Keeping the tradition of time zones in their favor, Apple admirers in Australia and New Zealand are the first ones to get their hands on the latest Apple offerings on launch day. It is officially June 13, Tuesday, in both countries, marking the day when customers who pre-ordered a new 15-inch MacBook Air, M2 Ultra Mac Studio, or Mac Pro last week have begun receiving their deliveries.
The new Mac variants were unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote on June 5, with orders commencing on the same day. Besides the deliveries being made on June 13, this date also signals the onset of in-store availability. As New Zealand lacks official Apple retail stores, Australian customers will be the pioneers in purchasing an upgraded Mac from an Apple Store.
Although no product shortages are anticipated, the stock availability in Australia will serve as a precursor to what can be expected in other Apple Stores worldwide.
The 15.3-inch MacBook Air is strikingly similar in design and performance to its 13.6-inch predecessor launched last June, albeit with a larger display and a novel six-speaker sound system. It employs the same M2 chips introduced in the 13-inch MacBook Air in 2022, and maintains the same aesthetics.
On the other hand, while the Mac Studio and the Mac Pro have not undergone design renovations, both machines come equipped with the recently launched M2 Ultra chip. This chip offers a CPU performance that’s up to 20% faster than its M1 Ultra counterpart.
The 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,299, with the Mac Studio priced from $2,000 for the base M2 Max version, and $4,000 for the base M2 Ultra model. The Mac Pro, fitted with the M2 Ultra chip, starts at $6,999.
Following New Zealand and Australia, the updated Macs will make their debut in Asia, Europe, and North America, in that order. Apple retail stores will open at their usual times for walk-in purchases and reserved device pickups.