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June 24, 2020

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Apple to use its own chips in Mac computers

Apple Inc on Monday said it will switch to its own chips for its Mac computers, saying the first machines will ship this year, ending a nearly 15-year reliance on Intel Corp to supply processors for its flagship laptops and desktop.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said it marked the beginning of a major new era for a product line that powered the company’s rise in the 1980s and its resurgence in the late 1990s.

“Silicon is at the heart of our hardware,” Cook said during a virtual keynote address recorded at the company’s Cupertino, California, headquarters for its annual developer conference. “Having a world class silicon design team is a game changer.”

The silicon switch brings the Mac in line with the firm’s iPhone and iPads, which already use Apple-designed chips. Cook said that Apple expects the Mac transition to take about two years and that Apple still has some Intel-based computers in its pipeline that it will support for “many years.”

But the move will give software developers for Apple’s largest pool of third-party apps — those built for iPhones and iPads — new access to its laptops and desktop for the first time. Apple software chief Craig Federighi said that for those offerings, “most apps will work, with no changes from the developer” on the new Macs.

He also said the “vast majority” of existing apps for Intel-based machines can be modified to work in “just a few days.”

Apple Inc also announced system and interface updates for the iPhone, iPad and Mac during its annual developer conference, including some adaptions to Maps specially for China.

At the conference, the tech giant announced a series of updates, including details of its upcoming iOS 14 software for the iPhone. The majority of updates will be available later this year.

Updates to iOS 14 include an app Library with improvements to the way they appear on screen, a digital car key initially to be used in a BMW model, a translation feature for 11 languages and a revamped Apple Maps.

Maps will include directions for bicycles for the first time and check limits on car numbers automatically in cities including Beijing, a feature aimed at relieving traffic congestion and protecting the environment.

According to researcher Counterpoint, Samsung was the global market leader with an 18.5 percent share in the first quarter, followed by Huawei’s 14.2 percent, and Apple’s 13.7 percent.

‘Dreaming big’

Meanwhile, the work of student developers from Shanghai was noted during the five-day worldwide developers conference which opened on Monday.

Student developers from Shanghai were invited to talk with Cook online. He said they were creating apps that “do incredible things like help prepare for pandemics, reduce our carbon footprints and connect victims of sexual assault with resources they need.”

On his Weibo account he wrote: “Amazing to see how they’re dreaming big and changing the world.”

The developers included 17-year-old Yu Tieling, a middle school student. She had created an app on paper cutting, a traditional Chinese art.

She liked talking with Cook and other developers and wants to use coding to change the world, Yu said.

“I not only want to use my code to influence the world, but my passion and ability to lead more girls into the world of programming as well,” Yu said.




 

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