The notch sits in the menu bar, which is already dark and full of icons.
AirPods 3 feature shorter stems, spatial audio, 6-hour battery life, and water resistance at R$2,399, with Brazilian availability still pending. MacBook Pro redesign includes MagSafe return, HDMI/SD card ports, 120Hz ProMotion displays, and new M1 Pro/Max processors offering significant performance gains.
- AirPods 3 priced at R$2,399 with 6-hour battery life and spatial audio
- MacBook Pro 14-inch starts at R$26,999; 16-inch at R$32,999
- M1 Pro and M1 Max chips offer 10-core CPU with up to 32-core GPU and 64GB unified memory
- Apple Music Voice Plan launches at $4.99/month in 18 countries by end of 2021
Apple unveiled third-generation AirPods with spatial audio, redesigned 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M1 Pro/Max chips, and new Apple Music features at its October event.
Apple held its October hardware event on Monday under the banner "The beasts are loose," and the company came prepared with a full slate of announcements. The star players were the third-generation AirPods, redesigned MacBook Pro models in 14 and 16-inch sizes, and two new processors—the M1 Pro and M1 Max—that represent a significant leap in computing power. Alongside these marquee releases, Apple also introduced fresh color options for the HomePod Mini and expanded Apple Music with new playlist features and a budget-conscious voice plan.
The new AirPods mark a substantial departure from their predecessors. The stems are now shorter, and the ear tips have been reshaped to direct sound more precisely into the ear canal. Spatial audio arrives as a standard feature, meaning the left and right channels adjust dynamically as you turn your head, creating an immersive listening experience that tracks your orientation. The earbuds now offer water and sweat resistance, though Apple has not yet specified the exact IP rating. Battery life has been extended to six hours per charge, with the case providing four additional full charges for a total of 30 hours of listening. A five-minute charge yields a full hour of playback. In Brazil, the AirPods 3 are priced at R$2,399 and opened for pre-order immediately, though the company has not announced when they will actually ship to the market.
The MacBook Pro redesign is more dramatic. Both the 14 and 16-inch models feature a completely reimagined chassis with sharper, more angular lines, a raised base, and a return to ports that many professionals have missed. MagSafe charging is back, along with HDMI, an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There is a notch at the top of the display, but Apple has integrated it cleverly into the menu bar so it feels less intrusive than it might otherwise. The screens themselves are exceptional: the 14-inch model delivers 3024 by 1964 pixels, while the 16.2-inch offers 3456 by 2234. Both support 120Hz ProMotion, local dimming, sustained brightness of 1,000 nits, peak brightness of 1,600 nits, and a contrast ratio of one million to one. The speaker grilles are no longer purely decorative—beneath them sits a six-speaker system with two tweeters, four woofers, and two subwoofers that Apple claims delivers 80 percent more bass than previous generations and supports spatial audio. The 16-inch model measures 16.8 millimeters thick and weighs 2.13 kilograms; the 14-inch is 15.5 millimeters thick and weighs 1.58 kilograms. Pricing starts at R$26,999 for the 14-inch and R$32,999 for the 16-inch, both available for pre-order now but with no confirmed Brazilian launch date.
The processors powering these machines are where the real performance story lives. Rather than releasing a single M1X chip as many had anticipated, Apple introduced two new processors: the M1 Pro and the M1 Max. The M1 Pro represents a significant step forward from last year's base M1, featuring a 10-core CPU and 32-core GPU, with up to 32 gigabytes of unified memory and 200 gigabytes per second of bandwidth. The original M1 had four CPU cores and eight GPU cores, so the Pro variant delivers twice the graphics performance. The M1 Max pushes further still, offering the same 10-core CPU but with 32 GPU cores, up to 64 gigabytes of unified memory, and 400 gigabytes per second of bandwidth. Apple makes bold claims about efficiency: the M1 Max uses 70 percent less energy than an eight-core PC processor while delivering 3.3 times the graphics performance of a previous-generation laptop.
Beyond the hardware, Apple made smaller but meaningful additions to its services. Apple Music, long criticized for lacking curated playlists, now offers Siri-powered playlists organized by activity and environment—dinners, walks, yoga sessions, game nights, and more. The company also introduced a new Voice Plan for Apple Music at $4.99 per month, roughly R$27.51 at current exchange rates. This tier allows listeners to request songs via Siri from selected playlists rather than accessing the full Apple Music library, which normally costs R$16.90 for an individual subscription. These features are launching in the United States and will roll out to 17 additional countries by year's end, but Brazil is not yet on that list. The HomePod Mini, which debuted last year in black and white only, is receiving new color options: yellow, orange, and blue. Whether these new shades will reach Brazilian shelves remains uncertain.
What emerges from this event is a company doubling down on professional-grade hardware and ecosystem integration. The MacBook Pro redesign signals that Apple is listening to complaints about missing ports and limited connectivity. The new processors represent genuine leaps in performance and efficiency. The AirPods 3 bring features once reserved for the Pro model to a broader audience. And the Apple Music additions, while modest, suggest the company is still iterating on its services offerings. For Brazilian consumers, the challenge remains the same: availability and pricing in the local market remain in flux, with pre-orders open but shipping dates undefined.
Notable Quotes
Apple claims the M1 Max uses 70 percent less energy than an eight-core PC processor while delivering 3.3 times the graphics performance of a previous-generation laptop.— Apple
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why redesign the MacBook Pro now? Wasn't the previous generation still selling well?
Apple was hearing consistent feedback from professionals that the machine had become too thin and too locked down. Removing ports in the name of thinness had cost them credibility. This redesign is an acknowledgment of that.
The notch on the display—isn't that the same thing Apple did with the iPhone, and people complained about that too?
Yes, but here it's different. On the MacBook, the notch sits in the menu bar, which is already dark and full of icons. It doesn't interrupt your work the way it does on a phone. It's clever integration rather than compromise.
What's the real difference between the M1 Pro and the M1 Max? Is it worth the price jump?
The Max has twice the GPU cores and double the memory bandwidth. For video editors, 3D artists, and machine learning work, that's substantial. For most people, the Pro is more than enough.
Why introduce a voice-only plan for Apple Music at $4.99 when the full plan is $16.90?
It's a price ladder. Some people only want to ask Siri to play music—they don't need to browse, search, or curate. This captures that segment and undercuts competitors like Spotify's basic tier.
The AirPods 3 seem to borrow a lot from the Pro model. Why not just make everyone buy the Pro?
Because not everyone needs noise cancellation or the premium build. The 3 brings spatial audio and better sound to a wider audience at a lower price. It's good product strategy—you give people options.