Archive for March 3, 2026

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

MacBook Pro 2026

Apple (Hacker News, TidBITS, MacRumors, ArsTechnica):

Apple today announced the latest 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with the all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max, bringing game-changing performance and AI capabilities to the world’s best pro laptop.

[…]

The new MacBook Pro includes N1, an Apple-designed wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, bringing improved performance and reliability to wireless connections. It also offers up to 24 hours of battery life; a gorgeous Liquid Retina XDR display with a nano-texture option; a wide array of connectivity[…]

[…]

The new MacBook Pro delivers up to 2x faster read/write performance compared to the previous generation, reaching speeds of up to 14.5GB/s and accelerating workflows for professionals working across 4K and 8K video projects, LLMs, and complex datasets. MacBook Pro with M5 Pro now comes standard with 1TB of storage, while MacBook Pro with M5 Max now comes standard with 2TB. And the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 now comes standard with 1TB of storage.

Seems like a great incremental update.

Juli Clover:

The starting price of the M5 MacBook Pro was $1,599, but now it starts at $1,699 because of the updated storage. While the starting price has gone up, the price for SSD upgrades has technically shifted down.

[…]

Upgrading to 2TB from the base starting storage used to be $600, but now the 2TB upgrade is $400. The 4TB upgrade is $1,000, $200 less than the $1,200 that it used to cost.

John Gruber:

The MacBook Pro Tech Specs page is a good place to start to compare the entire M5 MacBook Pro lineup.

I wish Apple would have permalinks for these pages so that I could link to content that wouldn’t be different next year.

Also worth noting — Apple’s RAM pricing remains unchanged, despite the spike in memory prices industry-wide.

It’s the least they could do given the huge margins in the past.

Last year you needed buy one with the high-end M4 Max chip to get 64 GB; now you can configure a MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro with 64 GB.

Previously:

Update (2026-03-04): Mr. Macintosh:

Looks like Apple updated the keyboard on the new M5 16‑inch MacBook Pro. The Backspace, Return, Shift, and Tab labels are gone, replaced with symbols instead.

Kyle Hughes:

I think the M5 Macs are likely the last ones built on procurement agreements pre-memory-and-storage-shortage. I predict that shortage will not end in the next few years and will affect all parts of the consumer computer economy because I predict that the marginal return on silicon in data centers will increase exponentially with the scaling of AI. I predict this will dramatically drive up the cost of products for consumers or dramatically drive down their supply.

Apple Hardware Announcement Apple M5 Max Apple M5 Pro Mac MacBook Pro macOS Tahoe 26 Storage

7 Comments

MacBook Air 2026

Apple (Hacker News, TidBITS, MacRumors):

Apple today announced the new MacBook Air with M5, bringing exceptional performance and expanded AI capabilities to the world’s most popular laptop. M5 features a faster CPU and next-generation GPU with a Neural Accelerator in each core, enabling MacBook Air to power through a variety of workflows, from creative projects to complex AI tasks. MacBook Air now comes standard with double the starting storage at 512GB with faster SSD technology, and is configurable up to 4TB, so customers can keep their most important work on hand. Apple’s N1 wireless chip delivers Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 for seamless connectivity on the go.

This looks really good. There are still two Thunderbolt ports, plus MagSafe, and a 32 GB RAM ceiling. The RAM pricing is confusing. The base model with the 8-core GPU is $1,099 with 16 GB of RAM, and you can’t upgrade its memory. For $1,199, you can get the model with 10 GPU cores, and then it makes available a $400 option to upgrade to 32 GB of RAM, but clicking on that shows a total of $1,499 rather than $1,599.

Previously:

Update (2026-03-04): John Gruber:

Base storage went from 256 to 512 GB, but the base price went from the magic $999 to $1,100[…] Presumably, those in the market for a $999 MacBook will buy the new […] lower-priced MacBook “Neo”[…]

Previously:

MacBook Neo

Apple Hardware Announcement Apple M5 Mac MacBook Air macOS Tahoe 26 Storage

3 Comments

Apple M5 Pro and M5 Max

Apple (Hacker News, MacRumors):

The chips are built using a new Apple-designed Fusion Architecture. This innovative design combines two dies into a single system on a chip (SoC), which includes a powerful CPU, scalable GPU, Media Engine, unified memory controller, Neural Engine, and Thunderbolt 5 capabilities. M5 Pro and M5 Max feature a new 18-core CPU architecture. It includes six of the highest-performing core design, now called super cores, that are the world’s fastest CPU core. Alongside these cores are 12 all-new performance cores, optimized for power-efficient, multithreaded workloads. Collectively, the CPU significantly boosts performance by up to 30 percent for pro workloads. The GPU scales up the next-generation architecture introduced in M5 to an up-to-40-core GPU. With a Neural Accelerator in each GPU core and higher unified memory bandwidth, M5 Pro and M5 Max are over 4x the peak GPU compute for AI compared to the previous generation.

Looking backward, the naming is confusing in that the “super” cores are the same as the M5 performance cores. They could have instead kept the “performance” and “efficiency” names and given the new type of core a new name. It’s not obvious what would could be, though. Looking forward, the naming does seem to accurately convey that the new “performance” cores are in the middle and closer to “super” than to “efficiency”.

Here’s a summary of the cores situation:

	Regular	Pro	Max
M1	4p/4e	8p/2e	8p/2e
M2	4p/4e	8p/4e	8p/4e
M3	4p/4e	6p/6e	12p/4e
M4	4p/6e	10p/4e	12p/4e
M5	4s/6e	6s/12p	6s/12p

I’m pleased that I can get the maximum number of CPU cores and 64 GB of RAM without having to go Max.

Andrew Cunningham:

Apple’s approach here is different—for example, the M5 Pro is not just a pair of M5 chips welded together. Rather, Apple has one chiplet handling the CPU and most of the I/O, and a second one that’s mainly for graphics, both built on the same 3nm TSMC manufacturing process. The first silicon die is always the same, whether you get an M5 Pro or M5 Max.

[…]

And now, in the middle, we have a new type of “performance core” used exclusively in the M5 Pro and M5 Max.

These are, in fact, a new, third type of CPU core design, distinct from both the super cores and the M5’s efficiency cores. They apparently use designs similar to the super cores but prioritize multi-threaded performance rather than fast single-core performance. Apple’s approach with the new performance cores sounds similar to the one AMD uses in its laptop silicon: it has larger Zen 4 and Zen 5 CPU cores, optimized for peak clock speeds and higher power usage, and smaller Zen 4c and Zen 5c cores that support the same capabilities but run slower and are optimized to use less die space.

Jesper:

“Maxing out at over 614 GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, the M5 Max SoC architecture is more efficient than ever at calculating specular highlights on user interface componentry that needn’t be translucent,” notes Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Technologies.

Previously:

Update (2026-03-04): John Gruber:

Another way to think about it is that there are regular efficiency cores in the plain M5, and new higher-performing efficiency cores called “performance” in the M5 Pro and M5 Max. The problem is that the old M1–M4 names were clear — one CPU core type was fast but optimized for efficiency so they called it “efficiency”, and the other core type was efficient but optimized for performance so they called it “performance”. Now, the new “performance” core types are the optimized-for-efficiency CPU cores in the Pro and Max chips, and despite their name, they’re not the most performant cores.

Thomas P. Moonis:

This affects Apple in other ways, too. The “Air” isn’t the lightest or thinnest iPad or MacBook (starting tomorrow, in the latter case, but also true from 2015-2019 when the plain MacBook existed). The M(n) Max chips are not the maximum-performance chips in the lineup.

Jason Snell:

Here’s the backstory: With every new generation of Apple’s Mac-series processors, I’ve gotten the impression from Apple execs that they’ve been a little frustrated with the perception that their “lesser” efficiency cores were weak sauce. I’ve lost count of the number of briefings and conversations I’ve had where they’ve had to go out of their way to point out that, actually, the lesser cores on an M-series chip are quite fast on their own, in addition to being very good at saving power!

Om Malik:

M5 is different. It is the first proof that the original M1 idea is durable enough to survive a fundamental change in how the chips are built today and in the future. The capabilities of the new design reflect that.

For example, while the core counts didn’t change, Apple put a Neural Accelerator inside every GPU core. M5 Pro still has 20 GPU cores. M5 Max still has 40. Same as M4. But each core now does double duty. That is how Apple claims 4x the AI compute without adding more silicon. The GPU is becoming an AI processor that sometimes does graphics.

[…]

Once you’ve proven you can split the chip and keep unified memory working across the pieces, the question changes. It is no longer “how big can we make this chip?” It is “how many pieces can we connect, and in how many dimensions?”

Update (2026-03-06): Joe Rossignol:

In this unconfirmed result, the M5 Max with an 18-core CPU achieved a score of 29,233 for multi-core CPU performance, which tops the 27,726 score achieved by the Mac Studio's M3 Ultra chip with a 32-core CPU. M5 Max is now the fastest Apple silicon chip ever, and it even topped every other consumer PC processor in the Geekbench database.

Apple Hardware Announcement Apple M5 Max Apple M5 Pro Mac Processors

2 Comments

Studio Display and Studio Display XDR

Apple (Hacker News, Reddit, MacRumors):

The new Studio Display features a 12MP Center Stage camera, now with improved image quality and support for Desk View; a studio-quality three-microphone array; and an immersive six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio. It also now includes powerful Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, providing more downstream connectivity for high-speed accessories or daisy-chaining displays. The all-new Studio Display XDR takes the pro display experience to the next level. Its 27-inch 5K Retina XDR display features an advanced mini-LED backlight with over 2,000 local dimming zones, up to 1000 nits of SDR brightness, and 2000 nits of peak HDR brightness, in addition to a wider color gamut, so content jumps off the screen with breathtaking contrast, vibrancy, and accuracy. With its 120Hz refresh rate, Studio Display XDR is even more responsive to content in motion, and Adaptive Sync dynamically adjusts frame rates for content like video playback or graphically intense games. Studio Display XDR offers the same advanced camera and audio system as Studio Display, as well as Thunderbolt 5 connectivity to simplify pro workflow setups. The new Studio Display with a tilt-adjustable stand starts at $1,599, and Studio Display XDR with a tilt- and height-adjustable stand starts at $3,299. Both are available in standard or nano-texture glass options[…]

The old, terrible camera was also 12MP. I’d rather have an iPhone rear camera and no Center Stage. It seems like the display panel is the same, as are the limited number of ports and the price. I wonder whether it still has an A13 and no power button.

The price premium for 5K Retina displays remains surprising. A 1× Dell 27-inch display is $189.99, a 4K one is $239.99, and you don’t have to pay extra to get matte.

Matt Birchler:

I’m incredibly disappointed. I continue to think the Studio Display is for people who care about everything in a computer monitor besides the display itself.

[…]

There are people who really value physical design, and that’s fine, but if you want a great monitor that looks better than this (yes, even at 5K), there are other options, all of which cost a good deal less.

[…]

Compared to the $6,000 Pro Display XDR Apple was selling before, [the Studio Display XDR is] a steal at $3,300. And truthfully, it looks like a great monitor. 5K 120Hz mini-LED with 2,304 local dimming zones is undeniably a compelling combo.

[…]

I think what bums me out about Apple’s display lineup is that they are only serving the absolute highest end of the market, they have no truly “consumer” displays.

Dan Moren:

By default, the Studio Display still comes with a tilt-adjustable stand, though there are options for both a height-adjustable stand or a VESA mount. The Studio Display XDR gets the height-adjustable stand by default, and can also be configured with a VESA mount.

Juli Clover:

According to Apple’s list of compatible Macs, neither model will work with an Intel-based Mac.

Juli Clover:

According to Apple, Macs that have an M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2, or M3 will only support the Studio Display XDR at 60Hz.

Tim Hardwick:

Apple today discontinued its Pro Display XDR, following the introduction of a new 27-inch Studio Display XDR monitor.

Wade Tregaskis:

All in all… meh.

28% fewer pixels for 34% fewer dollars – so technically better value, if you don’t really care about screen real-estate. But that extra real estate is really valuable, and Apple have now apparently ceded the large display market to… well, mostly the tumbleweeds. Sure, there’s technically other 6k displays, like the LG, the Dell, or the Asus, but while they have some advantages – less than half the price, most notably – they have real big disadvantages – like low brightness and poor contrast ratios.

[…]

I didn’t bother including the audio & camera aspects because I’m genuinely confused as to who, in the market for an expensive display, would care? If you’re doing photography there’s no sound anyway, and if you’re doing videography in this price range you should be using real speakers or headphones.

[…]

I’m also choosing to overlook the firmware, which I assume uses the same weird, bastardised, glitchy version of iOS as the prior Studio Display model.

Previously:

Update (2026-03-04): Simon:

The same $1599 base price for the same 5K panel they introduced all the way back in 2014. What a missed opportunity. And they still consider a proper adjustable stand just another source of extra income.

Jason Anthony Guy:

This update—which is mainly about Thunderbolt 5 and improved microphones and speakers—is underwhelming. Selling it for the same prices as the outgoing monitor is even more disappointing.

Mr. Macintosh:

User: The industry is moving towards larger displays
Apple: XDR 32" = dead
User: uh ok.. we also wanted a 27" 120hz Studio Display
Apple: ok. Studio Display XDR 27" for $3299
User: What? no that’s not...
Apple: enjoy

Adam Engst:

Few Pro Display XDR owners will likely switch to the Studio Display XDR. While it has some improved specs, it’s still significantly smaller—who’s going to give up a 32-inch 6K display for a 27-inch 5K display?

But on its own, the Studio Display is important. By bringing mini-LED technology, HDR support, and professional color accuracy to a 27-inch display at $3299, Apple has made these capabilities accessible to video editors, photographers, and designers who couldn’t justify the cost of the $5000 Pro Display XDR, particularly when coupled with the $1000 Pro Stand.

Mr. Macintosh:

If I plug the new Studio Display into my Tahoe supported Intel Mac, it’s just flat‑out not going to work?

[…]

All I’m asking for is base compatibility. 60 hertz, mic, camera & speakers.

Mr. Macintosh:

Apple display daisy‑chaining has returned after an almost 10 year hiatus!

You can now daisy‑chain up to four Studio Displays (& XDR) with the new MacBook Pro M5 Max.

John Gruber:

I guess it would be nice to see HDR content, but not nice enough to spend $3,600 to get one with nano-texture. And I don’t think I care about 120 Hz on my Mac?

Mike Piatek-Jimenez:

Just saw the Studio Display XDR. $3300 for a 5K 27” display? No thanks. The brightness, mini-LED pixels, and 120Hz are nice, but there are tons of other options with similar features for a third of the cost.

I bought the Pro Display XDR years ago. It was outrageously expensive, but at the time it was the only 6K display on the market (and had a 32” size to match). That extra resolution and size made it worth it to me. I’m kind of surprised that Apple is replacing it with a smaller model.

Colin Cornaby:

The new Studio Displau XDR price is so bonkers that I originally thought I was reading about a new 6k/32 inch display. There were comparable displays on announced at CES I’d expect to come in around the $1000 mark or less. Only things missing were the webcam and speakers.

I really wish they had kept the 6k/32 config and price dropped it.

Garrett Murray:

It’s 2026 and we’re back to Apple’s biggest display size being 27 inches. What a disappointment. I don’t understand why we’re permanently locked into the idea that 27 inches is the biggest a display needs to be.