Apple's big spring updates

MacFormat UK

May 2025

All-new Macs and iPads join the previously launched iPhone 16e

Springtime often means new Apple products. This year the company treated us to a jam-packed season of new releases, with fresh products landing across the iPhone, Mac and iPad ranges.

Kicking off the updates were the iPad Air and the 10.9-inch iPad. Starting with the iPad Air, this was upgraded to Apple's M3 chip, which replaced the M2 from the previous version. Apple says the M3 offers twice the performance of the M1 iPad Air and is up to 3.5 times faster than the iPad Air with A14 Bionic chip. Apple also launched a new Magic Keyboard designed for the tablet, which has a larger trackpad and a new 14-key function row.

The 10.9-inch iPad, meanwhile, has seen its starting storage double to 128GB, meaning we've finally bid goodbye to 64GB. It also drops the A14 Bionic chip and replaces it with the A16, but it's not compatible with Apple Intelligence.

Mac on track

The day after the iPad updates, Apple revamped the MacBook Air and the Mac Studio. The former has a raft of new changes, including the inclusion of the M4 chip, a new Sky Blue colour, an upgraded front-facing camera, and improved support for external monitors. Despite those changes, it was a rather modest update all-in-all, with no major redesigns or earth-shattering new features. That said, Apple dropped the starting price of the latest MacBook Air from £1,099 to £999, which is welcome - read our in-depth review on p84.

Aside from the MacBook Air, the Mac Studio was upgraded with new chips. That includes the M4 Max and, confusingly, the M3 Ultra, meaning the less powerful of the two chips is actually from the more recent chip generation. There was no M4 Ultra, with Apple explaining that some processor generations will go without an Ultra chip. Aside from that, the Mac Studio now includes Thunderbolt 5 connectivity.