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Apple's new iPad Pro series will be equipped with a processor that the company claims is a “very powerful chip for AI.” That's because the tech giant has laid the groundwork for rolling out long-anticipated generative AI capabilities across its products amid investor concerns that it's falling behind the competition. To take advantage of new technology.
FILE – In this June 16, 2020 file photo, the sun reflects on Apple's Fifth Avenue store in New York City. … [+]
important facts
The new M4 chip is an upgrade over the M2 chip found in previous-generation iPads and the M3 chip found in Apple's current-generation MacBook laptops, the company said in an announcement Tuesday.
Tuesday's announcement did not specify specific AI capabilities that Apple's technology could include, but Tim Millett, Apple's vice president of platform architecture, gave one example: He claimed to be able to isolate the subject and delete that part. Change your background with just a tap in Apple's Final Cut Pro app.
Milley said that while the neural engine that powers the M4 chip's AI capabilities has been built into Apple's chips for years, this latest neural engine is 60 times more powerful than Apple's earlier models and that “Today's AI It is more powerful than any neural processing unit in a PC.” ”
On Tuesday, Apple announced a new line of iPad Pros that the company calls its thinnest yet. Available in 11-inch and 13-inch models with OLED screen technology, the 11-inch model starts at $999.
The company also announced a new iPad Air equipped with the M2 chip. It has a larger 13-inch option priced at $799. Both the iPad Air and iPad pro will be available for order online on Tuesday, and in stores on May 15th.
Apple stock rose slightly (less than 1 percentage point) following Tuesday's announcement.
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Points to note
Apple may announce further plans for AI at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10th. CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday that the company will use the event to “talk about the future of our platform and share some exciting details about what's coming.” Cook previously said the company was making “significant investments” in AI and would make further announcements on the topic “later this year.”
Contra
Apple's artificial intelligence plans may face some immediate competition. The Verge reports that Microsoft is planning to hold an event in Seattle this month where it will unveil its vision for the future of “AI PCs” and potentially launch new hardware powered by Arm AI chips. That's what he said.
Main background
Sales of Apple's flagship product, the iPhone, have been sluggish, with sales down 10% year-on-year in the first three months of 2024 and 4% in the previous quarter. Apple is also considered the most profitable publicly traded company in the United States, but its stock price has plummeted due to concerns about declining demand for iPhones in China and Apple's lack of big business participation in the artificial intelligence field. It has been on a downward trend recently.
big number
38 trillion. Apple claimed on Tuesday that this is the number of operations the new M4 chip's Neural Engine can perform per second.
