Apple took some big swings this yr with theVision ProandApple Intelligence . It feel like early days for both of those , though I ca n’t say either have felt like a genuine success .
And yet , there were lots of Apple production pepper throughout the year that survive up to the company ’s high reputation of quality . As you ’ll acknowledge , these definitely fall down in line with the more established product in Apple ’s ecosystem . But that does n’t take anything aside from just how safe these were and how much they impressed our team of reviewers here at Digital Trends .
Mac mini (M4)
The Mac mini has long been an ignored product in Apple ’s lineup , despite being the most low-priced Mac you could buy . It had used more or less the same design for over a decade , despite the bumps to functioning in the Apple Silicon era .
But in 2024 , the Mac miniskirt became impossible to ignore . Not only did the redesign make it more compact , it also received the gibbousness to 16 GB as a starting tup configuration without increasing the price . This is a huge softwood for a mini PC that was already so low-priced . There ’s simply no time value in the world of computers quite like the al-Qaeda configuration of theM4 Mac miniright now . It ’s not perfect — the placement of the mightiness button is pathetic and the storage conformation prices get a bit mad . But as a floor , there ’s just never been a mini personal computer or Mac of any variety quite like it .
AirPods 4 with ANC
Apple launch the AirPods 4 alongside its newfangled iPhone , but also launch an interesting secondary mannikin , articulately namedAirPods 4 with ANC(Active Noise Cancellation ) . Originally a feature exclusive to the AirPods Pro , you could now get ANC in AirPods for just $ 179 equate to the $ 249 of the AirPods Pro 2 . The principal deviation , however , is that it does n’t include pinna peak . Though the good lineament wo n’t ever be immersive — especially for all spike — if spike confidential information bother you ( or gross you out ) , this is a great way to go .
In our review article of both pairs of wireless earbuds , we observe that the base AirPods 4 “ do sound better than the former generation , ” and that the ANC model “ sound even better by nature of the fact that they so successfully remove outdoors sounds from the transonic canvass . ” And to sum things up : “ There is no good ANC in an heart-to-heart - ear earbud . ” That ’s quite a ringing indorsement from our audio experts .
iPhone 16
Much has been enounce about the current status of the iPhone and its now very complicated and nuanced lineup . But among all the higher - end options available , our phone reviewers were most impressed by the baseiPhone 16 . It miss all the bells and whistles of the Pro and Pro Max models , of course , but for a $ 799 earphone , it ’s probably the iPhone most people should be raise to this year . The tweaked pattern , punctuated by the raw color options , really make this remain firm out compare to former theoretical account , too .
Our commentator , Joe Maring , was really taken aback by the new colouring material and redesign camera module on the back , so much so that he says the following : “ It still looks like an iPhone , but there ’s enough Modern here that it feel sweet and exciting in a way theiPhone 16 Prodoes not . ” The 60Hz refresh rate feels a niggling old - school , as does the want of an always - on display .
But it ’s big to see Apple see that its most affordable iPhone ( outside the iPhone SE ) really feel like something young . In 2024 , that ’s really saying something .
iPad mini (7th-generation)
If there ’s one Cartesian product class that Apple unequivocally own , it ’s the small tablet . There are hardly any players left in the biz , and that ’s largely because of just how effective the $ 499 iPad mini really is . It ’s not attempt to put back your MacBook , but it ’s the staring travel fellow or couch machine . In 2024 , that has n’t changed — it ’s just gotten serious .
In our review , we spell about just how perfect the form factor is , paired with the silky smooth performance of the A17 Pro chip . Yes , Apple Intelligence features still feel half - baked , but that does n’t change just how rattling a gadget the iPad mini still is , now in its 7th contemporaries .
It still has some of the problems with the older iPad design , whether that ’s the awkward webcam position , the want of a headphone jack , and the not - quite - bright - enough display . And yet , it ’s a great example of just how good Apple ’s refinements to this under - appreciated product class really have become .
MacBook Pro (M4)
Bringing the M4 to the MacBook Pro did n’t sense like a divine revelation . We knew it would come about , and it played out very much how we assumed it would , adding a more powerful Neural Engine and meaning boost to CPU and GPU execution over the M3 .
What we did n’t expect , however , was the other changes Apple had up its arm . For the first time since its launch , the M4 MacBook Pro feels like a really good choice , so much so that it successfully undercuts the 15 - column inch MacBook Air . The most crucial climb is the bump to 16 GB of RAM , which finally arrive at this the “ Pro ” equipment it deserve to be . Add in the alternative for the really amazing nano - grain display that deflect public eye , and you ’ve get down the making of a very solid generational climb . The M4 Pro and M4 Max cover to startle with how much GPU performance they ’re capable to surmount up , as always , but the improvement to the 14 - in M4 manakin really were the most impressive this time around .
iPad Pro (M4)
Set all the debates aside about the direction of the iPad Pro and the future of how it compares with MacBooks . take on its own , theM4 iPad Prois just an immaculate tech product . Apple made a lot of small tweaks to improve the design this clock time around , whether it ’s changing the position of the webcam for better telecasting calls or just squeezing an insane amount of public presentation in with the M4 .
project in the dementedly bright and vivid bicycle-built-for-two OLED display — a feature of speech still missing from MacBook Pros — and you see how much Apple is able to juice up its iPads with breakthrough technology . allot to our testing in the review , the young display tech not only improved double quality but also helped with barrage life . Our referee boldly yell it “ the respectable tablet ever I ’ve ever used . ”
While it has n’t quite make it , it sense easier than ever to replace a canonical laptop or MacBook Air with an iPad Pro , and that ’s thanks to just how unbelievable the ironware is . We ’ll keep waiting on the software to catch up , but that does n’t take anything away from just how well this year ’s iPad Pro update was .
