Apple introduced Final Cut X thirteen years ago. Considering that the video-editing program marked its 25th birthday this April, that represents just over half of its lifetime. Some have questioned whether the corporation has discreetly withdrawn the offering due to its multiple lifetimes in the consumer software industry.

Final Cut Pro finally reaches level 11, after 13 years of waiting, and Apple is no longer playing around. On Wednesday, the program will be accessible for download. After a 90-day trial period, new users will need to pay $300 to buy Final Cut Pro 11 from the Mac App Store, while current users will receive it as a free update.

What specifically justified the much anticipated move to 11? AI is two letters. The business is using AI to power new features just weeks after releasing Apple Intelligence for iOS, iPadOS, and MacOS.

Magnetic Mask is at the top of the list because it makes it simple to crop objects and people out of videos without using a green screen.

According to Apple, “This powerful and precise automatic analysis provides additional flexibility to customize backgrounds and environments,” “Editors can also combine Magnetic Mask with color correction and video effects, allowing them to precisely control and stylize each project.”

Transcribe to Captions, which basically adds text to Final Cut’s timeline, is the second standout AI-based tool here. The company claims that its in-house large language model (LLM) powers that feature.

Apple’s problematic mixed-reality headset is the subject of this article’s other major headline. The most recent iPhones now have the capability to record Spatial Video, and Final Cut may be used to edit that footage. It is possible to add effects, color correct the video, and change the titles’ depth placement.

Apple is reportedly working on a more inexpensive variant, even though CEO Tim Cook has acknowledged that the $3,500 headgear isn’t the mainstream consumer product the company wanted. Along with the iPhone 15 Pro and all iPhone 16 models, the Vision Pro itself can record spatial video. Additionally, Canon just unveiled a new twin lens that works with R7 cameras.

Additionally, there are various time-saving features in the new Final Cut. For example, Magnetic Timeline allows you to swiftly rearrange clips while maintaining audio and video synchronization.

According to Apple, Final Cut Pro 11 was developed especially for the M-series of CPUs, which are its first-party silicon. This includes having more simultaneous 4K and 8K playback capabilities.

Apple claims that the M-series of chips, their first-party silicon, were the reason behind the creation of Final Cut Pro 11. This includes the capacity to play back several 4K and 8K ProRes video streams at once.

Final Cut Pro for iPad 2.1 is being released by Apple concurrently with the eagerly anticipated release of Pro 11. The brightness and color of the touched-based interface will be increased, and the workflow will be enhanced as well. Starting on Wednesday, current users can also obtain that for free.

A smaller but no less powerful Mac Mini was recently unveiled by Apple as part of the company’s week of Mac-focused announcements. It now has Apple’s most recent M4 silicon, enables ray tracing for the first time, and comes pre-installed with 16GB of RAM, which seems to be the new standard in the age of Apple Intelligence. While the more potent M4 Pro model starts at $1,399, the machine still starts at $599 with the standard M4 CPU. The Mac Mini is available for preorder right now and will be in stores on November 8th, just like the updated iMac that was revealed yesterday.

The new design will be the first thing you notice. The Mini has reportedly been significantly reduced in size, although it was already a comparatively small desktop computer. It is now incredibly small, with dimensions of five inches for both length and width. Apple claims that “an innovative thermal architecture, which guides air to different levels of the system, while all venting is done through the foot” and the M4’s efficiency are the reasons it keeps things cool.

Nevertheless, Apple has packed this device with a ton of input/output, including a 3.5mm audio jack and two USB-C connections on the front. Three USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, Ethernet, and HDMI are located around the back. Although the USB-A ports are outdated, it’s important to remember that the base M2 Mini only featured two USB-A connectors and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. You get a total of five ports with the M4. You get an additional Thunderbolt port but lose native USB-A.

Depending on the M4 processor you select, those Thunderbolt connectors will have varying speeds. While the M4 Pro offers the most recent Thunderbolt 5 throughput, the standard M4 processor comes with Thunderbolt 4.

With its 14 CPU and 20 GPU cores, the M4 Pro Mac Mini also offers better overall performance. The standard M4 can have up to 32GB of RAM, while the M4 Pro can have up to 64GB. The maximum storage capacity is an astounding 8TB. Therefore, even though the Mini is rather little, if you have the money, you can make it really powerful. For those who desire it, 10 gigabit Ethernet is still an optional upgrade.

Apple has a big week ahead of it. On Monday, the company released the M4 iMac and its first Apple Intelligence software features for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. (More AI functionality will be available in December, such as ChatGPT integration and image production.) As Apple completes its new hardware, those updated MacBook Pros might make their appearance tomorrow. The business will undoubtedly highlight its newest fleet of Macs when it releases its quarterly profits on Thursday.

The new chip from Qualcomm (QCOM) may increase competition between Apple’s (AAPL) iOS and Android.

During its Snapdragon Summit on Monday, the firm unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, which includes a new, second-generation Oryon CPU that it claims is the “fastest mobile CPU in the world.” According to Qualcomm, multimodal generative artificial intelligence characteristics can be supported by the upcoming Snapdragon platform.

Qualcomm, which primarily creates chips for mobile devices running Android, claims that the new Oryon CPU is 44% more power efficient and 45% faster. As the iPhone manufacturer releases its Apple Intelligence capabilities, the new Snapdragon 8 platform may allow smartphone firms compete with Apple on the AI frontier. Additionally, Apple has an agreement with OpenAI, the company that makes ChatGPT, to incorporate ChatGPT-4o into the upcoming iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia.

According to a September Wall Street Journal (NWSA) story, Qualcomm is apparently interested in purchasing Intel (INTC) in a deal that could be valued up to $90 billion. According to Bloomberg, Apollo Global Management (APO), an alternative asset manager, had also proposed an equity-like investment in Intel with a potential value of up to $5 billion.

According to reports, which cited anonymous sources familiar with the situation, Qualcomm may postpone its decision to acquire Intel until after the U.S. presidential election next month. According to the persons who spoke with Bloomberg, Qualcomm is waiting to make a decision on the transaction because of the possible effects on antitrust laws and tensions with China after the election results.

According to a report from analysts at Bank of America Global Research (BAC), Qualcomm could expand, take the lead in the market for core processor units, or CPUs, for servers, PCs, and mobile devices, and get access to Intel’s extensive chip fabrication facilities by acquiring Intel. They went on to say that Qualcomm would become the world’s largest semiconductor company if its $33 billion in chip revenue were combined with Intel’s $52 billion.

The experts claimed that those advantages would be outweighed by the financial and regulatory obstacles posed by a possible transaction. They are dubious about a prospective takeover and think that Intel’s competitors may gain from the ambiguity surrounding the agreement.