Apple slims iPad, sharpens iMac
Apple unveiled its new line of products on Thursday, including a thinner iPad that gives customers the ability to unlock the device and purchase items with their fingerprints, reports SFGATE.
The iPad Air 2 has a screen that’s 6.1 millimeters thick - thinner than a pencil and nearly 20 percent more slender than the first generation iPad Air. The new device, which at $499 for a 16-GB wireless model, also has a faster processor, better cameras and fingerprint reading feature Touch ID.
iPad Air 2: UK prices, release date, specs - everything you need to know http://t.co/30YMkWyJFU #iPadAir2 pic.twitter.com/FFw66w5M4v
— Yahoo UK News (@YahooNewsUK) October 18, 2014
The entire Apple iPad Air 2 keynote in 80 seconds: http://t.co/6brCdayT2q https://t.co/OnSJBeOlDv
— Mashable Apple (@mashableapple) October 17, 2014
Apple also showcased its new iPad Mini 3 with Touch ID, which starts at $399 for a 16-GB wireless device.
Orders for the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 start Friday. Both devices will ship next week.
Analysts predict the new features will be enough for Apple to hold onto its position as a market leader in tablets. About 37 percent of U.S. households owned an Apple tablet in the first quarter, compared with 16 percent with an Amazon tablet and 14 percent with a Samsung tablet, according to research and consulting firm Parks Associates. The firm surveyed 10,000 U.S. households.
The iPad Air 2’s faster processor and Touch ID could also be enough to convince owners of older iPads to buy new tablets. This has been a major challenge for Apple, as well as makers of other tablets, as little other than the weight and size of the devices has changed since their introduction.
“Apple creates great products that almost last forever. A lot of people didn't feel the need to upgrade,” said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies. “I think Apple gave them enough (reason) now, to consider upgrading to the newest iPad.”
Apple also launched an iMac with a 5K retina display, touting it as the world’s highest-resolution display. The computer costs $2,499, with a display that’s 27 inches and has 14.7 million pixels. Bajarin called this product “game changing” because it would force Apple’s competitors to move to higher resolution screens. The iMac is now available for purchase.
Apple’s newest Mac operating system, Yosemite, also launched Thursday. The system allows users more continuity between Apple devices that are connected to iCloud. For example, a user could make a phone call with a MacBook, using the computer as a speakerphone.
“Those are nice to have features and is likely to keep the loyal Apple buyer happy,” said Van Baker, a research director for Gartner’s mobile and client computing services.
Apple also announced its payment system, Apple Pay, starts on Monday. The system allows people with Apple’s recently released iPhone 6 and 6 Plus to hold their smartphones near a reader at the checkout counter and pay for purchases at participating retailers.
IPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 users will also be able to use Apple Pay online, not in stores.
“This incredible line of products and the ecosystem that supports them is something only Apple can create,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO at Thursday’s press event.
Thursday’s Apple event had less buzz than last month’s iPhone 6 launch. There were fewer attendees and even the free breakfast spread was pared down. It was held inside a small auditorium in Apple’s Cupertino headquarters, unlike last month’s spectacle at the Flint Center.
Separating the iPhone event from the iPad event made sense for Apple, considering the phone accounts for such a large chunk of the company’s sales, analysts said. In the third quarter, iPhones sales represented more than half of Apple’s overall revenues.
Thursday’s event falls in line with Apple’s traditional strategy of holding an event in October to push the company’s other products before the holiday shopping season, according to analysts.
Comments