Quick Facts

Apple has announced the following product refreshes in their Mac and iPad lineup this week:

Mac Studio with M3 Ultra
Mac Studio with M4 Max
– The new Mac Studio is available to pre-order today (03/05/2025), with availability beginning March 12.

MacBook Air with M4
– The new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air are available to pre-order today (03/05/2025), with availability beginning Wednesday, March 12.

iPad Air with M3 and iPad with A16
– Customers can pre-order the new iPad Air with M3 and Magic Keyboard for iPad Air starting today (03/04/2025), with availability beginning Wednesday, March 12.

Introduction

Apple’s annual spring product refresh and releases have an arrived for the Mac Studio, MacBook Air, iPad Air, and iPad.

Over the last few years apple has released/refreshed the following products during the spring season:

2024:

• March 8, 2024
• MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)
• MacBook Air 15-inch (M3)

2023:

• March 4, 2023
• MacBook Air (13-inch, M2, 2023)

2022:

• March 18, 2022:
• Apple Studio Display
• iPad Air (5th generation)
• iPhone SE (3rd generation)

2021:

• April 30, 2021:
• AirTag
• May 21, 2021:
• Apple TV 4K (2nd generation)
• Siri Remote (2nd generation)
• iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)
• July 13, 2021:
• MagSafe Battery Pack

2020:

• March 18, 2020:
• iPad Pro (11-inch) (2nd generation)
• iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (4th generation)
• April 24, 2020:
• iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• May 4, 2020:
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)

Source: Wikipedia: List of Apple products

I have reviewed, summarized, and shared my initial impressions of this springs releases based on the extensive press releases and commentary available for each product. I plan to write follow up posts as official reviews of the products are published and as I help clients integrate them into their production environments. I also share my quick thoughts on which product could be your next purchase, should you be in the market for an upgrade in any of these product categories.

My Takes

It’s great to see Apple continue to update their current line of excellent Apple Silicon based Macs. There have been hardware update deserts in the past, especially for pro desktop users. I’m looking at your Mac Pro 2013 Trashcan, which was on sale with no hardware updates from December 2013 – December 2019 per Mactracker. Resulting in a mea culpa from Apple for pro users and hubris check for their leadership. I was back on windows using user upgradable audio PC’s during this time.

As benchmarks are released for these new units, I’m curious to learn which new Mac Studio model will have the faster single core score M3 Ultra or M4 Max? This is a key CPU performance stat that matters the most to Logic Pro users, as so many of its core features rely solely on ultra fast single core performance.

Next months macOS Sequoia update is also interesting as well.

“Next month, macOS Sequoia 15.4 will make it easier than ever to set up the new Mac Studio with iPhone. By simply bringing iPhone close to Mac, users can quickly and conveniently sign in to their Apple Account to get their files, photos, messages, passwords, and more on their new Mac Studio.”

I’m impressed Apple did not feel the pressure to raise the base prices of all of these machines due to the now in effect or not in effect tariff insanity. They did however raise prices of their cheapest iPhone, the new iPhone 16e, which I wrote about upon launch.

Mac STUDIO

M3 Ultra Quick Facts Per Apple

M3 Ultra is built using Apple’s innovative UltraFusion packaging architecture, which links two M3 Max dies over 10,000 high-speed connections that offer low latency and high bandwidth.

M3 Ultra is built for AI, including ML accelerators in the CPU, Apple’s most powerful GPU, the Neural Engine, and over 800GB/s of memory bandwidth. AI professionals can use Mac Studio with M3 Ultra to run large language models (LLMs) with over 600 billion parameters directly on device, making it the ultimate desktop for AI development.

The unified memory architecture of M3 Ultra integrates the most high-bandwidth, low-latency memory ever available in a personal computer. Starting at 96GB, it can be configured up to 512GB, or over half a terabyte. This outpaces the memory available in today’s most advanced workstation graphics cards, removing limitations for pro workloads that demand large amounts of graphics memory like 3D rendering, visual effects, and AI.

M3 Ultra brings Thunderbolt 5 to Mac Studio for up to 120 Gb/s data transfer speeds — more than double that of Thunderbolt 4. Each Thunderbolt 5 port is supported by its own custom-designed controller directly on the chip. This provides dedicated bandwidth for each port on Mac Studio, making it the industry’s most capable implementation of Thunderbolt 5.

My configuration choice for Composer/Music Producers looking to purchase an M3 Ultra equipped Mac Studio is as follows:

M4 Max Mac Studio Quick Facts Per Apple

The new Mac Studio with M4 Max is the perfect choice for video editors, colorists, developers, engineers, photographers, creative pros, and other users who need to blaze through intensive workflows. It delivers phenomenal single-threaded CPU performance with the world’s fastest CPU core, along with outstanding multithreaded CPU performance for complex workloads. Featuring an up to 16-core CPU, an up to 40-core GPU, over half a terabyte per second of unified memory bandwidth, and a Neural Engine that is over 3x faster than M1 Max, Mac Studio with M4 Max can run on-device AI models incredibly fast. Mac Studio with M4 Max is up to 3.5x faster than Mac Studio with M1 Max, and is up to 6.1x faster than the most powerful Intel-based 27-inch iMac.1

Mac Studio with M4 Max enables:

• Up to 1.6x faster image processing in Adobe Photoshop when compared to Mac Studio with M1 Max, and up to 2.9x faster when compared to the 27-inch iMac with Core i9.
• Up to 2.1x faster build performance when compiling code in Xcode when compared to Mac Studio with M1 Max, and up to 3.1x faster when compared to the 27-inch iMac with Core i9.
• Up to 1.2x faster ProRes transcode performance in Compressor when compared to Mac Studio with M1 Max, and up to 2.8x faster when compared to the 27-inch iMac with Core i9.
• Up to 1.6x faster video processing performance in Topaz Video AI when compared to Mac Studio with M1 Max, and up to 5x faster when compared to the 27-inch iMac with Core i9.

My gut is telling me the M4 Max McStudio will be the new sweet spot for most desktop based Composer/Music Producers looking to upgrade their Mac desktop setup.

Early benchmarks from MacRumors appear to support this gut feeling, we’ll know more as these machines begin to get integrated into production environments in the coming weeks. Per MacRumors:

As expected, the M4 Max chip tops the M3 Ultra chip in terms of single-core CPU performance by nearly 20%, according to the result.

I’ve setup an M4 Max MacBook Pro 16 for a client and was impressed by the chips performance.

Initial real world tests with the M4 Max in Logic Pro, paired with Vienna Ensemble Pro Server showed the following performance gains with the same exact Logic session and VEP Server template across three different mac models and configurations:

16 Macbook Pro M4 Max 2TB SSD 128GB of RAM 🐏

• 45-50 % total cpu utilization with M4 Max in a very large logic session (300+ active tracks, 1500 track template) vs. the same session on M1 Ultra which peaked at about 75% total CPU utilization.

• 45-50 % total cpu utilization with M4 Max vs. the same session on Intel Mac Pro 16-Core 2019 which peaked at 100% total CPU utilization.

My configuration choice for Composer/Music Producers looking to purchase an M4 Max equipped Mac Studio is as follows:

M3 Ultra/M4 Max First Take via Six Colors

You heard me. For Apple’s fastest Mac ever–and it’s clear that it will be–Apple’s shipping a chip based on two high-end chips (fused together with Apple’s UltraFusion technology) from Apple’s previous processor generation. Weird, right? It seems like a few things are going on here: first, that the development of the Ultra chip takes longer and that Apple won’t commit to shipping an Ultra chip in every chip generation. Second, that the first-generation three-nanometer chip process of Apple’s chipmaking partner, TSMC, isn’t as dead and buried as generally thought. Just this week Apple also introduced an iPad Air with an M3 processor, and of course the new iPad mini shipped with an A17 Pro processor based on the same process.

Most people will probably want the lower-end Mac Studio based on the M4 Max. That chip can be configured up to 16 CPU cores and 40 GPU cores, and those GPU cores mark the first time that Apple’s latest-generation graphics architecture has appeared on the Mac Studio, since it debuted with the M3 chip generation.

Speaking of which, that M3 Ultra model instantly becomes the ultimate Mac for the person who has everything except the ultimate Mac. When fully loaded it’s got 32 CPU cores, 80 graphics cores, 512 GB of unified memory, and up to 16TB of onboard storage. Apple estimates that the M3 Ultra will be nearly twice as fast as the M4 Max in workflows that can take advantage of all that extra everything. (Who needs a Mac Pro? Don’t answer that.)

Key point: “…in workflows that can take advantage of all that extra everything”.

Actually, if one of the reasons to prefer something like a Mac Pro over a Mac Studio is high-speed connectivity, the addition of Thunderbolt 5 (to both models) might be relevant. The M4 Max model offers four Thunderbolt 5 ports on the back, and the M3 Ultra model offers an additional two Thunderbolt ports on the front.

Though the prices for the two base models remain the same at $1999 and $3999, there’s one wrinkle: more memory. The M4 Max Mac Studio starts at 36GB of RAM, up from 32GB on the same-priced M2 Max model. And the M3 Ultra Mac Studio starts at 96GB, up from 64GB on the same-priced M2 Ultra.

M4 MacBook Air

Bye Bye Space Gray hello Sky Blue, per Apple Newsroom:

Adding a new choice to the lineup of MacBook Air colors is the all-new sky blue. A beautiful, metallic light blue that creates a dynamic gradient when light reflects off of its surface, sky blue joins midnight, starlight, and silver to complete the brilliant array of color choices for MacBook Air. All color options, including sky blue, come with a color-matched MagSafe charge cable.

The M4 chip features a powerful 10-core CPU, an up to 10-core GPU, and support for up to 32GB of unified memory, making the new MacBook Air up to 2x faster than the M1 model.1 When compared to the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air, the M4 model delivers up to 23x faster performance.

My configuration choice for Composer/Music Producers looking to purchase an M4 equipped MacBook Air is as follows:

Note: The MacBook Air’s should be purchased for music production workflows with caution, even students and beginners should consider an M4 MacBook Pro with active cooling over a new M4 MacBook Air. The extra ports, much better screen, active cooling, and more premium build are much better long term solutions. If you are a light user or are just looking for a great productivity device, that can handle a few pro apps in a limited capacity the MacBook Air line up with M series chips is a safe bet.

Several years ago while working in the music department on Encanto, an M1 Air was my main side computer for the duration of the project, handling everyday music coordination, administrative and light Logic Pro and Pro Tools tasks with ease. That machine was an M1 with 16 GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

My configuration choice for everyday users looking to purchase an M4 equipped MacBook Air is as follows:

You basically get the 24GB of RAM for “free” now, when compared to pricing for similar specs with the initial M1 Macbook Air release in fall 2020. In 2020, a 1TB SSD, 16GB of RAM Macbook Air would have set you back $1649.00 per The Verge.

M3 iPad Air

It’s a spec bump, if you already have an M1 or M2 iPad Air I don’t think you need to upgrade, unless you got roped into the terrible 64GB base storage version and are currently running out of storage. No one is sad that Apple’s 64GB Era is Over.

A16 iPad

Don’t buy this one please. But if you insist, it’s available for purchase.

At least we get 128 GB of base storage, quoting the Verge quoting Mac Rumors:

As MacRumors points out, with today’s iPad announcements and the recent iPhone 16E launch, Apple no longer sells new iPhones or iPads with 64GB of base storage. Finally.

A refurbished previous generation iPad AIR, iPad Pro, or previous generation base iPad is a much better value even when purchased with a refurbished markup price direct from Apple Certified Refurbished:

Conclusion

Remember purchasing a new Mac always comes with some potential trade-offs.

If you desire any of these new product offerings from Apple be prepared for the following:

1. If you purchase and M4 Max or M3 Ultra Mac Studio, you will have to upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.3.1.
   • If you’re already running macOS 15.3.1 with no issues you’re fine.
   • Read those software compatibility guides in advance for your purchase
     • Production Expert: macOS Sequoia Compatibility – The Ultimate Pro Audio Guide
     • Sweetwater: macOS Sequoia Compatibility Guide
     • Book a session with me to learn about using macOS Seqouia 15.3.1 in a production environment. 🤓
   • macOS 15.4 is due for release in April 2025.
2. You will probably do not need as high of spec Mac Studio as you think you need.
   • If you can afford it and if it works for your business’s bottom line purchase the highest spec you can afford.
   • The sweet spot configurations I outlined above should serve most users very well for many years to come.
   • If you have to choose between a RAM 🐏 or an SSD upgrade, get the RAM 🐏 upgrade.
     • Lots of ultra fast external PCIE and SSD Thunderbolt enclosures exist for storage.
     • The only exception to this rule is the base M4 MacBook Air. Please opt for the $200 upgrade to the 10-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU model with 512GB of inbuilt SSD storage. 256 GB of soldered in, nonupgradable SSD storage is unacceptable in 2025. I guess those profit margins don’t happen on their own.
     • Insert Screen Shot Of This Model
3. You probably don’t need to pay for all those GPU cores (80-core GPU) found in the highest end Mac Studio M3 Ultra configuration as well if you’re a music producer and creator. That spec exists for very specific video and AI centric market.
   • Neil Parfitt is running 5 4k Screens with a 2019 Intel Mac Pro.
     • The 2023 Apple Mac Pro with Apple Silicon – Thoughts from a Pro
     • Apple Mac Pro – Audio & Music Pro Buyer’s Guide #1
   • Even if you dabble with some light to medium sized video creation projects for your social media and websites etc. The GPU configuration in all of these models will be enough to keep you going. Focus on maximizing your CPU cores first.
4. Do not throw away or sell your Thunderbolt 3 and 4 cables if you already have them, they are interchangeable and will support the new Thunderbolt 5 spec of 80Gbps and preserve compatibility with your new Thunderbolt 5 equipped Mac as shown by Cal Digit below:

5. Don’t forget refurbished and used Macs are also an upgrade option, if you’re on a tighter budget. I’m still running a 3+ year old M1 MAX MacBook Pro with 4TB SSD 64GB of RAM 🐏 and my day to day tasks are handle just fine. Would I like 128 GB of RAM 🐏 sure, do I wanna part with $6,100.00+ today to make that happen, not yet. My favorite place to look for refurbished Macs are as follows:

• Apple Certified Refurbished
• Ebay: ItsWorthMore
• Computer Overhauls

I’ve purchased Macs from all three stores for both myself and clients and have had nothing but positive experiences so far. You’ll always feel a little better about helping out the environment as well. The M1 Max MacBook Pro, I am typing this article on was purchased refurbished direct from ItsWorthMore in December of 2021.

Feel free to reach out via my contact page, should you have any questions about your next Mac purchase.

Read More

Six Colors: Apple updates iPad Air and iPad, revamps Magic Keyboard for iPad Air
Daring Fireball: Apple Announces, With Much Surprise, Mac Studios With M4 Max and M3 Ultra (!) Chips)
Daring Fireball: Apple Announces, With Little Surprise, M4 MacBook Airs
The Verge: Where to preorder Apple’s new MacBook Air and Mac Studio
The Verge: Here’s where you can preorder the new entry-level iPad and M3 iPad Air
MacRumors: M2 vs. M3 vs. M4 MacBook Air Buyer’s Guide: 25+ Differences Compared
MacRumors: No M4 Ultra Chip? Apple Confirms the M4 Max Chip Lacks UltraFusion)

Watch More

Music Listened To While Writing This Post

The White Lotus: Season 2 (Soundtrack from the HBO® Original Series) – Cristobal Tapia De Veer, Kim Neundorf

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Written on MacBook Pro and iPad Pro using Drafts Pro in Markdown.

Disclosures: Ian LeCheminant is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, he may receive a small commission.

Image Credits: (Apple Newsroom/Ian LeCheminant)