Apple doubles down on chip strategy with new premium-priced MacBooks

FILE PHOTO: An Apple logo hangs above the entrance to the Apple store on 5th Avenue in the Manhattan borough of New York City, July 21, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Segar

(Reuters) -Apple Inc on Monday announced two new MacBook Pro models that run on more powerful in-house chips, furthering its break from previous supplier Intel Corp and showing its strategy for setting its machines apart from the rest of the PC industry.

The new 14-inch and 16-inch models start at $1,999 and range up to $6,099 in their most expensive variations. Using two new chips called the M1 Pro and M1 Max, Apple claims they will far outperform rival machines based on Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, especially when the new laptops are used with only battery power.