Apple announced the iPad Air 2, the iPad Mini 3, and the iMac with Retina Display at its event yesterday. Although it wasn’t as exciting as the announcement of the iPhone 6 models, it was interesting to see what new features Apple included it in its tablets. Apple also shed some details about the upcoming iOS 8.1 and OS X Yosemite, so scroll down to see what we’ve learned. 🙂
iPad Air 2: Thinner, Faster, Better
Out of the three new Apple devices, the iPad Air 2 comes with the biggest improvements.
Remember how thin the original iPad Air is? Well, the iPad Air 2 is even thinner. At 6.1mm, it’s 18% slimmer than it predecessor, and even a bit lighter, making it the world’s thinnest tablet to this date.
On the outside, the Air 2 is pretty much the same as the original: a 9.7” display, with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. However, beneath that, three separate layers of the display have been merged into one, offering better colours and contrast. The display also features anti-reflective coating, which reduces reflections off the screen up to 56%.
The iPad Air 2 is powered by Apple’s new 64-bit A8X processor (based on the A8 processor that new iPhone 6 models sport), which is 40% faster and has 2.5 times the graphics power of the iPad Air. The M8 motion coprocessor supports the A8X, and the the Air 2 offers the same 10 hours of the battery life as the existing iPad Air.
Other specs include 16/64/128GB of storage, an 8-megapixel that can shoot time-lapse and slow-mo videos, an improved front camera (new sensor), Apple’s TouchID, Apple Pay, and iOS 8.1. The iPad Air 2 will be available in Gold, Silver, and Space Gray, and the prices are as following:
Wi-Fi only: 16GB – £399, 64GB – £479, 128GB – £559
4G + Wi-Fi: 16GB – £499, 64GB – £579, 128GB – £659
iPad Mini 3 in Gold
Alongside the new iPad Air 2, Apple also unveiled the third generation of the iPad Mini. The iPad Mini 3 comes with a new colour option (gold), the TouchID sensor, and, consequently, Apple Pay. The rest of the specs are all but same as the ones found in the older version of the iPad Mini.
Dimensions: 200 x 134.7 x 7.5 mm
Display: 7.9”, Retina
Resolution: 1536 x 2048 pixels
Processor: Apple A7
RAM: 1GB DDR3
Storage: 16/64/128GB
Camera: 5MP (rear), 1.2MP (front)
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, LTE, Bluetooth 4.0
Colours: Gold, Silver, Space Gray
The iPad mini will cost from £319 for the 16GB model, £399 for 64GB and £479 for 128GB. That’s for the Wi-Fi models. The 4G LTE cellular models cost £419, £499 and £579 respectively.
iMac 5K
What came as a surprise at the event was the launch of the new iMac with Retina Display. The Retina Display is definitely a nice touch, but the 5K resolution is what wowed everyone. According to Apple, the new 27” iMac features 14.7 million pixels – that’s a resolution that’s seven times greater than your standard 1080p resolution. The new iMac also features Intel processors – a 3.5GHz Intel i5 and a 4GHz i7 processor. The price: £1,999.
Also available as of yesterday is OS X Yosemite (free), and iOS 8.1 will start seeding on Monday, October 20.