Apple held its much-awaited media event yesterday during which it unveiled a three new devices and a new update to their OS X operating system. Today we’re going to take a quick look at what’s new from Apple, but keep in mind that we’re going to come back and discuss each product in detail in future articles.
What’s New From Apple?
During their October 16 Apple Media Event, Apple launched their flagship tablet, the iPad Air 2, but also the iPad Mini 3, Mac Mini, a 27-inch iMac with Retina 5k display, a new OS X Yosemite and Apple Pay.
iPad Air 2
The iPad Air 2 was the star of the show! For months there have been leaks and speculations about the new iPad Air 2 and yesterday Apple revealed its flagship tablet. The iPad Air 2 is a wonderful device which is only 6.1mm thick; its Retina Display was improved, yet it only weighs less than a pound. The new A8X chip is 40% better than the original iPad Air’s chip and it features Touch ID, which means that when Apple Pay hits the market, you’ll be able to pay for things with your iPad. Apple added a new color: gold, for those who like a little flash with their electronic devices. The iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi alone with cost: $499 (16GB), $599 (64GB) and $699 (128GB). The Wi-Fi and cellular models will cost: $629 (16GB), $729 (64GB) and $829 (128GB). If you’re inside the United States you’ll be able to start ordering the new iPad Air 2 today, October 17.
Mac Mini
The Mac Mini is a small and compact desktop computer. It comes without a display, keyboard or mouse. Inside, it has Intel HD Graphics 500, a 802.11ac Wi-Fi support and starts at $499. At that price, you get 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, 4GB of RAM and 500GB of internal memory.
OS X Yosemite
The new OS X Yosemite will be included in all the new devices and will be available for free for all Mac users starting today, October 17. All Macs since 2009 support the new OS X Yosemite, but also some models introduced in 2008 and 2007.
iPad Mini 3
The new iPad Mini 3 is cute as a button! It also gets Touch ID which the iPad Air 2 got. The price for the Wi-Fi models are: $399 (16GB), $499 (64GB) and $599 (128GB). The iPad Mini 3 with both Wi-Fi and cellular capabilities is a bit pricier: $529 (16GB), $629 (64) and $729 (128GB). It comes in three colors: silver, space grey and the new gold. It has a A7 chip, FaceTime HD camera and a 5MP iSight camera.
Apple did do a name change during their media event, the iPad Mini with Retina Display is now called iPad Mini 3 and it starts at $299.
27-Inch iMac With Retina 5K Display
Apple also introduced the new 27-inch iMac with Retina 5k display. This means that the iMac offers the highest-resolution display on the market, with 14.7 million pixels and a resolution of 5,129 x 2,880. It’s also not the cheapest device, starting at $2,499. The standard iMac with Retina 5k display comes with 8GB of memory and 1TB Fusion Drive of SSD. It’s one impressive device that is going to make a lot of people happy!
Apple also announced the release for their iOS update, the iOS 8.1 on October 20. The update will feature the eagerly-awaited Apple Pay digital payments service, which will allow users to make purchases using only their smartphones and the return of the beloved Camera Roll which Apple killed with iOS 8.0.
Are you excited about the new iPad Air 2 or any of Apple’s new releases? Drop us a line in the comment section below and tell us about it!