Live: Apple debuts MacBook Air with homegrown processor
10 November 2020
Apple introduced the first Mac with homegrown chips on Tuesday at a press event as well as the new M1 processor that powers the new MacBook Air.
Why it matters: The move away from Intel processors could reduce costs for Apple and give the company more flexibility in design, but also adds short-term uncertainty as well as extra work for developers.
New MacBook Air
The first Mac with Apple chips is a MacBook Air, which resembles past models, but is powered by Apple's M1 processor rather than an Intel chip.
- Apple says the battery on the new MacBook Air can power 15 hours of Web browsing, 18 hours of video playback and last twice as long when doing video conferencing. It also doesn't need a fan, Apple said.
- It still starts at $999 ($899 for education customers)
The M1 processor
Apple's M1 processor has 16 billion transistors and an 8-core CPU (4 high-performance and 4 high-efficiency) as well as 8 graphics cores. Apple says the high-efficiency cores alone can deliver the same performance as current MacBook Airs at a quarter of the power consumption.
Between the lines: One of the key things to watch is how quickly developers optimize their apps for the new chips. Apple says all its apps have been updated for the new chips, as well as key programs from others.
- Adobe's Lightroom is coming next month while Photoshop will arrive next year.
For those that aren't optimized, Apple has a translation engine, dubbed Rosetta 2. Most apps for the iPad and iPhone should also now run on the Mac.
Go deeper: Why Apple's shift to homegrown chips matters
This event is still taking place. Check back for frequent updates.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.