Peek Performance: Everything YNTK

Before Apple's Peek Performance event today, we heard rumors about a couple of new Macs.

One rumor predicted a beefed-up Mac mini called the "Mac mini Pro," while another foretold of a slimmed-down Mac Pro called the "Mac Pro mini."

Well, it appears the rumors are true! The newly unveiled Mac Studio is both a "Mac mini Pro” and a "Mac Pro mini.”

The Studio, which Apple says is the fastest Mac ever, resembles a brawnier mini with the computing power of a Pro (and then some).

There are tons of interesting things about the Mac Studio, as well as the other products Apple released today, including a fantastic new iPhone SE (speedy A15 chip and 5G!), an iPad Air with an M1 chip that also pushes the performance envelope, and a really nice-looking (and comparatively modestly priced) Studio Display.

Read all about it in the newsletter below, which covers all the products Apple announced today.

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

Apple on Tuesday gave us our first glimpse at its brand-new Mac Studio — its first desktop featuring the M1 Ultra chip. It’s bigger than a Mac mini but smaller than a Mac Pro, and it’s the most powerful machine Apple has built to date.

Cupertino says the chip in the new Mac Studio desktop computer is “the next giant leap for Apple silicon and the Mac.”

“The Studio Display is in a class of its own,” Apple says. And at $1,599, it costs just a fraction of the Pro Display XDR’s eye-watering price.

The new entry-level handset features 5G connectivity, a speedy A15 Bionic chipset, improved battery life, greater durability and up to 256GB of storage.

While not a redesign, the new midrange tablet offers a faster processor, Center Stage support and other improvements.

If you would like your Apple Watch to look a little less like a piece of highly polished tech, check out BluShark’s new vintage leather band. Made from ethically sourced ostrich and crocodile leathers, it gives your smartwatch a wonderfully rustic look — and it’s super-comfortable. It’s also surprisingly affordable at under $35. And, if you order yours from the Cult of Mac Store today, you can enjoy free U.S. shipping.

Apple added two new green finishes to its iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro lineups Tuesday to generate a colorful midseason jolt of excitement.

The Apple CEO doesn’t often wear colorful Apple Watch bands, but he made an exception Tuesday. He emceed the event wearing an eye-catching yellow Sport band. Paired with his blue sweater, Cook seemed to be making a subtle gesture of support for Ukraine.

After gracing us with its jaw-dropping Mac Studio and 27-inch Studio Display on Tuesday, Apple finally discontinued the aging 27-inch iMac. The machine is no longer available to purchase through official Apple retail channels.

Friday Night Baseball is a weekly doubleheader with live pre- and postgame shows. This will be the first live sports available on the streaming service.

Apple kicked off Tuesday’s Peek Performance event with a look at the upcoming Apple TV+ slate of movies — and it’s not a very pretty picture.

When CEO Tim Cook left the stage at the end of Apple’s “Peek Performance” event, he took the hopes of many MacBook and iMac users with him.

Confession time: I’ve got the Sierra Blue blues. Like so many others, I absolutely love my iPhone 13 Pro. The one thing that fails to surprise and delight me after half a year is the Sierra Blue color. It’s just … meh.

Apple seeded to developers the release candidates of macOS Monterey 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4 on Tuesday. That’s the final step before introducing them to the public, which will finally give Mac and iPad users access to the long-delayed Universal Control.

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One more thing ...

"I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next." -- Steve Jobs

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