SAN FRANCISCO — Apple Inc. unveiled its next-generation MacBook Air and MacBook Pro portable computers at the company’s annual conference for software developers.
Apple shaved $100 from the price of most of the MacBook Airs with the exception of the entry level model which is still at $999. The new, thinner MacBook Pro starts at $1,199.
Monday’s big conference for technology developers ends months of speculation about Apple’s key hardware and software initiatives.
The announcements also include the next version of Apple’s operating system for iPhones and iPads. Apple, known for its ability to craft buzz, late last week erected an “iOS 6” banner at the San Francisco convention center hosting the event.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and world-wide marketing head Phil Schiller were among taking the stage at the Worldwide Developer Conference.
The annual event, besides serving as a showcase for new products, can be a barometer of how well the technology trend-setter is maintaining its cool. Developers race to land tickets, and this year the 5,000 or so that were offered sold out in a record hour and 43 minutes, compared with 10 hours in 2011.
The event comes as Apple’s influence among developers and the technology industry at large has never been higher. Despite the growth of competing devices that use Google Inc.’s Android operating system, software developers say they tune their products to Apple and the features it offers.
Apple said Monday that it has more than 400 million accounts on its App Store, and customers have downloaded some 30 billion apps.
But continuing to meet lofty expectations remains a challenge for the company. Last year’s conference was the last keynote presentation by Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder, who died in October. He unveiled iCloud, the company’s ambitious effort to allow consumers to gain access to their media across different Apple devices. IOS 6 is expected to include Apple’s own mobile mapping software to compete with software from Google, whose maps have been the default on the iPhone for years.
The software is also expected to include enhancements to iCloud, including new photo-sharing features.
To read more, go to The Wall Street Journal.