Apple has announced new iPads, new Macs, the release date of Apple Pay, and Yosemite OS X
iPads, iPads everywhere! Apple kicked off its latest live event in California with the unveiling of new generations of the iPad and iPad mini.
The event on Oct. 16 also saw Apple reveal the launch date of Apple Pay: Oct. 20.
But back to the iPads – the new tablets; the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 will now include TouchID fingerprint sensors, matching it to its iPhone cousins.
The Apple Pay release date was significant for the iPads too, as the contactless payment method would be achievable via TouchID on the iPad, though it can’t be used at the register like the iPhone will be able to.
The iPad Air 2 will start from $499 for a 16GB, WiFi-only edition, while the iPad mini will cost $399 for the same version. Ramping up to a 64GB or 128GB edition of the Air 2 will cost $599 and $699 respectively. Add an extra $130 to those prices and you’ll be able to have cellular connectivity.
New iPads are available for preorder from Friday (17 Oct.), shipping the following week.
Mac news
Not only did Apple announce a gargantuan new 27-inch iMac desktop with a 5K resolution Retina display – the largest resolution screen available at 5x more pixels than a regular HD TV – its new operating system; OS X Yosemite was also launched, which is now freely available from the App Store.
The biggest upgrade to OS X Yosemite is in the design. Apple brings an iOS 7-inspired look and feel to the Mac in this latest update. Also added is an updated Spotlight search function that searches both on the computer, and on the web at the same time.
There is also a new function called ‘Continuity’, which allows users to pick up where they left off across various devices.
Finally, the new OS X will include the new iCloud Drive; a cloud storage feature that will sync users’ Mac folders across all their devices, including Windows PCs.
iOS 8.1
Finally, a short word on iOS – it was announced that iOS 8.1 would be available from Monday (20 Oct.) and support Apple Pay, and feature the reemergence of Camera Roll and image sync across devices.
If you want to watch the entire event, it’s available to stream on Apple’s website.