In early March 2025, Apple notably updated the MacBook Air and substantially updated the Mac Studio. Apple also substantially updated two of its four iPad product lines.
MacBook Air joins the M4 product line
The most significant change for Apple's MacBook Air lightweight and value notebooks is the upgrade from the M3 processor to the M4 processor. In particular, purchasers can now specify RAM up to 32 GB.
In addition to the headlining processor change, the M4 MacBook Air also includes an improved camera. The case design and the display choices remain the same, but the M4 Air now supports two external displays with the internal display active—a capability missing in all previous Apple Silicon-based MacBook Airs.
Some believed MacBook Air prices might increase with this introduction, but Apple has generally held the line. The M4 MacBook Air is represented in the Lightweight and Value portions of the newly updated Notebook Purchasing Guide. Information Systems & Computing (ISC) expects to test a Lightweight version shortly.
Mac Studio regains unquestioned positioning as Apple's high-end desktop
The Mac Studio had not been revised between June 2023 and this week. Over that time, its overall superiority over a well-configured Mac mini became questionable—especially after Apple's October 2024 hardware refresh.
This week, Apple once again made the difference in performance obvious. Whereas the capable Mac mini Pro tops out with M4 Pro (14 core CPU, 20 core GPU) and 64 GB of RAM, the Mac Studio now operates at a completely different level:
- M4 Max (maximum of 16 core CPU, 40 core GPU) and 128 GB of RAM
- M3 Ultra (maximum of 32 core CPU, 80 core GPU) and 512 GB of RAM
Potential buyers of these workstation-class systems should note that the class of Apple Silicon processor denotes relative power in this order from least to most—base/Pro/Max/Ultra, not in generation (M1/M2/M3/M4). An M3 Ultra is approximately 50% more capable than an M4 Max. The new upward limit on RAM with an M3 Ultra is also more than twice the previous maximum for an Apple Silicon-based systems, though many desktop workstations from Dell, Lenovo, and others offer terabyte RAM installations (at spectacular cost).
In addition to the headlining processor upgrades, the Mac Studio also gains Thunderbolt 5. Most other specifications remain unchanged or only slightly modified.
The Mac Studio's substantial revision leaves the Mac Pro alone with M2 generation processors. ISC believes there are extremely few use cases at the University that a Mac Pro solves which a Mac Studio cannot—and the Mac Studio is far less expensive.
Any Mac Studio easily exceeds the capabilities suggested in the Desktop Purchasing Guide, and new Mac Studios should be configured to match a minimum of the high end of those specifications. The Mac mini will continue to be the basis of the macOS component of the Desktop Recommendations for FY2025 and beyond.
iPad "classic" and iPad Air updated
Amidst more notable news for Macs, Apple also made useful updates to the iPad "classic" and the iPad Air. The iPad "classic" now has a minimum of 128 GB of storage—an update that will be helpful to many University constituents. This new iPad does not support Apple Intelligence—a choice that likely allowed Apple to hold entry pricing at $330 educational.
The iPad Air gains an M3 chip and is accompanied by a new and more capable Magic Keyboard with a larger trackpad and a function key row. The 11-inch iPad Air remains Apple's lightest full-size iPad.
—John Mulhern III