MacBook Air with Self-Developed M4 Chip… New Mac Studio Also Announced
(San Francisco = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Tae-jong = On the 5th (local time), Apple announced a new model of its bestselling laptop, the MacBook Air.
The new model features the M4 chip, which is faster than the previous M3 chip, and an upgraded video conferencing camera.
The M4 chip is Apple’s latest self-developed chip, first introduced in May last year. Apple has described the M4 as a “chip for powerful artificial intelligence (AI).”
This chip features Apple’s fastest neural engine designed to accelerate AI machine learning.
According to Apple, this neural engine can perform 38 trillion operations per second, making it 60 times faster than the neural engine first introduced in Apple’s A11 Bionic chip.
The upgraded camera, which has higher resolution, supports “Center Stage” and “Desk View” features, allowing users to share the desktop screen during video conferences.
The new product will be available for purchase starting March 12.
In particular, the price for the 13-inch model starts at $999, and the 15-inch model starts at $1,099, which is $100 less than previous models in the United States.
Although it was expected that electronics prices would increase due to the new tariffs applied to Chinese products by the Trump administration from the 4th, the prices actually decreased.
Bank of America Securities analysts had previously forecast in a report last month that PC manufacturers, including Apple, were likely to pass on the increased costs to consumers.
Most of Apple’s major products are manufactured in China and could be affected by the two 10% tariffs imposed by President Trump.
However, Apple has diversified its supply chain in recent years, and some Mac products are now assembled in Malaysia or Vietnam.
Products manufactured in these regions can avoid the tariffs imposed on Chinese-made products, but Apple has not disclosed where this new model was assembled.
The MacBook Air is one of Apple’s key products. In the last quarter, Mac sales recorded about $9 billion in revenue, a 15% increase compared to the same period last year. CEO Tim Cook has mentioned that the MacBook Air is one of the main growth drivers.
Alongside this, Apple also announced a new model of its high-end desktop, the Mac Studio. The Mac Studio, equipped with powerful processing performance, is designed for professionals involved in graphic work, audio and video production, and artificial intelligence (AI) development.
The new Mac Studio comes in two versions, with the M3 series top-end chip M3 Ultra and the high-end chip of the M4 series, the M4 Max.
The M3 Ultra offers maximum performance for tasks such as 3D graphics or video editing, while the M4 Max offers superior AI performance.
taejong75@yna.co.kr