In the Apple event today, they announced new updates to the iPad model and multiple Mac models. The main focus, is of course, centered on the iPad Mini. The iPad Mini is seen by many observers as a great step for Apple to finally have affordable tablets for individuals. While Apple didn’t shy away from the tablet competitors, in fact explicitly mentioning and comparing them at the event today, it was quite apparent that Apple had it’s own flair to this iPad update. If you have missed the event, here is the recap.
What was Announced?
The event included a couple of announcements. The main announcement was the launch of the iPad Mini. The relatively lower price, small size, and quality has some calling the iPad Mini an Android killer. The next item on the list was the MacBook Pro. The laptop now features a much thinner build and a stunning Retina display. This was followed by the announcement of the outrageously thin iMac and a small, arduous mention of Mac Mini changes.
iPad Mini: An Android Killer?
Despite the iPad Mini being one of the last devices announced at the event, it was on the minds of attendees during the whole duration of the event. The iPad Mini, thinner and obviously smaller, has a weight of about 0.68 pounds and a thickness of around 7.2 mm. Available in black and white, the iPad Mini was described “as light as a pad of paper”.
The iPad Mini has a screen resolution on par with the iPad 2 (1024×768, 163ppi, no retina display). The iPad Mini sports a 10 hour battery life and comes with Apple’s new standard connector, Lightning. The Mini includes a 5 MP rear camera, HD FaceTime camera, and an A5 processor.
The iPad Mini is available for $329 for the 16GB WiFi-only, $459 for the WiFi+Cellular. The 32GB WiFi-only iPad Mini is for sale for $429, the 64 GB will cost you $529. With the WiFi+Cellular, the iPad Mini 32GB will cost $559, 64GB costing $649. Pre-ordering will be available on Friday, WiFi-only orders will be shipped November 2nd.
As good as it may seems, it does pale in comparison to its closest competitor – Nexus 7. The Nexus 7 comes with a screen resolution of 1280×800, 216ppi, a quad-core processor, and is cheaper in price. At the moment, it is just like a shrank version of the iPad 2, and I won’t be surprised if Apple released a newer version next year which is just a smaller version of the new iPad (aka iPad 3). Without a doubt, the iPad Mini will still sell like a hotcake.
The 4th Generation iPad
The new iPad came with a few minor updates as well. Instead of being called “ the New iPad”, the predecessor now goes by the name “iPad with Retina Display” (or the 4th Generation iPad). The iPad with Retina Display includes a new A6X chip, 10 hours of battery life, and is available in the same colors. Not much has changed in terms of its outward appearance.
The iPad with Retina Display will retail for $499, $599, and $699 for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB WiFi-only, respectively. WiFi-Cellular retailing for $629, $729, and $829 for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB respectively. The iPad 2 is still available, but with 16GB only, for $399 for WiFi-only and $529 for WiFi+Cellular.
Do you feel that your New iPad is no longer new anymore, in just less than a year?
MacBook Pro with Retina Display
The best selling Mac model, the MacBook Pro, now receives an update of its own. The 0.75 inch thinner, 3.5 pound notebook comes with glare reduction of nearly 75%, an over four million pixel screen, HD FaceTime camera, stereo speakers, and a dual microphone throughout the notebook. The MacBook Pro is available with an Intel Core i5 and i7 processor, an 8GB of RAM standard with the ability to save up to 268GB of SSD flash memory.
The standard, with 128GB flash memory,and a 2.5 GHz CPU is available for $1699 for the 13-inch and $2199 for the 15-inch model. The MacBook Pro is available for shipment today.
The Mac Mini: Small Updates
The Mac Mini was the desktop (without the screen) that wasn’t really with much enthusiasm. However, there were updates that had to be announced and the attendees could tell through their rushed rundown that it was more administrative than revolutionary.
The Mac Mini included internal updates, including the ability for the Mac Mini to save, on the hard disk drive, up to 1 TB of memory and up to 256GB on the solid state drive (SSD). The Mac Mini can support up to 16GB of RAM. Shipping today, the improved Mac Mini will be available for 2.5 GHz, 4GB of RAM, and 500 GB on the hard drive for $599.
A server model, including 2.3GHz processor, 4GB of RAM, and 2 1TB hard drive disks is available for $999. The Mac Mini, of course, being the base model for desktops.
Apple iMac: Now Razor Thin
The unexpected announcement of the day is the new iMac which is outrageously thin. Through thin edges, the new iMac is 5mm thin. The $1299 21.5 inch iMac available in November and $1799 27 inch iMac available in December, both come with fully laminated displays with glare reduction in mind.
The iMac has support for up to 3TB of memory support, an SD card slot, 4 USB 3 ports, and the choice of an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor. The iMac also comes with a new drive technology known as the Fusion Drive. Instead of having a separate SSD and HDD slot, processing at different speeds and using more energy, the Fusion Drive uses the hard drive disk (HDD) to save documents and other files that are too important to lose, the SSD being used to hold applications that are used most frequently.
Fusion Drive saves up to 128GB on the HDD slot, and the choice of 1TB or 3TB on the SSD. This translates into faster processing and reading of data while using less energy.
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