The new chip marks a shift
away from Intel Corp technology that has driven the electronic brains of Mac
computers for nearly 15 years.
Apple Inc on Tuesday
introduced a MacBook Air notebook and other computers with the first
microprocessor designed in-house, a move that will tie its Macs and iPhones
closer together technologically.
The new chip, called the
M1, marks a shift away from Intel Corp technology that has driven the
electronic brains of Mac computers for nearly 15 years.
It is a boon for Apple
computers, which are overshadowed by the company's iPhone but still rack up
tens of billions of dollars in sales per year. Apple hopes developers now will
create families of apps that work on both computers and phones.
The MacBook Air will start
at $999, the same as its predecessor, and have up to twice the battery life,
Apple said.
The M1 will also power the MacBook
Pro notebook, which starts at $1299, and its $699 Mac Minicomputer, which
comes without a monitor.
The Mini is targeted at
engineers and scientists because of artificial intelligence capabilities of the
new chip that usually require a graphics chip from Nvidia Corp or AMD.
The new products will be
available from next week, executives said.
Shares of Apple were up
about 0.2% as the event ended.
EFFICIENT AND FAST
In June, Apple said it
would begin outfitting Macs with its own chips, building on its decade-long
history of designing processors for its iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches.
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