 This is a great computer. It changed how we think about mobility and probably saved the spines of an entire generation of latte sipping college kids. So why is it then that Apple is so determined to make it the worst product in their lineup? We weren't even sure that there would be an Apple event this spring due to the global silicon shortage, but such mortal follies are beneath Apple, apparently, and leading up to the event, there were tantalizing rumors of new iPads with mini-LED backlights, AirTags trackers, redesigned iMacs with iPad-like displays and Apple silicon inside, a new Apple pencil for some reason, and more. As for what we got, it was most of the above, and I have got some thoughts. Just like I think I should tell you about our sponsor, Setapp. Setapp uncomplicates the way that you work by giving you an all-access pass to over 200 curated Mac and iOS apps. Learn more at the end of the video or click the link in the video description. ["Street Views"] Hey Linus, don't we already have a Mac channel now? Yes, yes we do, Mac address, and you should subscribe to it for a more Apple-centric experience. But that doesn't mean that I don't have my own opinions. Now I said most of the predictions ahead of the event were true, but there were still some unexpected moments, like, oh, I don't know, a Thunderbolt-equipped iPad? Ah! Both sizes of the new iPad Pro come equipped with Apple's M1 SoC, meaning they're not only much more powerful than previous-gen A13Z models, they're now able to use Thunder-freaking-bolt for things like fast direct-attached storage, full-resolution 6K output to the Pro Display XDR, numerous connected peripherals, and presumably more. So Thunderbolt docks then will suddenly be an extremely compelling add-on for anyone whose workflow incorporates an iPad. And that's about to be a lot more people now that the Liquid Retina Display XDR is a thing. Unnecessarily long branding aside, Apple is boasting 1,000 nits full-screen brightness and 1,600 nits peak in HDR mode on this thing, with a million-to-one contrast ratio thanks to the new mini-LED backlight that provides 2,500 local dimming zones. What that means is that whatever the results of the UK Advertising Authority's investigation into Apple's Pro Display XDR performance claims, this screen matches that one according to Apple's own internal metrics, which frankly is good enough for me to be pretty darn stoked. Another side bonus is that higher SDR content brightness will come in handy if you're in a brightly lit coffee shop. The bottom line then is that if Apple is to be believed here, the new iPad Pro is basically a little tiny Pro Display XDR and then a top model M1 MacBook Air clipped to the back of it in a slim package. And that is a huge deal. It even comes with the same eight or 16 gigs of RAM, depending on your storage option, and there's a new two terabyte storage tier just like on the M1 Macs. I just wish it didn't cost $1,100 extra. Price aside though, these changes make this new iPad more of a computer than an iPad has ever been. And quite frankly, if it performs anywhere near what Apple claims it will, it may be outright preferable to the venerable MacBook Air depending on your use case, especially considering that you get more computer for the starting price of just 799 on the 11 inch model. I mean, it doesn't run Mac OS, but with the way the lines between iPads and MacBooks have already blurred, it's probably a matter of time before most of your favorite apps are cross compatible. I cannot wait to get my hands on one of these. Just like you should get your hands on a desk pad before they're lttstore.gone. Now iPads of course, weren't the only major announcement. The new 24 inch iMac is, well, okay. When you take an iPad and give it the performance and IO of an ultrabook, I'm impressed. When you take a desktop and you do the same thing, it's a little less wow. I mean, it looks awesome. The chunky bezels of yesteryear are basically gone, which means that while it's got roughly the same frame size as a 21 and a half inch iMac, you're getting a 23 and a half inch retina display with the same pixel density at four and a half K res. Now the chin bar did manage to stick around, but overall thickness of the device is ridiculously thin. And the iPad-like sharp, but rounded industrial design is so refreshing to see after basically no fundamental changes since 2007. The fact that it comes in so many colors rather than just silver is also probably gonna make it a hit among college students and families. And the newly designed MagSafe-like power connector gives it a very cohesive look on the desk. Albeit that comes at the cost of having an external power brick for the first time on a desktop Mac. One benefit of this approach is that the brick can be equipped with gigabit ethernet in it for a cleaner look on your desk. Although the drawback of course, is that the base model iMac actually does not come with a wired ethernet connection. The one saving grace I can think of of this innovation is that if you clue in at some point that Wi-Fi just cannot achieve the speed and more importantly, the reliability of a copper cable, you can either hang a dongle off of your sexy machine or just upgrade your power adapter later on down the line. If you're getting Chromecast Ultra flashbacks, you're not alone. Bringing us to another sore spot, specs. As a result of the limited IO, thanks to the unmodified M1 SoC that Apple's using for the new 24 inch iMacs, the lower end model, the one with no ethernet out of the box has just two Thunderbolt slash USB four ports and a headphone jack. That's it. Then for $200 more, the up model version gets an extra GPU core, that gigabit ethernet power adapter and two extra USB three ports. Both of them come with Wi-Fi six and Bluetooth five though and to be fair, this is marketed as a basic family or dorm computer. So chances are good that many potential buyers may have no desire to use ethernet. Although the chances are also good that they're gonna gripe to Geek Squad about crappy performance and the solution to it will be plugging in a cable. If I was being realistic though, this is all I could have expected and for someone considering an iMac 21 and a half inch, certainly this is a huge step up. I just hoped that by the time desktop Apple Silicon machines arrived, the M1's IO limitations would have been in the rear view mirror. One welcome arrival from the M1 though, is the new webcam or more specifically, the mobile image processing routines that for years have been better than any desktop. So we're expecting more natural lighting and color balance like we saw with the 720P FaceTime cameras on the M1 MacBooks, except better because this is now a 1080P webcam. And also they've paired it with what Apple calls the best microphone ever on a Mac. So it should be exceptional for teleconferencing. We'll have to see of course, but Apple has a pretty good track record here on their M1 devices. Another area Apple has a good track record is sound. And it's here that we discover the reason that the chin bar managed to stick around. A total of six drivers embedded in the chin claim to deliver room filling audio in any space. And while that's obviously horse it, it's probably gonna sound pretty darn good if recent MacBooks are any indication. This is just, this is one of those why marketing moments from Apple. Like unless they've managed to bend time and space itself, the idea that spatial audio can be done with what are effectively down firing stereo speakers is a little out that like all they had to say was it sounds really great from four feet away, which is probably where you're gonna be sitting. And we wouldn't have had to call them on such an insultingly obviously false statement. Anyway, we're definitely gonna test it for ourselves. So get subscribed so you don't miss our full review when we get our hands on one. To round things out, literally, the iMacs come with a redesigned color matched keyboard with a dedicated emoji key and a refreshed magic mouse to go with it. Refreshed magic mouse you say Linus? Did they finally move the brain dead bottom charging port that we've been mocking for years? No, no Apple actually spent R&D money adding color to the magic mouse and then didn't put in the extra effort to retool the chassis and redesign the PCB to put a sensible charging port that lets you use the mouse while you're charging it. And how dare you question their choices by the way. The included 10 keyless keyboard looks all right however, and the higher tier versions of the iMac get a version of the keyboard that comes with Touch ID. For those of you wanting a full size layout, Apple does have it available and both versions also have the emoji key. Honestly though, Touch ID is so convenient on the MacBook that for me that would be a tipping point to just pay the extra $200 because of course you get all those other benefits and Apple already charges $100 for a new keyboard as it is. So if you ever wanted to add Touch ID, you're half of the way there. Even without properly reviewing these things, I'm gonna come out and say, don't buy the base model if you're looking to buy a new iMac. If you are looking to buy a new iMac though, there's a chance that you're in the market for an Apple TV as well. And there's a new 4K model coming with support for 4K 60 HDR video and what Apple's calling enhanced airplay that allows an HDR capable eye device to display HDR content on the TV. There's a new remote that has a click wheel like scrubbing feature and a dedicated Siri button on the right side, but the real magic comes from what Apple is calling color balance. Using an iPhone's camera, the Apple TV can actually adjust its output to basically calibrate your TV for you. That is so cool. As long as the content is available on the Apple TV because it doesn't touch the actual TV settings. Why this isn't a more common feature on, I don't know, say Samsung TVs and Samsung phones, I will never know. And I mean, for that matter, what about LG TVs and LG for, oh, too soon? Anywho, it probably won't be as accurate as calibrating with a colorimeter, but the reality of it is most people won't notice the difference and just want their content to look good enough. And this should probably do the trick. Following something resembling a fever dream, Apple also announced another new product, AirTags. What are they? They're tiles. They hook directly into Apple's Find My system and use the U1 ultra wideband directional sensors to pinpoint the exact direction and distance away from your tiles. Excuse me, sorry, AirTags. Apparently they have unwanted tag detection, so you can't use it to track people. And they've got a range of rather expensive leather holders. Hey, at $30 a pop, it's a little cheaper than a tile and Apple offers free engraving for them. So good job, I guess. Actually, yeah, good job. Apple claims a year of battery life on a standard user replaceable CR2032 battery. I mean, this should be the bare minimum for a product like this, but hey, Apple is not manufacturing e-waste for once. We gotta give them credit where it's due. Right? Come on. All right, thank you. On that subject, I'm not sure if Apple is doing the world a solid with the whole merge and build credit together, Apple card family thing. But if you're getting one of those anyway, it's not a bad perk, I suppose. You can use it to pay for the new podcast subscription that they're rolling out that works sort of like early access or premium service to support creators that you enjoy. Kind of like Patreon or say Floatplane. I don't know what their revenue split is though. So again, it's hard to say if that's a hooray or not really a hooray. See what else did they announce? Oh, right, the iPhone 12. Now it comes in purple. Neat. That damp squib of an announcement was actually the first product of the event. So yeah, it's a good thing we stuck around for more than one more thing. 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If you're hungry for more Apple takes, go take a look at not this channel, but our Mac address channel, which is going to focus entirely on Mac, and they've got their own take on the event, which I have not seen or heard anything about yet. So I'll be interested to see how Jonathan's interpretation differs or is similar to my own and Anthony's.