by David Redmond

Nobody does events quite like Apple. Apple’s latest event was no exception. The production was awesome, the audio description was world-class, and the Halloween theme was brilliantly executed in the traditional fun Apple way with spooky music, silly catchphrases, and a moon shaped like an Apple Logo in the night sky.

The thing is though, as amazing as Apple events are, brilliant theming and production could save this one from just feeling a bit boring.

The event was scary fast in more ways than one, clocking in at just 30 minutes. It was all about the Mac for this event, so if you were one of those hoping for new iPads, AirPods Max with USB-C, or fancy colours for the standard HomePod, you’re going to be disappointed.

The event can be boiled down to just 3 updates really.

1. There are new chips for Mac, called M3, M3Pro’ and M3 max.
2. The MacBook Pro is getting an update, with the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 max available in both 14 and 16-inch laptop sizes.
3. The M3 is also coming to the iMac, providing faster speeds to the previous M1, but there are no signs of the M3 Pro or M3 Max in the IMac just yet.

To be honest that’s about it. Apple only had to fill 30 minutes, but even they had to resort to talking about phone calls on Mac which has been a thing for years.

The M3 claims 35% better speeds than M1, and 20% over M2. So if you’re looking to upgrade from an Intel machine then you can’t go too far wrong.

Sure these seem like cool upgrades, but unless you’re actively in the market for a MacBook Pro or iMac then there’s not a lot to be excited about. They didn’t even pop the M3 in an iPad Pro in this event, which is something I would have maybe considered.

Overall it was a short event, and even at that, they were looking for things to say. This could easily have been a press release in my view.

Not about announcements

There is one small thing that might justify this event. Maybe it had nothing to do with Mac at all. Maybe, just maybe, Tim Cook lied to us. He didn’t even say good morning so can we even be sure it’s really him? Who knows.

The only thing I can see that really justifies this event is that it was shot on an iPhone. This impressive achievement shows the true potential of the iPhone as a tool in professional video production. Apple made their point and they made it well. Serious productions can use iPhone.

I did see rumours and speculation that Apple held the event at night to show off the low-vision performance of the iPhone camera, but who really knows? All I do know is when the audio describer said at the end that this event was shot on iPhone and edited on Mac, even I was like wow.

It’s a shame that this was the only wow of the event, but there you go.

Conclusion

Maybe I’m being harsh. I’m not looking to buy a Mac, so maybe this event simply wasn’t for me. I still enjoyed it in a way, but I found myself more impressed by the production than the actual announcements. If you are looking for a new MacBook Pro or iMac I’m sure you won’t be disappointed, but did they need a dedicated event? Absolutely not.

Watch a Scary Fast Recap of Apple’s Event: