By Michael Liedtke, Technology Writer
San Ramon, CA (AP) --Apple is rolling out new Mac computers powered by the same kind of chips that run iPhones and iPads, a move aimed at making it easier for its most popular products to work together.
For instance, Macs using the new chips will be able to run the same apps designed for the iPhone’s mobile operating system, although it appears some developers aren’t immediately keen on making those apps available for Macs. Apple didn’t demonstrate any other interoperability features based on the new chips, although analysts expect more cross-pollination.
The new Mac lineup unveiled Tuesday will be in stores five months after Apple announced it would abandon its longtime partner Intel in favor of using its own processors for Mac computers. Apple said its new Mac chips make possible faster processing speeds, sleeker designs and longer running times on a single battery charge.
For instance, some Macs have eliminated a cooling fan inside the machines, helping slim down their design.
The transition to the new in-house chips could also create stumbling blocks for Apple and other software makers aiming to adapt existing Mac software so it will also run smoothly on the new models.
Initially, Apple will only be putting its chips in smaller computers — the 13-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, as well as the Mac Mini desktop. The company expects it will take another two years before all its Macs are running on the in-house chips.
All three new computers are supposed to be available in stores next week, with prices starting at almost $700 for the Mac Mini to $1,200 for the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
The new Macs are debuting amid high demand for laptop computers as consumers, companies, schools and government agencies adjust to a work-at-home shift triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if a vaccine eases the threat posed by the novel coronavirus, people still are expected to be working more frequently from home than they previously did..
Apple’s Mac sales surged 17% during the first nine months of this year compared to 2019. The company’s iPhone revenue fell 9% over the same span as people continued to hold on to their older models for longer periods or bought devices powered by Google’s Android software instead.
Apple still get four times more revenue from iPhones than it does from Macs Sales of Macs also lag far behind those of PCs made by Lenovo, HP and Dell that run Microsoft's Windows software and primarily use chips made by Intel and AMD.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this ā and those many "Babadook" memes ā unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables ā "Bah-Bah-Doooook" ā an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More