iPad mini, iPad Air, iMac All Updated at Apple Event
The Air is getting a little thinner.
At an event in California on Thursday, Apple unveiled a new, slimmer version of its iPad Air, as well as its updates to its iPad mini and iMac computers.
The bulk of the time was spent on the iPad Air 2. Though the screen size of the iPad stays the same, the Air 2 is thinner and lighter than last year’s iPad Air and adds Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint scanner to unlock the device.
Apple also introduced the iPad mini 3, an update to its smaller iPad mini. That tablet also gets Touch ID, as well as a new gold option; the mini did not get an improved processor, nor did its design change.
Both iPad models were last updated by Apple in October 2013.
READ: Apple’s New iPads: The iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3
Though the tablets grabbed the headlines (including the headline on this story), Apple also announced that its new operating system, OS X Yosemite, was available immediately as a free download from the App Store. The company first detailed OS X Yosemite, which features a light redesign and new compatibility features for iPhone and iPad, in June.
iOS, the operating system for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, also gets an update: iOS 8.1 will be available as a free download Monday, Oct. 20.
Apple also introduced a version of its iMac all-in-one desktop computer with a high-resolution Retina display. Apple also announced that Apple Pay, its new service that lets you pay at the register or online with your Apple device, will launch Monday.
iPad Air 2
(Deanne Fitzmaurice/Yahoo Tech)
The headlining feature of the iPad Air 2 is its thinness: At 6.1 millimeters, it’s the sveltest iPad yet. For comparison, the first iPad Air was 7.5 millimeters thick, and the first iPad was nearly twice as thick.
The iPad Air 2 will run iOS 8.1 and comes with a new anti-reflective screen and a faster processor. For the first time, Apple’s tablets also get the company’s Touch ID fingerprint unlock feature, which debuted with the iPhone 5s in 2013.
Apple says the iPad Air 2 will get 10 hours of battery life, the same as the first iPad Air. The cameras on both the front and the back of the device have been improved, too.
The iPad Air 2, which, for the first time, will be available in gold. (Deanne Fitzmaurice/Yahoo Tech)
Apple first unveiled the iPad, a tablet with a 9.7-inch display, in 2010, setting off a tablet-buying frenzy that has since cooled down somewhat. This was followed by the iPad 2 in 2011; Apple dropped the numbering convention with its new iPad in 2012, dubbing it simply “iPad.” Last year, Apple introduced the iPad Air, a thinner version of the iPad.
The iPad enjoys sales numbers in the high millions; as Mashable notes, Apple remains the No. 1 tablet seller in the United States “by a wide margin.” Wall Street analysts, however, have dinged Apple for its slowing growth, as sales rates of iPads have declined from year to year.
The iPad Air will start at $499 for a model with WiFi and 16 GB. A 64 GB model will cost $599, and a 128 GB model will cost $699. For iPad Air models that can also connect to your cellular network, add $130 to each of those prices. The first iPad Air, meanwhile, gets a price cut of $100 per model.
Preorders will begin Oct. 17 and orders will start shipping next week.
iPad mini
The iPad mini 3 (left) and the iPad Air 2 (right). (Deanne Fitzmaurice/Yahoo Tech)
Apple also introduced the iPad Mini 3, though it did not change its design. Instead, the iPad Mini gets the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and a new gold color option. Curiously, the internal hardware of the iPad mini 3 remains the same as the iPad mini 2, which means you shouldn’t expect a huge boost in speed or performance. The cameras are also the same as they were in last year’s version, which some have already labelled a disappointment.
Apple added the iPad mini, a scaled-down version of the iPad with a smaller, 7.6-inch display, in 2012. That tablet was criticized for its low-resolution display; last year, Apple updated the iPad mini with its high-quality Retina display.
The iPad mini will start at $399 for a 16 GB model. A 64 GB model will cost $499, and a 124 GB model will cost $599. For iPad mini models that can also connect to your cellular network, add $130 to each of those prices. The iPad mini 2 will remain on sale and cost $299; the original iPad mini, meanwhile, will be available in a 16GB version for $249.
Preorders will begin Oct. 17 and orders will start shipping next week.
New iMac
(Deanne Fitzmaurice/Yahoo Tech)
Apple also unveiled a new iMac, its all-in-one desktop computer. Apple added its ultra high-definition Retina display to its 27-inch version of the iMac, which will give it one of the best screens of any desktop computer.
Previously, Apple had brought its Retina display to its iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and MacBook Pro laptop. This is Apple’s largest high-resolution display yet.
The new iMac will come with 1 Terabyte of storage and a fast 3.5GHz processor.
Apple executive Phil Schiller introduces the new iMac, with Retina display. (AP)
The iMac with Retina will start at $2,499. The 21.5-inch iMac and 17-inch iMac, which do not have Retina displays, will remain on sale at $1799 and $1099, respectively. Apple also updated its Mac Mini computer with a faster processor and dropped its price by $100, from $599 to $499.
OS X Yosemite
OS X Yosemite, the new operating system for Apple’s desktop and laptop computers, is now available as a free download, Apple also announced.
READ David Pogue’s review of OS X Yosemite right here
Yosemite redesigns the Mac operating system to look more like the iOS you have on your iPhone or iPad. It also comes with a new feature called Continuity that makes it easier to begin work on your MacBook and continue on your mobile device, or vice versa. It lets you write text messages and make phone calls from your desktop computer.
READ: OS X Yosemite Preview: 5 Features to Get Excited About
Yosemite is available to most Apple-made machines made in 2008 or later; you can view a full list here. You can download Yosemite from Apple’s website.
Apple CEO Tim Cook introduces the iPad Air 2 in California on Thursday. (Associated Press)
Correction: A previous version of this article said that the iPad Mini 3 had upgraded cameras from the iPad Mini 2. That is not true; the camera technology in both is the same.
