Apple Event New: Next-Gen AirPods And More Powerful MacBooks Are Here

Topline

Apple unveiled numerous new products, including two sizes of MacBook Pro laptops—which run on the new M1 Pro and M1 Max in-house silicon processing chips that greatly expand the laptops’ power—and AirPods 3 Bluetooth headphones in a live-streamed launch event Monday.

Apple is expected to announce its first update to its MacBook Pro laptop line in three years. (Photo … [+] by Stephen Lam/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Apple first announced the AirPods 3, which will have spatial audio and increased battery life, retailing at $179 upon its release next week.

The MacBook Pro will come in 14 and 16-inch editions, and, in addition to the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, will come with other new features, including the addition of an HDMI port and the return of the MagSafe charging port.

The new chips will enable the most powerful MacBook Pros to rely entirely on in-house processors and not Intel’s chips per Reuters, a key development for Apple.

This is the second major Apple unveiling in as many months, as the company launched the iPhone 13 September 15.

Chief Critic

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger told “Axios on HBO” Sunday, “Apple decided they could do a better chip themselves than we could…. and, you know, they did a pretty good job. So what I have to do is create a better chip than they can do themselves. I would hope to win back this piece of their business, as well as many other pieces of business, over time.”

Tangent

Though it is not a feature with the AirPods 3, the Wall Street Journal reported last week that Apple is considering adding health features to the popular headphone line. Among the features that Apple is reportedly testing include using AirPods to measure internal body temperature and track posture.