Hot on the heels of its iPhone 6 launch, Apple has taken to the stage once more.
And if you thought it had emptied its quiver with the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch, think again – Apple has plenty more up its sleeve. Like the thinnest tablet on the planet, and an iMac with a truly eye-boggling 5K display. But that’s not all; read on for all the news from the event.
1. THE IPAD AIR 2 IS SERIOUSLY SKINNY
The big news from the Apple event is, as expected, the launch of its new iPad Air 2. Absurdly thin at 6.1 mm, it also packs a new A8X processor along with an M8 motion co-processor – and Touch ID.
We’ve got the full run-down on the iPad Air 2 here.
2. A 5K DISPLAY IS NOW A THING
A Retina display-equipped iMac was on the cards, but Apple has gone above and beyond with its new desktop computer – it’s crammed a 5K display with 5,120 x 2,880 pixels into its 27in iMac. That means you can edit 4K video footage pixel-for-pixel, and still have room for a timeline and editing bins.
Performance has also been boosted; you can configure it with processors starting from a 3.5Ghz Intel Core i5 processor, up to a 4.0GHz quad-core i7.
Get all the info on Apple’s new super-iMac here.
3. THERE’S A NEW IPAD MINI TOO
Almost as an afterthought, Apple announced a new iPad mini – the iPad mini 3. The spec sheet is identical to the iPad mini 2 – a 7.9in, 2048×1536 display, A7 processor and M7 motion co-processor, 5MP ƒ/2.4 iSight camera and 1.2MP FaceTime camera – but it also adds a Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
4. WE NOW KNOW WHEN IOS 8.1 AND APPLE PAY WILL BE OUT
And why is Apple stuffing Touch ID sensors in its iOS devices? Because Apple Pay is launching alongside iOS 8.1 on Monday (in the States only – boo!). iOS 8.1 also brings support for Continuity with OS X Yosemite, enabling you to send and receive SMS messages and phone calls using your Mac. You also get Instant Hotspot support and Handoff, which lets you pick up documents and emails where you left off across devices.
iOS 8.1 isn’t just about new tricks, though – it also brings back the Camera Roll, which was a major gripe for iOS 8 users – and adds support for the public beta of iCloud Photo Library.
5. AND WE CAN DOWNLOAD OS X YOSEMITE RIGHT NOW
Apple’s desktop operating system, OS X Yosemite, was announced back in July – and now it’s rolling out to users as a free update. Yosemite adds a host of new features, including the aforementioned Continuity and Handoff – along with an update Notification Centre including widgets, and an overhauled Spotlight search that collates information from Wikipedia, Maps and Yelp.
6. AND FINALLY… THERE’S A NEW MAC MINI
Apple’s dinky desktop computer has been overhauled, with a spec boost that adds 4th-generation Intel Core processors, integrated Intel Iris and HD Graphics 5000, PCIe-based flash storage. Connectivity has been upgraded too, with two Thunderbolt 2 ports and 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
The new Mac Mini starts with a 1.4GHz Core i5 model with 500GB HDD, 4GB RAM and Intel HD Graphics 5000. The mid-range model gets a 2.6GHz Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD and Intel Iris graphics, while the top-of-the-range model gets a 2.8GHz Core i5 and a 1TB Fusion Drive.
