I was able to catch the live-streamed Apple event on my iPad using Mobile Safari. Felt like it was the right thing to do since the “meat and potatoes” of the announcement was to let the world know that Apple has band-new, but classicly iterative iPads on the horizon.
But there was more to the event than just iPads, as Apple had some tricks up its sleeve to get people excited about all the new hardware and software that was announced. So here’s my breakdown of just the important stuff I think you need to know that came out of yesterday’s Apple event…You trust me don’t you?
$Free.99
Apple brought up its mildly corny execs on stage to go over all the impovements to its software suites. The iLife, consisting of iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand, all got some nice upgrades including better media organization, as well as more seamless integration between the desktop and mobile versions.
iWork (Numbers, Pages, and Keynote) all got better collaboration tools and iCloud support, and Apple also finally released its latest desktop OS called “Mavericks” that does a better job at maximizing your computer’s hardware (processors, memory, and video card) capabilities. Plus, they added better multi-display support – A feature I was personally waiting on. Oh yeah, they improved some stuff on Safari too…?
Probably, the most important thing to note from all the software announcements is that it’s all available now…and for free! Mac OS X Mavericks and all subsequent updates will be free, instead of the usual $20-30$ price tag, and available for all computers dating back to 2007-2008 and running Mac OS X Snow Leopard. The iLife and iWork suites are free as well ONLY for new device purchases…Not sure if that includes the iPhone 5S/5C that was released last month.
DJ MBP
Beautiful (and expensive) hardware is the name of the game for Apple, and they did not dissappoint with its refresh of the MacBook Pro lineup. They put faster processors and better memory & storage, as well as knocked about $200 bucks off the entry-level price on both the 13″ and 15″ Retina versions to $1299 and $1999 respectively. They dropped the non-Retina 15″ MBP from the lineup, but you can still get a 13″ non-retina joint for $1200. Peep the full lineup of Mac laptops.
PROfessional Trash can
Those Apple fans who were salty that their beloved Mac Pro desktop unit has been untouched for years, can now salivate at the newly designed, and uber spec’ed out Mac Pro. The “unique” design may fool you as this thing has so many geeky features (too many to list out, so you’re gonna have to do your own research). If you decide to plop down 3 stacks (That’s $3,000 for the slang-ly challenged) for this bad boy, I will gurantee you won’t need another desktop for years!
AirPad
All of the above is “Kool and The Gang” but many people tuned in to see what new iPads we were going to be jonin’ on, but line up to buy this holiday season. First and foremost, it looks as it Apple is really starting to move away from the numbering naming system for its tablets, and has dubbed the new version “iPad Air”, due to its thinner and lighter design (it only weights 1lb….equal to a bag of those one-ponder M&M bags…I’ve said too much).
The iPad Air keeps its high-res Retina display, and adds the uber powerful (and pointless…for now) 64-Bit processor found in the iPhone 5S, 5mp rear camera for those don’t care what they look like taking pics with a tablet, and better wireless technology. The Air will be available in white/aluminum and black/space gray later in November starting at $499 for the 16gb non-LTE version. The base-model iPad 2 will still hang around at $399 for those looking to save a few bucks on an tablet from Apple.
The [Mini] Wait Is Over
For those who resisted temptation and did not buy the 1st generation iPad Mini, knowing something better would come along; your ability to see into the obvious future has paid off – Apple announced the iPad Mini with Retina display starting at $399, with the high-resolution display found on the iPad Air. Additionally, the iPad Mini Retina also has better wireless antennas, and the 64-Bit A7 processor for a better screen to barely read books on in the sunlight…but faster.
You can still cop the iPad Mini ‘Regular’ for $100 bucks less…because you know your parents can’t tell (and probably don’t care) about the difference between a regular and retina display if you’re considering a Mini as a gift. See the full line up of iPads here.
That’s pretty much it for everything that Apple announced yesterday. Everything on the list will be available by the end of the year, so get ready to max out those credit cards save those funds for the holiday shopping season as Apple may just dominate the stocking stuffers yet again.
If you have some time, you can peep the entire announcement, as well as read my live-tweets during the announcement. You can also drop a comment and let me know what you think of Apple’s latest gadget line-up.
