Like the iMac in years past, analysts say the new Surface machine has a premium price and features that will most likely appeal to visual designers and other creative professionals.įor 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.Īpple sold $22.8 billion worth of Macs in its past fiscal year, although that was just 11 percent of the company's total revenue. Microsoft, traditionally a software company, has begun selling its own line of high-end Surface laptops and this week introduced its first Surface desktop PC. They're also smaller and have a uniform shape, which means the USB-C jack can be inserted with either side facing up. Connectors using USB-C technology can transmit data faster than older USB jacks. In keeping with recent updates to other Apple products, the company will replace some computer ports with a new USB-C outlet. The new Macs will also offer a dedicated key for the Siri voice assistant, a feature added with the MacOS Sierra update last month. It can recognize different users and offer quick switching based on the fingerprint. The Pro will also come with a fingerprint sensor, similar to one in the iPhone, to unlock the device. It adapts and offers different controls for whatever app or website you're using. When editing photos, the touch bar changes to offer options to lighten or rotate.

When watching movies, the touch bar can offer playback controls. It shows word suggestions as you type and lets you scroll through libraries of emojis. The touch bar will offer functionality that's familiar to many iPhone users.

The breakout feature is, as widely speculated, a new touch-sensitive panel on the MacBook Pro, Apple's top-of-the-line laptop. (AP) - Apple unveiled long-awaited updates to its Mac computers Thursday, aiming to spark consumer interest in a product line often overshadowed by newer gadgets like the iPad and iPhone.

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