Biggest announcements from Apple’s March event, and why you should care

Apple has finally held its first event of 2022, in the form of a hardware event focused on a few new Mac models and even a new iPhone. The event perhaps isn’t quite as exciting for some as the annual iPhone event — especially given the fact that all of the new products were rumored before the event. But for those in the market for a new Mac or a new budget iPhone, Apple’s latest slate of devices could be extremely helpful.

Curious about how Apple’s new products could fit into your life? Or just want to keep up with Apple’s new announcements? Here’s everything the company announced at its March “Peek Performance” event.

M1 Ultra

Apple had one more chip up its sleeve in the M1 lineup — the M1 Ultra. The M1 Ultra is basically two M1 Max chips fused together using Apple’s so-called UltraFusion technology, which is built to connect chips without latency and worse power consumption. The M1 Ultra has 114 billion transistors, and supports up to 800GB/s memory bandwidth. And, it supports up to 128GB of RAM, which is absolutely massive.

Apple’s new Mac Studio

The much-loved Mac Mini is getting a bigger, more powerful cousin. The Mac Studio is Apple’s latest small-but-powerful desktop, offering Apple’s M1 Max chip, or as an upgrade, the new M1 Ultra chip. The new computer basically looks like a tall Mac Mini, with a few ports on the front, and even more ports on the back. In total, you’ll get six Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, an ethernet port, and an SD card slot.

The Mac Studio represents a much-needed evolution for Mac Mini-style computers. While this probably doesn’t represent the death of the Mac Mini, it does mean that users who want a desktop that’s more powerful, have an option. The Mac Studio isn’t cheap though — it starts at $1999 for the M1 Max model, or $3999 for the M1 Ultra model.

Of course, the Mac Studio isn’t the computer for most people. Most should still stick to a laptop for their day-to-day computing needs, or an iMac for those that want a desktop. But if you really want some added performance, then the Mac Studio may be an option for you.

Apple Studio Display

The Studio Display is Apple’s latest take on a display. The Studio Display offers a similar design to the latest iMac, with a tiltable stand that lets you adjust the display to your needs. It’s a 27-inch display, with a 5K resolution, and it supports Apple’s TrueTone technology. And, it has an anti-reflective coating, and an option for a nano-texture glass for even less glare.

The display actually has an Apple A13 Bionic chip built into it, which is there to better optimize video and audio, and it has a 12-megapixel camera with support for Center Stage. When it comes to speakers, you’ll get four woofers, and two high-performance tweeters for crisp highs. It even has three USB-C ports and a Thunderbolt port built right into it. The Studio Display, like the Mac Studio, isn’t cheap. it comes at $1599.

iPhone SE 3rd-Gen

The iPhone SE has proven itself as a great way to get an iPhone without having to pay the high price for a standard model. Apple has finally taken the wraps off of the 3rd-generation iPhone SE, which offers a similar design to the previous model, with a Home button and larger bezels, but adds powerful internals that bring it into 2022.

For example, the device has a new A15 Bionic processor that puts its performance on par with the iPhone 13 series. The device also gets 5G connectivity — so it supports the latest and greatest cellular networks. Storage options range between 64GB and 256GB, and the device is available in white, black, and red. The new iPhone SE comes at $429.

It’s nice that Apple is giving the iPhone SE a refresh, but it’s a little disappointing that the device is keeping the now ancient design. The rest of the industry has moved to edge-to-edge displays, even in the low-end, and Apple should have done the same. Still, the new iPhone SE does represent solid value for those who want to stick to the iOS ecosystem without paying $700 or more.

New 2022 iPad Air from Apple

The iPad Air got a spec-bump too. The new iPad Air keeps the same design as the previous-generation model, but adds Apple’s M1 chip that was already brought to the iPad Pro last year. According to Apple, the M1 performance will give the iPad Air up to a 60% performance boost. The new iPad Air also gets 5G support, for the cellular model.

The update likely won’t be enough for last-generation iPad Air users to upgrade, but it does make the Air an even better option than it already was. The iPad Air is considered to be the best iPad for most users who want a modern experience but don’t want to pay $800 for an iPad Pro. The iPad Air is available in 64GB and 256GB configurations and starts at $599.