MACBOOK PRO , IMAC

Apple is preparing new thinner MacBook laptops running on more powerful chips by Intel. 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.Apple’s Mac sales are growing faster than the personal-computer market, benefiting from the popularity of its mobile devices.Since 2007, Apple’s Mac sales have more than doubled, reaching US$21.8 billion (S$27.4 billion) last year.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 2.4cm thickness, the sources said. Apple shares fell 1.5 per cent to US$558.22 at the close in New York. The stock has risen 38 per cent this year.

At the developer conference, Apple also may announce the debut date of its latest Mac operating system, called Mountain Lion, a source said. 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 today.