Apple goes big on a new range

Apple’s WWDC reveal is bringing the powerful M2 chip to the people.

The chip to end all chips

We’ve become fairly accustomed to Apple’s annual WWDC reveal bringing the spectacular to the masses. The event usually throws up new products, new software, and a host of other goodies – this year’s big star was the super-powered M2 chip.

The M2 is the successor to Apple’s famous M1 chip. As the firm’s execs were delighted to announce, the chip is packed full of transistors – 25% more than the M1 to be exact – and has 50% more bandwidth than its predecessor. The upshot? Apple’s new ace card is all about upping power-efficient performance and speed, all while minimizing the effort needed to do so. Smart.

A taste of the future

It wasn’t just the M2 making headlines. Apple has announced its first steps into the buy now, pay later game – a pretty natural step beyond the existing Apple Pay service, as well as some new exciting tech products. All flashy stuff, but before we get swept up in the Apple hype, it’s worth taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture for a moment.

Apple hasn’t been insulated from the tech sell-off sparked in January. Share prices are down about 20% in the year-to-date, the company has been hit hard by semiconductor shortages, and production sites in China are operating at a fraction of their normal capacity.

After the singing and dancing, CEO Tim Cook was asked on his way out of WWDC whether supply chains in China were easing up. His response? A smile and no answer. Snazzy products may be inbound, but just don’t expect to be getting your hands on them any time soon.