Apple has quietly refreshed several of its pro-grade products with the new M5 chip, including the iPad Pro, the 14-inch MacBook Pro, and the Vision Pro headset. These aren’t radical redesigns so much as performance bumps, with the focus squarely on improving processing speed – particularly for AI-related tasks.
M5 is built on a new 3-nanometer process and packs a faster Neural Engine, technical jargon that translates to delivering roughly three and a half times better AI performance than before. That means you’ll see noticeable gains in things like image generation, video rendering, and real-time transcription. For most users, though, the day-to-day experience probably won’t feel much different unless you’re running particularly demanding workflows.
Vision Pro also gets the M5 treatment, along with a redesigned dual-knit band for comfort and slightly sharper visuals. Not enough of a change for most current Vision Pro owners to upgrade, but it keeps Apple’s priciest product from falling behind the rest of the lineup in terms of power. Given reports that Apple has paused development of a cheaper follow-up headset, this may be the only change we see to the company’s spatial computing lineup for a while.
Faster! More comfortable! Still $3499!
Although this is a relatively minor set of upgrades, it’s worth noting that Apple’s priority is clear: on-device AI is the big winner here, both in terms of specs and Apple’s marketing language. While the first round of Apple Intelligence has been a mixed bag, the company seems keen to plough forward with its locally-processed take on AI that’s faster, safer, and more private than its rivals.
All three products are available to preorder now, with in-store availability from September 22.