Apple Adding H.264 Hardware Decoder Chip to Macs?
Robert Cringley claims that Apple is planning on incorporating dedicated H.264 decoding chips into future Mac hardware.
Now comes the rumor I have heard, that I believe to be a fact, that has simply yet to be confirmed. I have heard that Apple plans to add hardware video decoding to ALL of its new computers beginning fairly soon, certainly this year.
The article claims that incorporating a dedicated H.264 decoding chip will allow Apple to ensure the same base performance on every machine it sells. The $50 chip is said to also offer H.264 encoding to allow users to quickly encode high quality video clips for upload to the internet.
H.264 is a high quality video format which Apple uses to encode their video content on iTunes and the web. Apple has a FAQ on H.264 on their website.
Robert Cringley has been know for posting speculative predictions in the past, but specifically notes that this is from an outside source that he believes to be true.
Popular Stories
Along with the low-cost MacBook, Apple could introduce a refreshed version of the MacBook Air next week. Most of the focus will be on the new machine, but the MacBook Air is expected to get some useful internal updates.
M5 Chip
The next-generation MacBook Air will adopt the M5 chip, which Apple already introduced in the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro models that came out last year.
Apple's M5...
With a similar screen size and easy, one-handed grip, the iPad mini has always been the Apple device that overlaps most with dedicated e-readers. Now, amid rumors pointing to an OLED display for the next generation, could the iPad mini finally replace devices such as the Kindle and Kobo?
The shift from LCD to OLED could make the iPad mini far more appealing as a reading device. OLED panels...
Apple CEO Tim Cook today teased "a big week ahead," with announcements starting Monday. His post included an #AppleLaunch hashtag with a colorful Apple logo, along with a short video that ultimately shows an Apple logo on the lid of a Mac.
Apple is reportedly planning a three-day stretch of product announcements from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4, with up to five new products...
