Top Stories: Apple Event Delivers MacBook Pro and iMac Updates

Shipping soon! Looking forward to OBJECTIVE reviews & insights so we can find out what we really have in them: good and bad. To date, all information has been from Apple, Apple Marketing and "influencer friends of Apple marketing." Soon, we can hear from people without any financial motivation to sell every possible unit. I look forward to clarity.

so disappointed we're stuck at 24" with the iMac. where's the 27"?!

The 27” iMac was a stopgap in the 2010’s between the underpowered Intel Mac Mini and the Mac Pro that rapidly was priced beyond most consumers. Apple is quite clearly repositioning the iMac back to its origins as a simple family computer. The M2 Pro Mini and Studio Display now occupy the spot the 27” iMac did (and is a better value in the long run as you don’t need to dispose of a perfectly good display between computer upgrades).

AFAICT, nobody mentioned the advertisement that AAPL made for the Touch Bar. Now that the Touch Bar is gone, can we watch the William Tell commercial one last time? Thanks!

Apple's "Scary Fast" event this week went off about as expected, with Apple showing off its next-generation Mac chips in a couple of product lines during a fast-paced 30-minute presentation.



Our biggest stories this week unsurprisingly delved into Apple's announcements including some early tidbits on the updated MacBook Pro and iMac, a goodbye to the Touch Bar, and more, so read on below for all the details!

Everything Apple Announced During the 'Scary Fast' Event

Trick or treat! Apple this week held its "Scary Fast" event ('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/10/30/everything-apple-announced-october-2023-event/'), focused entirely on the Mac. During the brief presentation, Apple announced new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips, and an updated iMac with the M3 chip.



We've recapped everything that Apple announced during the event ('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/10/30/everything-apple-announced-october-2023-event/') for those who missed it or want to learn more.

Apple Announces New 14-Inch and 16-Inch MacBook Pro Models With M3 Series Chips

The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are equipped with M3 Pro and M3 Max chips ('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/10/30/apple-announces-m3-macbook-pros/'), and there is now an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro available with the standard M3 chip as well.



The new MacBook Pro models are available in a Space Black finish ('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/10/31/space-black-macbook-pro-hands-on-videos/') when configured with the M3 Pro or M3 Max chip, and they are equipped with 20% brighter displays ('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/10/30/new-macbook-pros-20-percent-brighter-displays/') compared to the previous generation.

The new MacBook Pro models are available to order now, and most configurations will launch on Tuesday, November 7.

Apple Announces New iMac With M3 Chip

Apple updated the 24-inch iMac with the M3 chip ('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/10/30/apple-announces-imac-with-m3-chip/') for up to 35% faster performance compared to the previous model with the M1 chip.



The all-in-one desktop computer features the same design and color options as the 2021 model. There are only a few other changes with the new iMac, including Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support ('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/10/30/imac-max-memory-wi-fi-6e/').

Contrary to rumors, the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad accessories still have Lightning instead of USB-C ('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/10/30/magic-accessories-still-feature-lightning/').

Apple Discontinues 13-Inch MacBook Pro With Touch Bar

Apple discontinued the 13-inch MacBook Pro following the event ('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/10/30/apple-discontinues-13-inch-macbook-pro/'), meaning that the Touch Bar has now been completely phased out ('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/10/31/touch-bar-discontinued/') after seven years.



The first MacBook Pro models with the Touch Bar were released in October 2016, as part of a controversial redesign that also included a defective butterfly keyboard and the removal of many connectivity options, including an SD card slot, HDMI port, and MagSafe.

First Benchmark Results Surface for M3 Chip in New Macs

The first benchmark results for the standard M3 chip ('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/11/01/m3-chip-benchmark-results/') and the high-end M3 Max chip ('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/11/01/m3-max-chip-benchmark-results/') surfaced in the Geekbench 6 database after Apple's event, providing a closer look at CPU performance improvements.



The results show the M3 chip is around 20% faster than the M2 chip, while the M3 Max chip is around as fast as the M2 Ultra chip ('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/11/01/m3-max-chip-benchmark-results/') that debuted in the Mac Pro and Mac Studio desktop computers earlier this year.

2023 MacBook Pro Buyer's Guide: 20+ Differences Compared

Are you considering purchasing one of the new 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro models? If so, make sure to check out our in-depth 2023 MacBook Pro buyer's guide ('https://www.macrumors.com/guide/macbook-pro-upgraders-buyers-guide/') that compares over 20 features and differences between MacBook Pro generations.



We also shared a buyer's guide comparing the new iMac with the M3 chip to the 2021 model with the M1 chip ('https://www.macrumors.com/guide/m1-vs-m3-imac/') for those who are interested in that computer.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories ('https://mailchi.mp/macrumors/nov-2-2023') like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter ('http://eepurl.com/OHdUX')!

Article Link: Top Stories: Apple Event Delivers MacBook Pro and iMac Updates ('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/11/04/top-stories-scary-fast-event-recap/')

so disappointed we're stuck at 24" with the iMac. where's the 27"?!

Did this even need to be an event? This was normally a press release. Underwhelming iMac upgrade too.

Are they lighting the world on fire with display sales? Considering the difference between the display and the 27 iMac and one will be completely underwhelmed.

The 24 iMac is actually 23.5 so we are talking about a more than a 15% decrease compared to the 27 iMac. Even in the scary event they tried to zoom into the 23.5 iMac to make the appearance that’s it’s huge, it’s clearly not.

I will gladly pay for a 27+ iMac, I have no intention at all to get the studio display which in all honestly is underwhelming for its price, and beyond disappointing compared to the 27 iMac display.

I agree. A 30” iMac would be great. And the 27” Cinema Display should be $999 at the very VERY most.
Samsung has a 32” 4k display that looks very much like the Cinema Display and does so much more. And it sells for $450.00 on sale.
Apple has it severely overpriced.
I would pay $1599 for a base M3 base larger iMac. I really feel like apple is out of touch with its whole pricing objectives.
Apples advancements over other chips manufactures as slowly vanishing. We’re going to have Hackintosh’s with apple silicon macOS flavors within the next few years.

Continuing to price things as high as they are is just going to continue the current sales slump.