• Apple silicon just got confusing

    Today, Apple announced several new products without fanfare: the iPad Air, MacBook Air, and Mac Studio. In a related announcement, Apple unveiled the M3 Ultra chip.

    This is not the progression I anticipated. I thought 2025 would be the year of the M4, expecting general upgrades to M4 and a new M4 Ultra. Instead, the iPad Air got an M3 chip, the MacBook air an M4 (expected), and the Mac Studio in two models, one with the M4 Max (expected) and the other with the new M3 Ultra (completely unexpected).

    M3 Ultra and M4 Max

    Image courtesy Apple, Inc.

    The progression for the Airs makes sense. But the Studio? Now the entry model has an M4 and the tricked-out model has an M3. That will confuse the buying process. It also makes me wonder where the M4 Ultra is.