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Apple iPad and Mac event: all the announcements – live
Apple iPad and Mac event: 'greenest ever' MacBook Air announced – live
(35 minutes later)
The Mac is doing well, Cook says. There’s 100 million Macs out there being used, and 51% of Mac buyers are buying their first one – rising to 76% in China.
Right, back to the expensive stuff: iPads.
Cook is also proud of macOS, “the soul of the Mac.” He shows off macOS Mojave, the latest version of the software.
“A magical piece of glass that transforms instantly to whatever you want it to be,” Cook says. “But you might not know that we’ve sold more iPads in the last year than the entire notebook line-up of all of the biggest notebook manufacturers,” he adds. “This makes iPad the most popular computer in the world.” I… guess?
“Customers love their Macs,” he says, “and they especially love one Mac in particular… the MacBook Air.”
Apple holds classes and talks in its stores, and has nice looking shops in cool places, we learn from Ahrendts. There’s another 60 classes that the company is launching today, she says, like a video creation class and a kids photography lesson.
“The Mac has become one of the world’s most essential creative tools,” Cook says, before introducing another video of people, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anna Wintour, and Kermit the Frog*, using Apple products. Lots of videos today.
They also run on 100% renewable energy, which I think we knew before, but is good. Back to Tim.
*not technically a person?
Tim’s back, and now he’s talking about Apple’s stores. So we get a rare appearance from Angela Ahrendts, head of retail, to talk about them.
And we’re off, with a quick video showing a lot of New Yorkers using Apple product giving way to Tim Cook and a banner reading “❤️NY” – and a lot of applause, seemingly more for New York than Apple itself.
Base config is $799, with an Intel Core i3, 8GB memory and 128GB storage. (So, I was wrong about the lack of Intel.) It’s also available from November 7, and also 100% recycled aluminium on the outside.
“We’re here today to talk about our most creative products,” Cook says, “and of course, that all starts with the Mac.”
On memory, the Mac Mini can be specced up to 64GB of RAM, and they all begin with all-flash storage, supporting up to 2TB at max.
For the iPad Pro the change will be significant, as Apple attempts to dance the line between thin-and-light tablet and computer replacement without merging its iOS mobile operating system with its macOS desktop operating system.
They also come with the T2 security chip, which enables the same Apple Pay and video encoding as the laptops – no TouchID though, for fairly obvious reasons.
Embracing USB-C will be key, as the Guardian’s Samuel Gibbs said:
Outputs: 2x USB-A, 4x USB-C, HDMI, Ethernet and power.
Apple will hope the that refreshed iPad Pro with greater PC-like capabilities, including the versatility of the USB-C connector, will boost sales of the tablet against growing competition from Windows 10 2-in-1 hybrids such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro and Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 tablet that aim to perform both tablet and laptop duties.
This is a small, fast, desktop, that’s being sold as a modular addition to any work flow – Apple even suggests stacking three or more together to achieve really intensive tasks.
But in many ways an update to the long-favourite MacBook Air is more crucial. The Apple laptop has become the default purchase for many Apple-using businesses, but is now long in the tooth. Although not as ancient as the Mac Mini, which is still using components from 2014.
Apple’s smallest and cheapest computer, the Mac mini was considered dead by some, but no. Tom Boger, the head of Mac product marketing, comes out to talk about the new version.
As Gibbs said:
It’s “space grey”. It starts with a 4 core processor, and can be upgraded to a 6 core processor. Interestingly, Apple hasn’t said the word “Intel” in this section, which is unusual and suggests that we may not be seeing normal Intel chips here.
Despite its popularity, the MacBook Air was last updated in early 2015 with fifth-generation Intel Core chips with 8GB of RAM made standard in 2017, and is still on sale with those old components.
And Tim is back, introducing video number five, and the second Mac to be bumped today: the Mac Mini.
Ever since the introduction of the new 12in MacBook in 2015, Apple has been expected to either drop the MacBook Air from sale or update it.
Specs and price! 8GB memory, an Intel i5 clocked at 1.6GHz and 128GB of internal storage, from $1199, on sale today and shipping 7 November.
Rumours predict that the MacBook Air will see a redesign with an improved screen and newer seventh or eighth-generation Intel Core chips bringing it into line with Apple’s other computers.
And now video number four, repeating what we already knew.
What to expect
The three finishes – black, grey and gold – do look quite pretty next to each other though.
Definitely happening
Recycling! All the tin on the motherboard is from recycled material, and 35% of the plastic is post-consumer. And, now, the aluminium alloy in the shell is also made from 100% recycled aluminium.
At least one new iPad Pro with a new design featuring:
That, apparently, reduces the carbon footprint by 50% and makes it “the greenest Mac ever”.
Slimmer bezels all round
The USB-C ports are, Grove says, Thunderbolt compatible, unlike the MacBook.
Face ID
On battery life, the company is promising “12 hours of wireless web browsing” and “13 hours of iTunes Movie playback”.
USB-C ports
And on size, the new machine is 17% smaller by volume than its predecessor, 10% thinner and weighs 2.75lb, compared to the previous model’s 3lb.
Derivative of the A12 Bionic chip from the iPhone XS
Bad news for some, though, as Grove reveals that the MBA has the same third-generation keyboard as the current generation MacBook Pros do – one which with serious questions over its long-term reliability that still haven’t been answered.
No home button
This will likely be the biggest change to the iPad since the introduction of the 12.9in iPad Pro in 2015.
iOS 12.1 released
A fix for the soft detail selfies
Real-time depth effect (bokeh) preview in the camera app as you shoot
eSim activation in the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR
Group FaceTime calls
70 new emoji (because you can never have enough)
Probably happening
At least one update to Apple’s Mac computer line including some or all of the following: MacBook, iMac, Mac Pro and iMac Pro.
Spec bumps to Intel’s eighth-generation Core i chips following their introduction to the MacBook Pro with TouchBar in July
Possibly happening
Replacement for the MacBook Air, that may or may not be called the MacBook Air, which hasn’t seen a significant update since 2015.
New higher resolution screen
Eighth-generation Intel Core i chips
cheaper than a MacBook
USB-C
Replacement for the Mac Mini which hasn’t been updated at all since 2014.
Eighth-generation Intel Core i chips
Hello, and welcome to another Apple launch event.
This time round it’s the iPad and the Mac’s time to try and shine.
At 2pm UK time (10am New York or 7am San Francisco), Tim Cook will take to the stage in the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City.
We’ll be live-blogging the event here, or, if you’re so inclined you can watch the whole thing live on Apple’s website, or on Twitter.
