16	16
Memory Bandwidth	150GB/s	200GB/s

While it has one more CPU core overall, this is actually due to the increase in efficiency cores from 4 to 6, meaning there’s one fewer performance core. Additionally, the number of GPU cores is reduced, and the memory bandwidth is 25% less.

Opting for the 12-core M3 Pro will add $200 to your bill. Let’s compare it to its predecessor:

Specification	M3 Pro (12-core)	M2 Pro (12-core)
Performance Cores	6	8
Efficiency Cores	6	4
GPU Cores	18	19
Neural Engine	16	16
Memory Bandwidth	150GB/s	200GB/s

Two performance cores have been swapped for two efficiency cores, and there’s one fewer GPU core along with reduced memory bandwidth.

However, it should be noted that the M3 CPU series comes with its own advantages, such as the Dynamic Caching memory allocation technology. Therefore, it’s advisable to wait until we can actually test the new chips before drawing any conclusions.

Notch Without a Cause: The Missing Face ID Sensor

Many users complain about the absence of a Face ID sensor, despite the presence of the controversial notch at the top of the screen. Face ID is not coming to laptops for various reasons but the most obvious one is that it’s part of the TrueDepth camera system, which consists of a front-facing camera, an infrared camera, a dot projector, a flood illuminator, and a proximity sensor. All of this cannot fit into a 0.12″ (3mm) thick laptop panel.

With that said, the absence of Face ID is understandable, but having a notch instead of a “pill-shaped island” is not.

No Multi-Monitor Support for M3

Professionals often need multiple displays, and if you do as well, bear in mind that you won’t be able to use them with the base MacBook Pro 14″. The M3 processor supports only one external display (6K@60Hz), and you have to opt for an M3 Pro or M3 Max configuration if you use multiple monitors. The M3 Pro supports two 6K@60Hz external monitors, while the M3 Max supports up to four.

One Less Thunderbolt 4 Port for M3

Again, if you need Thunderbolt ports on both sides of your laptop, you’ll have to choose an M3 Pro/Max configuration. Otherwise, you’ll miss the one on the right:

Super Cool Space Black Color…But Not for Everyone!

The new Space Black color is beautiful and super cool, and it’s something you might think Apple couldn’t charge extra for…Except they do. The new color is only available if you purchase a configuration with the M3 Pro or M3 Max. The more affordable $1,599 version is excluded from the cool kids’ club once again.