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In all my years of Apple reporting, I’ve never seen a change of this magnitude for the Mac.

Since I first began reporting on Apple’s business in 1999, I’ve watched as Apple tried really hard to explain the good points of each iteration of the old G-series Macs. I was pleased at the performance gains the Mac got with the Intel chip. But this? This is something quite different.

Probably the best notebooks in the world

At its October 18 Unleashed event, Apple announced its all-new MacBook Pro lineup. Available in two sizes, 14-inch and 16-inch, the new systems are powered by the company’s proprietary M1 Max and M1 Pro processors, which build on the M1 System on a Chip (SoC) introduced last year.

Apple says these Macs deliver GPU performance that’s equivalent to the best available high-end PC laptop, but use an astonishing 100 watts less power. Benedict Evans (no relation) noticed that these new Macs will carry a chip that itself has twice as many transistors as all the CPUs the company shipped in 1984.

With up to 21 hours battery life. What this means is that you can take these powerful systems anywhere, engage in the most demanding computational tasks, and there is a pretty good chance you’ll still have enough power to place a FaceTime call (using the much-improved webcam) to the family before you spend the next couple of hours kicking back to watch Foundation again on the way home.

If you need a quick power boost, the new Macs support Fast Charging, which means you can charge them to 50% power in just 30 minutes. For business users, that’s just about long enough to enjoy a little food and a refreshing drink in the airport lounge while waiting for your flight. For people working in the most demanding situations, that Fast Charge facility