New M5 products: MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, Apple Vision Pro
Today, Apple unveiled the new M5 chip and the first slate of products to receive it. All of these are available to preorder now with deliveries beginning on October 22.
As with each generation, the M5 delivers about 20-50% more performance compared to the prior generation. All prices remain the same as the prior generation.
14-inch MacBook Pro (M5)
There are no design changes, so all of the upgrades are internal. Most comparisons you see pit the M5 against the prior M4, but few customers with an M4 are going to be upgrading to an M5. The comparisons get really impressive when you compare it to an Intel Mac. CPU performance is 7x, and GPU performance is 30x faster than Intel.
Strangely, the MacBook Pro still has Wi-Fi 6E, not Wi-Fi 7, which iPhone has had for a while now, and the iPad Pro announced today gets.
Be aware that this is ONLY the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the standard M5 chip. Apple has not released the M5 Pro or M5 Max chips, and they have not yet updated the 16-inch model. This processor is the same one that will be appearing in the next MacBook Air, likely in March. The advantage of this entry-level MacBook Pro over the MacBook Air is not in power, but in ports, mic, speakers, screen, and battery life.
iPad Pro (M5)
Starting at $999 (11-inch) and $1,299 (13-inch)
The M5 iPad Pro looks identical to the M4 model, but the insides are upgraded. In addition to the new M5 chip and the performance increase that brings, it also has WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6, double the SSD speed, double the cellular speed, and better support for external displays with 120 Hz support.
Vision Pro (M5)
The new Vision Pro is virtually identical to the original M2 model, apart from the new, faster M5 chip. But it allows more than better number crunching. It also increases the visual clarity and reduces motion blur because it can process images better and faster. And it is more efficient, adding half an hour to the battery life. Also included is a new, more comfortable strap.
