Apple announces new iPad Pro with full-screen design and more at special event

‘I’m moving to New York,’ quipped Apple CEO Tim Cook at today’s keynote at the Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn. So far, the technology giant’s latest products had been met with ardent approval from the audience – and Apple proved it had certainly been busy, launching the next generations of the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Mac mini and MacBook Air at the special event (alongside iOS 12.1, with Group FaceTime among its notable new features). Here’s more on all of the hardware unveiled by Apple at the 30 October event.

iPad Pro

It’s the iPad the firm has ‘wanted to design from the beginning’, with all-new designs pushing 11-inch and 12.9-inch Liquid Retina displays to the edges of the iPad Pro. Gone, too, are the headphone jack and home button, though the iPad Pro now includes Face ID for the first time and gestural navigation already familiar to iPhone X and iPhone XS users. Boasting a 25 per cent reduction in volume, both versions clock in at 5.9mm, making it the thinnest iPad ever. The smartest and most powerful chip in a tablet – AX12 Bionic – has not gone unnoticed by developers: Adobe will launch Photoshop CC and its new AR tool Project Aero on the device in 2019. Apple revealed updates for the iPad Pro’s accessories, with a streamlined Smart Keyboard Folio that is easily adjustable for lap or desk use. The second generation Pencil magnetically attaches to the iPad Pro for automatic pairing and wirelessly charging, much to the relief of users who grappled with the detachable cap of its predecessor. It comes in a matte finish that’s more pleasing to the touch, and has one flat side to accommodate tap and swipe gestures along the Pencil. Available in silver and space grey finishes, the 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799, while the 12.9-inch version starts at $999.

Mac mini

Apple’s first reworking of the Mac mini in four years didn’t disappoint. Packing a big punch in a small package, the reengineered Mac mini boasts powerful specs under its new space-grey veneer. It delivers performance five times quicker than its predecessors, with quad- and six-core processors, up to 64GB of faster memory, an all-flash storage, Thunderbolt 3, and Apple T2 Security Chip. Like the MacBook Air, the Mac mini uses an Apple-designed alloy made from 100 per cent recycled aluminium for the first time, and more post-consumer recycled plastic in parts like the foot. Available to order today with shipments from 7 November, the Mac mini starts from $799.

MacBook Air

When Steve Jobs first pulled the MacBook Air out of a brown envelope a decade ago, the audience erupted in rapturous applause. ‘He truly embraced the notion that less could be truly more,’ said Cook, circling back to this revolutionary moment has he revealed the latest version of the ultra-light notebook. The refreshed MacBook Air delivers a striking 13.3-inch Retina display with 4 million pixels of resolution and 48 per cent more colour than previous generations, Touch ID, all-day battery-life, and a spacious Force Touch trackpad in a new, wedge-shaped design. It’s the greenest Mac ever – and not just because it takes up 17 per cent less volume and is 10 per cent thinner measuring just 0.61-inches at its thickest point. The notebook’s enclosure is made from custom aluminium alloy that reduces its carbon footprint by nearly 50 per cent. The MacBook Air starts from $1,199, with three finishes to choose from, including gold, space grey and silver. 

Explore the new features of the latest iPad Pro in this short video

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Apple website