Regardless of a international semiconductor scarcity and supply-chain bottlenecks which have slowed the manufacturing of iPhones, Apple this week introduced a number of new merchandise. These embrace a redesigned MacBook Pro laptop computer, new AirPod wi-fi headphones and even a $19 “polishing cloth” that is producing buzz on social media.
Apple introduced two new processors for the redesigned MacBook Pro, the M1 Pro and M1 Max, up to date variations of the corporate’s customized M1 system-on-a-chip processor launched late final yr. Though Apple didn’t launch specs, in accordance with some tests the revamped chips are extra highly effective and fewer power-hungry than these in comparable PCs. That ought to assist the new laptop computer carry out demanding duties like rendering video and crunching AI knowledge.
This yr’s MacBook Pro is redesigned and comes with MagSafe magnetic charging, a various array of connection ports, a 120Hz True-Tone display screen and a higher keyboard. The new front-facing digital camera will assist HD FaceTime calls, however not Face ID.
After all, with nice energy normally comes a nice sticker value. The MacBook Pro begins at $1,499 for the 1-inch mannequin, whereas the 16-inch mannequin prices a hefty $2,499.
Apple additionally introduced a new HomePod with higher Siri integration and new colours, in addition to redesign of its AirPod wi-fi headphones ($179) that features assist for “spacial audio,” a high-resolution audio format. The new {hardware} is coupled with software program updates, together with MacOS Monterey and refinements to Apple Music.
However of all of the new gear, some tech analysts think an important product Apple introduced this week was a $19 polishing cloth. The mushy, nonabrasive material sq. is embossed with the Apple emblem and appropriate with most merchandise, together with Android gadgets. An API for the small swath of material has not but been introduced.
The iPhone maker is within the midst of its biggest product release cycle in a decade due to the corporate’s latest shift from Intel to in-house chips, fairness analyst Dan Ives informed CBS MoneyWatch. Impressively, it is managed to maintain that momentum at a time of unprecedented pressure on international provide chains which might be slowing shipments from China, the place most iPhones are manufactured. In response to Nikkei Asia, Apple is anticipating to ship 10 million fewer iPhone 13 units this fall.
Apple’s M1 chip “allowed them to take a hit with the iPhone 13 while side-stepping the global shortage of microprocessors that slowed production of everything from new phones to cars,” Ives stated. The iPhone 13, introduced final month, is briefly provide this yr as a result of digital camera elements are unavailable, and the Apple Watch 7 options a flashier show however ships with last year’s processor.
“The supply chain bottlenecks have been a thorn in the iPhone product cycle, but designing silicon in-house keeps the Mac product train rolling forward,” Ives stated.
Apple analyst Rene Ritche agrees that the corporate’s funding in customized processors paid off. “Designing their own silicon has let Apple avoid the issues plaguing the rest of the industry — legacy [supply chain] nodes,” he stated on Twitter. “In other words, there’s no shortage of the new and expensive, only of the old and cheap.”
The corporate’s large scale — Apple offered greater than 200 million iPhones final yr — additionally helped it keep aggressive, Ritchie stated. “No one sells as many premium devices as Apple, so it’s really something only Apple can afford to do,” Ritchie tweeted. “And Apple buys [components] early and in bulk to fund new and expensive products.”
