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Acer stuffs a Core i3 CPU into its C720 Chromebook

Acer just revealed a revamped notebook with a Core i3 processor inside.

Acer just announced its C720 Chromebook, which wears an 11.6-inch 1366×768 display, and is powered by a 1.7GHz Intel Core i3-4005U dual-core processor, Intel HD Graphics 4400, and a 32GB SSD. The Chromebooks we’ve come across have usually been equipped with Celeron or Exynos processors, so seeing an Intel Core i3 CPU in one is unusual.

There are two variants of the C720. One is called the C720-3871, while the other is dubbed the C720-3404. As far as we can tell, the only difference between the two, aside from price, is the amount of RAM that each contains. The former is outfitted with 2GB of DDR3 memory, while the latter sports 4GB of DDR3. Of course, these notebooks run Chrome OS.

Port selection consists of one USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, and an HDMI connection. Wireless connectivity comes courtesy of 802.11n, and Bluetooth 4.0. Shipping in Granite Gray, the C720 measures 11.8 x 8 x 0.8-inches, and weighs 2.76 pounds.

Though it’s unclear when the C720 will be available, Acer says that it should hit the market starting sometime this month. It looks like Amazon will be one of the places that will sell the C720 once it drops.

The 2GB model will sell for $349.99, while the 4GB C720 will run you $379.99.

Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.

"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.

I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.

However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.

Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.

The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.