Apple unveiled some of the long-awaited updates to its Mac computers on Thursday, aiming to spark consumer interest in a product line often overshadowed by newer gadgets like the iPad and iPhone.
The breakout feature is, as widely speculated, a new touch-sensitive panel on the MacBook Pro, Apple’s top-of-the-line laptop. The touch bar will offer functionality that’s familiar to many iPhone users. It shows word suggestions as you type and lets you scroll through libraries of emojis. When watching movies, the touch bar can offer playback controls. When editing photos, the touch bar changes to offer options to lighten or rotate. It adapts and offers different controls for whatever app or website you’re using.
The Pro will also come with a fingerprint sensor, similar to one in the iPhone, to unlock the device. It can recognise different users and offer quick switching based on the fingerprint. The new Macs will also offer a dedicated key for the Siri voice assistant, a feature added with the MacOS Sierra update last month.
USB-C outlet
In keeping with recent updates to other Apple products, the company will replace some computer ports with a new USB-C outlet. Connectors using USB-C technology can transmit data faster than older USB jacks. They’re also smaller and have a uniform shape, which means the USB-C jack can be inserted with either side facing up.
Apple unveiled the new Macs at an event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California. During the event, Apple also said it wants to unify television viewing on its streaming TV device with a new app simply called “TV.”
Laptops vs. tablets
The changes to the Mac are the first significant ones in years. Sales of the Mac have been in a slump this year, after a streak of growth in 2014 and 2015 that seemed to defy global trends. Consumers generally are buying fewer PCs and using smartphones or tablets instead.
Apple itself has promoted its latest iPad tablet, the iPad Pro, as a device capable of replacing the laptop for many users.
For Apple, the Mac line has been eclipsed financially by other products first the iPod and now the iPhone that have made far more money in recent years.
Apple sold $22.8 billion worth of Macs in its past fiscal year, although that was just 11 per cent of the company’s total revenue. It sold $136 billion worth of iPhones. In the most recent quarter, Apple sold 9.3 million iPads and 4.9 million Macs, although the iPads accounted for just $4.3 billion in sales while the Macs contributed $5.7 billion.
But the Mac has remained a significant product for Apple, and one that’s important to intensely loyal fans.
Baby steps in TV
Apple TV is a newer endeavor, and the new TV app could make it easier for viewers to find shows to watch, as it means they don’t have to check individual apps
The app, though, is short of a full-fledged streaming-TV service, which reports say Apple has been pursuing. Rather, it brings together TV shows and movies viewers already get through individual subscriptions. The TV app will be synced with iPhones and iPads, so viewers can catch the next episode regardless of device. Apple said its Siri voice assistant will also direct viewers to live events, such as streaming sports.
Apple said Apple TV already has 8,000 apps, including more than 2,000 games. The addictive building game “Minecraft” will come later this year.
Shipment of AirPod earphones
Separately, Apple said it’s delaying shipment of its wireless AirPod earphones, which had been scheduled for late October. In a statement, the company said, “We don’t believe in shipping a product before it’s ready, and we need a little more time before AirPods are ready for our customers.”
