Apple launched its latest MacBook Pro laptops - powered by the company’s in-house M1 Pro and M1 Max chips – and new AirPods on Monday as the US tech company looks to diversify its product range and attract more professional users.
Available in 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes, the new MacBooks offer longer battery life, faster processing, brighter display, better graphics and advanced machine learning capabilities, the company said in announcing the first major redesign for the laptops since 2016.
Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said the "game-changing" new laptop has "no equal" and is the "best Pro notebook" Apple has made.
Apple's latest products were announced at the company’s live streamed "Unleashed" event, the second major product launch of the year for Apple, which last month unveiled its newest iPhone 13 series, Apple Watch 7 and new iPads.
After infuriating its creative customer base when it dropped most ports in earlier models, the new Mac notebooks once again will have an HDMI socket and an SD card slot.
The computers will also feature a 1080-pixel FaceTime camera, following years of complaints about the dismal performance of many of Apple's forward-facing laptop cameras.
A new sound system supports spatial audio, which is engineered to create a three-dimensional cinema-like experience.
The Pro lineup also marks the return of MagSafe charging, another feature customers had demanded after Apple phased it out in 2016.
A fast charge feature also comes to the devices for the first time, charging up to 50 per cent in 30 minutes, the company said.
Apple, which introduced its own M1 chip in November last year to reduce its products’ reliance on Intel chips, also launched the advanced versions - M1 Pro and M1 Max.
The central processing unit in the new chips delivers a performance up to 70 per cent faster than the M1, Apple said, making tasks like compiling projects in Xcode – an ecosystem created by Apple for app development - much faster.
The graphics processing unit in M1 Pro is up to two times faster than the M1, while the M1 Max is up to four times faster, Apple said.
“M1 has transformed our most popular systems with incredible performance, custom technologies and industry-leading power efficiency,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies.
“With massive gains in CPU and GPU performance, up to six times the memory bandwidth … and other advanced technologies, M1 Pro and M1 Max take Apple silicon even further."
The new MacBook Pro models are available to order from Monday on the company's website and in the Apple Store app. They will be available in select Apple Store locations and authorised resellers from October 26.
In the US, the new 14-inch MacBook Pro model starts at $1,999 and goes up to $2,499. The 16-inch MacBook Pro model starts at $2,499 and goes up to $3,499.
The new models will ship with macOS Monterey, the latest version of the Apple’s desktop operating system, which will be available as a free software update from October 25.
The computers are housed in an aluminium case that optimises internal space.
“The thermal design enables MacBook Pro to deliver phenomenal performance while staying cool and quiet. And because of the efficiency of Apple silicon, the fans never even have to turn on for most tasks users perform every day,” the company said.
Apple also announced the third generation of AirPods that have an extended battery of up to six hours of listening time alone and up to 30 hours of total listening time with the charging case, Apple said.
“We are excited to introduce the next generation of AirPods, featuring unrivalled sound … spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, along with seamless interaction between Apple devices," said Mr Joswiak.
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RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Superior, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
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Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Roy Orbison, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.15pm
Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
Winner: Taamol, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.50pm
Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
Winner: Welford, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Sandeep Jadhav
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tales of Yusuf Tadros
Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)
Hoopoe
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
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Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
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F1 The Movie
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Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
LAST-16 EUROPA LEAGUE FIXTURES
Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)
FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm
Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm
Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm
Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm
Thursday
Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm
Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm
FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm
Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
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MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
