Following the illustrious line of calendar-spanning corporate events like Lobsterfest and Shark Week, Apple tried something new this year with a celebration unofficially known as Mac Week. (Fortunately for Apple, it just so happens to coincide with its earnings call on Thursday!) The company’s three-day product rollout for desktop hardware centered around the M4 chip, built for Apple Intelligence. We recount everything Apple spit out this week, including a new iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Pro and other goodies like Apple Intelligence’s official arrival on iOS, iPadOS and macOS.

iMac (M4)

The M4-powered iMac has the same design (apart from some new colors) but with more horsepower inside. Apple says the all-in-one desktop is 1.7 times faster for daily productivity and 2.1 times faster for more demanding tasks like gaming or photo editing. Like all new Macs announced this week, it loses the measly 8GB of RAM previously seen in the cheapest Macs, jumping to 16GB as the baseline. (Woo!)

The new iMac still has a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display encased in an aluminum unibody design. However, it adds a new nano-texture glass screen option for reduced glare and a 12MP Center Stage camera that supports Apple’s Desk View.

You can pre-order the M4 iMac now, starting at $1,299. Deliveries and in-store sales begin on November 8.

Mac mini (M4, M4 Pro)

Apple’s little Mac that could lives up to its “mini” branding more than ever. The 2024 Mac mini is a mere five-inch by five-inch box, two inches tall. (That’s only slightly bigger than the Apple TV 4K!)

The new Mac mini is available in M4 and M4 Pro configurations. Apple says the M4 variant is up to 1.8 times faster than the M1 model from four years ago. Its graphics are up to 2.2 times faster. It should also be much better for Apple Intelligence: It supports 38 TOPS (tera operations per second) of AI processing power. That dwarfs the 18 TOPS from the (only one-year-old) M3 chip. It, too, starts with 16GB of RAM.

For the first time, the machine ditches legacy USB ports. It has two USB-C ports on the front and three Thunderbolt USB-C ports on the back (along with HDMI and Ethernet).

The M4 Mac mini is available to pre-order. It starts at $599, while the souped-up M4 Pro variant starts at $1,399. It arrives on November 9.

MacBook Pro (M4, M4 Pro, M4 Max)

Most of Apple’s Mac sales are in the MacBook lineup, which makes sense. Not only can you use them on the go, but you can also grab a Thunderbolt cable and hook them up to the monitor of your choice to double as a desktop. So, the climax of Mac Week was the new M4-powered MacBook Pro.

The only new Mac with three chip tiers, the MacBook Pro comes in M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max options. Apple says the M4 Pro is up to three times faster than the M1 Pro, and the M4 Max is up to 3.5 times faster than the M1 Max. The M4 variant is up to 1.8 times faster than the M1-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro for photo editing. That jumps to 3.4 times faster for demanding work like rendering scenes in Blender.

Its Neural Engine for Apple Intelligence (and other AI) is over three times as powerful as the M1. Helping out on the AI front (and for all-around performance) is the same 16GB of RAM as a baseline.

The laptop offers the same nano-texture display option as the iMac and up to 1,000 nits of brightness for SDR content. It also adopts the 12MP Center Stage camera for much better built-in video call capabilities. The device has three Thunderbolt 4 ports and an estimated 24 hours of battery life — as Apple puts it, that’s the longest ever in a Mac.

The new MacBook Pro is available in familiar 14-inch and 16-inch models. The smaller model with the M4 chip starts at $1,599, the M4 Pro variant starts at $1,999, and the ultra-high-end M4 Max will set you back at least $3,199. The 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,499 with the M4 Pro chip, while an M4 Max flavor is $3,499 and up.

Apple Intelligence cometh

Apple’s first wave of on-device AI features is now in consumers’ hands, with no beta software required. This round includes writing tools like proofreading, rewiring and summaries, live call transcriptions and notification summaries.

The beginnings of a more intelligent Siri also arrived with this batch, including typed queries and an improved ability to recognize stutters or self-interruptions. You also get a neat new glowing border that announces to the world, “This ain’t the shitty Siri you’re used to!” But you’ll have to wait for the next wave of Siri upgrades for a more significant overhaul, like a better understanding of personal context.

Now, the bad news. Apple Intelligence is only available on a handful of recent devices in each of Apple’s major product categories. For the iPhone, that’s the iPhone 15 Pro / Pro Max and the new iPhone 16 lineup (including non-Pro models). You’ll need a model with an M-series chip on the iPad, although the new iPad mini (with an A17 Pro chip) is an exception. As for Macs, you’ll also need a model with M-series Apple silicon, which stretches back to the last four years of models.

Apple Intelligence (round one) requires iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 or macOS Sequoia 15.1. The X.2 variants of each OS will bring the next wave of AI features, like ChatGPT integration and Image Playground.

AirPods Pro 2 hearing features

Not to be missed among the higher-profile announcements is a new series of hearing health tools for AirPods Pro 2 owners.

Announced at Apple’s September iPhone launch, the hearing features include a “clinically validated” hearing test, hearing protection (like for concerts) and the ability to use the device as a hearing aid if it detects mild to moderate impairment. (If severe, it will nudge you towards a professional.)

Engadget’s audio guru, Billy Steele, is the person to follow for more on these features. He’s extensively trialed them, including taking hearing tests with an Apple rep and test-driving AirPods-powered hearing protection at concerts.

Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft, said the French video game publisher is exploring its strategic options as it reported lackluster results for the first half of the year.

For the second fiscal quarter, Ubisoft report its net bookings were €352.3 million ($382 million), in line with revised guidance but lower than previous expectations. The company said lower-than-expected results for Star Wars: Outlaws were to blame. In the first half, net bookings were €642.3 million ($697 million), down 22% from a year ago. The net loss was $1.94 a diluted share.

During the past year, Ubisoft reduced its overall employment from 19,410 to 18,666, reducing staff by 744 positions. As for the options, Ubisoft didn’t say but it is reportedly exploring plans to take the company private. The company’s recent struggles are emblematic of the tough time the game industry has seen as demand has changed in the wake of the pandemic. Ubisoft also needs to execute on delivering great content for gamers even as it tries to rein in its costs.

In a statement, Guillemot said, “Despite recent setbacks, we are continuing to deeply transform Ubisoft in order to restore the level of creativity and innovation that built Ubisoft’s success while delivering stronger execution and predictability. Even if our first-half performance fell short of our initial expectations, the double-digit growth of our back catalog excluding partnerships reaffirms the quality, uniqueness and value embedded in our brand portfolio and the strength of our live services. This highlights our potential to deliver more recurring revenue, sustainable growth, and long-term value for our stakeholders.”

In addition to weaker Star Wars results, Guillemot said

He said that Ubisoft must redouble its focus on execution and reinforce a player-centric mindset in everything it does.

“For example, we are improving the quality of Star Wars Outlaws, including actively addressing player feedback through title updates as we get ready for the Steam launch, the first story pack, and the upcoming holiday season,” Guillemot said. “We are also taking the additional time to ensure that the upcoming very ambitious opus in our flagship franchise, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, is a highly polished, exceptional experience on day one and that it resonates strongly with players.”

Ubisoft delayed the launch of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, pushing it out of the holiday season into the next year.

“Over the past semester, we also further advanced our cost reduction plan thanks to strict control on recruitments, targeted restructurings and lower external spend,” Guillemot said. “This is the fruit of a group-wide effort, and I would like to thank the teams as we are transforming the company into a more efficient and agile organization. Over the first semester, we have already achieved more than €200 million ($217 million) savings versus two years ago on an annualized basis. There still remains work to be done to support robust cash-flow generation in the future.”

Guillemot added that the executive committee review, aimed at improving Ubisoft’s execution focused on a player-centric and gameplay-first approach, is progressing. This notably includes actions aimed at tackling the dynamics behind the polarized comments around Ubisoft so as to protect the Group’s reputation and maximize our game’s sales potential, he said.

“We remain committed to making decisions in the best interests of all of our stakeholders. In this context, as we have already indicated, the Company is also reviewing all its strategic options,” Guillemot said.

Results for the first half ended September 30

In the first half, Ubisoft said console and PC games saw playtime increase 9% in the first half ended September 30, and session days were up 6% from a year ago.

This was driven by by Rainbow Six: Siege playtime and session days both up double-digit year-on-year. Monthly active users were 37 million, up 3% year-on-year, and included close to 3 million new accounts per month. Excluding partnerships, back-catalog net bookings were up 12% year-on-year.

In the last 12 months, Ubisoft attracted 138 million unique players across console and the PC, up 4% year-on-year. The Assassin’s Creed franchise and Rainbow Six Siege both benefited from strong audiences, with more than 30 million unique active users each.

While it is perceived as having too many people and a low market value ($1.75 billion today), Ubisoft said it has a lot going for it. Over the past decade, the Assassin’s Creed franchise has generated around €4 billion ($4.3 billion), Rainbow Six Siege has generated over €3.5 billion ($3.8 billion) and Far Cry has topped around €2 billion ($2.17 billion). Including The Division, Ghost Recon and Just Dance, Ubisoft has six brands that have surpassed €1 billion ($1.09 billion) in consumer spending.

For the fiscal year, Ubisoft expects net bookings of around €1.95 billion ($2.11 billion) and around break-even non-FIRS operating income and free cash flow.

Frédérick Duguet, Chief Financial Officer, said in a statement, “Our Q2 net bookings are in line with our revised guidance. We are reaffirming our full-year objectives, with net bookings expected to reach approximately €1.95bn as well as around break-even non-IFRS EBIT and free cash flow. This outlook reflects robust free cash flow generation in the second half of the year. In addition, we continue exploring the sale of non-core assets as part of our broader strategy to focus on our two core verticals, Open World Adventures and GAAS-native experiences, as well as enhance financial flexibility.”

In a conference call with analysts, Duguet said the company continues to focus on cost reductions and said that staff has been reduced by 2,000 in the two years.

In a challenging FPS environment, Rainbow Six: Siege delivered a solid performance despite a strong comparable base, leading to playtime and session days growing double digit year-on-year over the first semester.

The Rainbow Six: Siege Year 9 Season 3 Battle Pass achieved the second-best ever conversion rate and the newly introduced operator, Skopós, was highly appreciated by the community notably thanks to its innovative gameplay, contributing to Sessions Days per Player slightly up in Q2.

Adoption for the recently introduced membership service grew solidly this quarter, and the marketplace continued to establish itself within the game’s ecosystem, engaging a significant number of players. The team continues to broaden engagement services by launching the Siege Cup beta on PC, a new competitive format.

Other Live titles across the portfolio of games demonstrated strong engagement and activity. The Crew franchise attracted over eight million active players this quarter and saw strong growth in engagement thanks to the announcements made during The Crew showcase as well as promotion initiatives for The Crew 2.

Players were introduced to the extensive content of Year 2 coming on November 6, and the addition of the new island of Maui accessible to all players for free, on top of the final season of content for Year 1 for The Crew Motorfest: Riders Republic benefitted from its inclusion in the Xbox Game Pass, generating a strong uplift to Session Days and profitability, and has now surpassed 10 million players.

For its part the Ghost Recon franchise also delivered a strong performance, growing both in terms of activity and net bookings over the first half, Ubisoft said.

New releases

This quarter saw the release of Star Wars: Outlaws, which Ubisoft admitted underperformed sales expectations.

Ubisoft said the open world action-adventure game achieved solid reviews and user scores across first party and the Epic Games Store.

Teams are fully mobilized on implementing changes to enhance game mechanics and overall polish. Since launch, the team has delivered three title updates focused on quality-of-life features and bug fixing, notably improvements in stealth mechanics, NPC AI and save features.

This has produced initial tangible results, with a meaningful community sentiment improvement. The most significant update yet will be released on November 21 with the fourth title update that will include further improvements to combat and stealth, and will launch alongside the release on Steam as well as the first story pack, Wild Card, with fan-favorite Lando Calrissian from the original trilogy.

This should engage a large audience during the holiday season and position the game as a strong long-term performer, Ubisoft said.

Cost reduction plan

Ubisoft said the cost reduction plan, that has the objective of protecting our production and creation capacity while being more selective in our investments and simplifying the organization, is well on track.

With the continued tight control on recruitments as well as targeted restructurings, the total number of employees worldwide stood at 18,666 at the end of September 2024, compared to 19,410 at the end of September 2023. This represents a decrease of more than 2,000 over 24 months.

The H1 FY2024-25 fixed cost base[1] stood at around €770 million ($836 million), down €46 million ($49.9 million) and 6% year-on-year. This represents a €106 million ($115 million) reduction versus H1 FY23 meaning that on an annualized basis, we have already achieved more than €200 million ($217 million) savings, including a favorable foreign exchange impact. There remains work ahead of us to support robust cash-flow generation.

Ubisoft said that its retention has continued to improve significantly over the period and is now close to the historical-best levels observed during the 2010-2020 decade that was the foundation for Ubisoft’s success. Additionally, hundreds of former Ubisoft employees have rejoined the company, notably at senior levels, bringing significant expertise and know-how that strengthens the triple-A core teams. This makes sense in the context of Ubisoft replacing employees who left even as it tries to reduce the overall workforce.

“We have a big pipeline of products to come over the next years,” Guillemot said. “We must redouble our focus on execution and reinforce the player-centric mindset in everything we do.”

Looking at FYQ3, Ubisoft said it expects net bookings of approximately €380 million ($412 million), which will represent the annual increase of around 39%. That includes solid expected sales from Star Wars: Outlaws. And it expects a record fourth fiscal quarter (ended March 31, 2025) by the year versus last year with net bookings of around €900 ($978 million), thanks to the launch of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. Analysts asked if Ubisoft plans to sell any of its franchises but the company declined to answer except to say it would sell assets that are not part of its overall strategy.

Ubisoft has about €930 million ($1 billion) in cash.

The Equity crew was live at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024! Hosts Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey and Margaux MacColl took over the Builders Stage to kick off day 2 of Disrupt with no shortage of conference highlights, startups deals and venture news to chew through.

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

Equity will be back with a special interview episode on Friday, so stay tuned!

Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday. 

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Kids will soon be able to download the Google Wallet app on their Android phone, allowing them to buy things in store via Google’s tap-to-pay feature, reports 9to5Google. The news comes after Google first added the feature to its kid-focused Fitbit Ace LTE fitness tracker in August.

In a statement given to 9to5Google, the company said there will be ways for parents to supervise usage, with control over approving new cards, removing cards, and viewing transaction history. Parents can supervise children’s accounts via the Google Family Link app that lets parents set restrictions for content and screen time, and added the ability to see when kids leave school and arrive home in 2022.

Kids will be able to make tap-to-pay purchases using standard authentication options, including fingerprint, facial recognition, PIN, or passwords. They can also use Google Wallet to store gift cards and event tickets, but they can’t make online purchases or save health or identification cards. Google’s kids’ payments feature will start rolling out to Google Wallet users in the US and several other countries next year.

With the move, Google is catching up with Apple, whose Apple Cash Family service already lets children use Apple Pay for purchases in stores. It also lets kids buy things online as well as send and receive money through messages.

A mysterious AI image generator known as Red Panda shot up the ranks of the Artificial Analysis Image Arena this week, cementing itself at the top of the charts. While we had no idea who developed Red Panda, or even what, exactly, it was, we now know who makes one of the best AI image generators and where you can try it… enter Recraft V3.

Recraft V3 is an AI tool for professional designers and its developer, also called Recraft, has just released its new image generation model ‘red_panda’. As we reported yesterday (October 29), the leaderboard king Red Panda was indeed a new model in testing, and it looks like it could be one of the best out there.