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Apple preparing thinner Mac laptops using Intel chips [Times of Oman](Times of Oman Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) SAN FRANCISCO: Apple is preparing a new line-up of thinner MacBook laptops running on more powerful chips made by Intel, people with knowledge of the plans said. The MacBook Pro machines, to be unveiled at Apple's annual developers conference starting June 11, also will feature high- definition screens like those on the iPhone and iPad, as well as flash memory to cut startup times and extend battery life, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven't been made public. Apple's Mac sales are growing faster than the personal-computer market, benefiting from the popularity of its mobile devices. Since 2007, when the iPhone was introduced, Apple's Mac sales have more than doubled, reaching $21.8 billion last year. As Apple's share has grown, competitors such as Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Samsung Electronics have followed suit in making thinner, aluminium laptops that start up more quickly. Apple's new laptops will run on Intel's new processors, code-named Ivy Bridge, and will have a slimmed-down body design from the current 0.95-inch thickness, the people said. Bill Evans, a spokesman for Cupertino, California-based Apple, declined to comment, while Chuck Mulloy, a spokesman for Intel, referred questions to Apple. Apple shares fell 1.5 per cent on Monday to $558.22 at the close in New York. The stock has risen 38 per cent this year. Mountain Lion At the developer conference, Apple also may announce the debut date of its latest Mac operating system, called Mountain Lion, one person said. The new software, which Apple previewed in February, more closely aligns Mac computers with its mobile devices - the operating system includes many elements of the iOS mobile software that runs the iPhone and iPad. One feature lets users send a text message to an iPhone from a Mac. Mountain Lion also expands Apple's iCloud digital-storage service to let Mac users access and share saved documents across the Internet. It also allows users to create and access reminders and notes, and receive notifications, on all their Apple devices. Another new iCloud feature will make it easier to share photographs, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. The emphasis on the Mac at next month's conference suggests that Apple will concentrate on the iPhone later in the year. Analysts, including Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray Cos., have predicted Apple will release its next smartphone model by October. The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, accounting for 58 percent of its revenue in the most recent quarter. New mobile software Apple is expected to preview some of the new mobile software features that will be part of that release at the developer conference in San Francisco. While Mac computers account for just 13 per cent of Apple's sales and are no longer the main sales engine for the company, the machines are steadily gaining market share. Apple controlled 11.6 per cent of the PC market in the US in the fourth quarter of last year, compared to 6.1 per cent in the same period of 2007, according to Gartner. (Follow timesofoman.com on Facebook and on Twitter for updates that you can share with your friends.) (c) 2012 Muscat Press and Publishing House SAOC Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |