2024-11-02 15:00:00
After a turbulent month of September with launches of new products and operating systems, anyone who thought that October it would be different.
As usual, Apple has some surprises in store to make the month of Halloween a little more exciting.
Therefore, it is only fair that we highlight again what were the most important news of the past month.
New iPad mini
Well, let’s go in chronological order. Apple began its series of launches for the month of October with the announcement of a new generation of iPad mini.
Apple’s smallest tablet has not been updated since 2021, and continues with the same compact design and 8.3-inch screen, but is now equipped with the chip A17 Progained support from Apple Intelligence and support for Apple Pencil Pro.
The new processor, which was also present in the iPhones 15 Pro/15 Pro Max, has a 6-core CPU — 2 for performance and 4 for efficiency and a Neural Engine 16 cores. The difference is in the GPU — which, with just 5 cores, has one less than in iPhones.
In addition to small changes in terms of camera and connectivity, there are not many other new features on the device. We have a 2x faster USB-C port and double the base storage, now starting at 128GB. To check out all the new features of the device in greater detail, it’s worth checking out this article.
The new iPad mini is available in colors stellar, space gray, purple e azul, from R$6.000 not Brazil — or R$5,399.10 in cash, with a 10% discount. In the USA, he leave for at least US$500 and in Portugal, from 620€.
New operating systems
Disclosure/Apple
Apple has saved a series of news for the last week of the month, starting with the release of the long-awaited updates to its operating systems. The iOS 18.1o iPadOS 18.1o macOS Sequoia 15.1o watchOS 11.1o visionOS 2.1 and the tvOS 18.1.
The biggest highlight of these updates is, as expected, the availability of the first features of the Apple Intelligence. Among them are text writing tools, the new Siri interface (which allows you to type for the assistant, now more proactive), the ability to summarize important notifications and some app updates.
Among other improvements, now when connected to a device running iOS 18.1 or iPadOS 18.1, AirPods Pro 2 can be used as hearing aidamplifying voices and sounds around you, as well as personalized hearing tests and a hearing protection feature. These resources, unfortunately, are not yet available in Brazil…
Among all the operating systems blessed with new features, it would be difficult to list them all here. Therefore, if you are curious, it is worth reading this more detailed article about them.
New 24-inch iMac
Disclosure/Apple
As promised, Apple began the last week of October with a press release announcing the launch of a new version of 24-inch iMac. This time, it comes equipped with the processor M4which was introduced in the latest generation of the iPad Pro at the beginning of the year.
This updated processor promises some improvements compared to the last generations of the all-in-one of Apple. He is 2,1x faster than the iMac with M1 and, with the option of a 10-core GPU, it could be 1.7x faster. Additionally, the iMac finally now comes with 16GB of unified memory in the initial factory configuration.
Apple did not invest in sudden changes in this new generation, maintaining the same 24″ screen and the same ultra-thin design. In addition to slightly changed color options, Apple has added a webcam that supports the feature Center Stage (Central Stage)an anti-reflective screen option (nano-texture) and finally, Apple’s all-in-one Mac comes with USB-C peripherals instead of Lightning.
Options for 24GB or up to 32GB of unified memory are also available if you still need more. Storage options start at 256GB and go up to 512GB, 1TB or even 2TB.
The new all-in-one da Maçã is already on pre-sale, hitting the market from November 8th. In Brazil, prices will depart from R$15.500while it costs from US$1.300 us United States and of 1.530€ in Portugal.
New Mac mini
Disclosure/Apple
Continuing its week of launches related to the Mac, last Tuesday Apple presented a brand new generation of Mac mini. This time, it has been lavish with a complete restyling, something that hasn’t been seen for over ten years for Maçã’s line of ultra-compact computers.
Right away, you can see that the new Mac mini takes a lot of inspiration from the Mac Studio design, but with much more compact components squeezed into a box measuring around 12x12cm (less than half the previous generation) and only 5cm high. In fact, the size of the new desktop more closely resembles that of an Apple TV!
In terms of processor, the new Mac mini is available in versions with the chip M4 e M4 Pro. While the M4 model has up to 10 CPU cores (6 efficiency and up to 4 performance) and up to 10 GPU cores, the M4 Pro is equipped with a CPU with up to 14 cores (10 efficiency and 4 performance) and a GPU with up to 20 cores. In theory, the results are a chip up to 1.8x more powerful in terms of CPU and 2.2x in terms of GPU.
The M4 model comes with a minimum of 16GB of unified memory, while the M4 Pro starts at 24GB, and can also be equipped with up to 64GB — and this with 273GB/s of memory bandwidth.
In terms of connectivity, both versions have five Thunderbolt/USB-C ports (including two of them on the front). At the back, the M4 model has three Thunderbolt 4 ports, while the M4 Pro model has, for the first time, ports Thunderbolt 5 — which promise transfers of up to 120Gbps.
Disclosure/Apple
The new generation also said goodbye to its USB-A ports, but it maintains the 3.5mm output, an HDMI port for connecting monitors and a Gigabit Ethernet. For a more detailed comparison of the new Mac mini with the previous generation, it’s worth reading this article.
The new Mac mini is also now on pre-sale and will start arriving in stores on November 8th. Prices are high: in Brazil, the model with the M4 chip will leave from R$7.500while with the M4 Pro it may be acquired for the trifle of R$17.000. In the USA, they leave for US$600 e US$1.400respectively; in Portugal, by 730€ e 1.680€.
New MacBook Pro
Disclosure/Apple
To end this busy week of launches, Apple announced an update to MacBooks Pro — from now on, equipped with the M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, which offer greater performance and memory customization options.
While the M4 processor (also present in the new iMac and Mac mini) offers up to 10 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores, the M4 Pro and M4 Max have more powerful configurations, reaching 16 CPU cores and 40 GPU cores. Therefore, in addition to bringing greater processing power, the new chips promise to achieve up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge — the longest battery life on a Mac to date.
Disclosure/Apple
In terms of unified memory and storage, the base model now also starts from 16GBand can be configured with 24GB or 32GB. The model with M4 Pro starts at 24GB and has a 48GB option. The model with the M4 Max chip, in turn, can reach up to 128GB of unified memory. Storage options are 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB and 8TB (exclusive to models with the M4 Max chip).
The design of the new machines was maintained, with only the addition of a third Thunderbolt 4 port in the entry-level models and protocol support Thunderbolt 5 on models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.
Moving on to screen and audio, the Liquid Retina XDR display on the new MacBooks Pro continues to support ProMotion, but now reaches a brightness of up to 1,000 in normal and SDR situations — reaching 1,600 nits for playing HDR content. Furthermore, also for the first time the glass option nano-textureto reduce reflections.
Just like the new iMac, these Macs also gain support for the feature Center Stage (Central Stage)thanks to a new 12MP camera, accompanied by “studio quality” microphones and six speakers with Spatial Audio support.
Available in colors silver e space-black (now also present in the entry-level model), the new MacBooks Pro are now on pre-sale. In Brazil, they will cost from R$20.000; in Portugal, start in 1.950€; already in the USA, depart from US$1.600.
MacBooks Air com 16GB
To close with a flourish, it is worth mentioning that Apple finally decided to update an important part of its MacBooks Air with processors M2 e M3. Previously available in initial versions with 8GB of unified memory, now both machines start with 16GB of memory from the factory.
This “act of generosity” did not result in any price changes for the machines in the USA, where the model with the M2 chip continues to start at US$1.000. Once in Brazil, she took the opportunity to make a readjustment, of R$11,000 for R$12.500.
In any case, it’s high time for Apple to stop selling Macs with 8GB of memory, do you agree?
So, what was the release of the month that interested you most? In particular, I fell in love with the new Mac mini… and you? 
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Strong>, with the M4 model priced at R$20.000 and the M4 Pro starting at R$25.000. In the USA, pricing for the base models starts at US$1,600 and US$2,000, respectively. For customers in Portugal, prices begin at €1,890 for the M4 and €2,200 for the M4 Pro.
the new generation of Mac mini and MacBook Pro devices brings significant upgrades in processing power, memory configurations, and connectivity options, while maintaining Apple’s commitment to aesthetics and performance. With their impressive specifications, these devices are geared towards professionals and creatives who demand more from their computing experience.
