Apple set to launches iPad Air 2 and retina iMac
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Apple has unveiled a new ultrathin version of its iPad Air which the firm claims is the world's thinnest tablet at 6.1mm.
It also revealed its Apple Pay system to turn the iPhone 6 into a credit card will launch on Monday.
The firm also unveiled a new iMac with the worlds highest resolution screen, and announced a new version of its Mac OS software, called Yosemite, will be made available for free today.
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Apple's Time Cook with the iPad Air 2, which will be available in gold, and includes a fingerprint touch sensor and a new faster chip
However, in an unusual gaffe, the firm leaked details of its two new iPads - the iPad mini 3 and iPad Air 2 - in an iOS 8.1 iPad user guide for iBooks on iTunes hours before the event.
'It's been an incredible year ... but we've got a few more things to share with you,' said Cook.
'The iPad is a simple and magical device, but while it has been beautifully simple on the outside, it has advanced technology jam packed on the inside,' he said.
'We have sold over 225 million iPads around the world,' Cook revealed, before announcing the iPad Air 2, which the firm claims is the world's thinnest tablet at 6.1mm thick.
It has a new chip, the A8X, 64-bit Processor - a new generation chip that is like the one in the iPhone 6 which is 40 per cent faster.
The gadget has a ten hour battery life, and a laminated screen with an anti-reflective coating, reduces reflections by 56 per cent.
It will cost $499 to $829 depending on features.
Apple also reduced the price of its original iPad Mini to $249, and introduced a new version with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
He also revealed Apple Pay, which allows iPhone 6 owners to pay using their handset simply by tapping it against a card reader.
'We think that it is going to be profound,' he said, before revealing the product will launch on Monday.
With Apple Pay, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners will be able to make payments at brick-and-mortar stores by holding their phone near a card reader.
Apple said shops like Macy's and Bloomingdales, drugstores including Walgreen's and Duane Reade, and other stores including McDonald's, Staples, Subway and Whole Foods are participating in Apple Pay.
The new iPhones have a wireless chip to transmit the information needed to complete the transaction.
Cook also said that the firm will release a developers kit for its watch next month, allowing developers to start building apps for it.
He also revealed the firm has sold 225 million iPads.
Apple's Tim Cook revealing the new iPad Air 2, which Apple claims is the world's thinnest tablet.
'The iPad is a simple and magical device, but while it has been beautifully simple on the outside, it has advanced technology jam packed on the inside,' he said.
The firm's Phil Schiller also revealed a new iMac with a high resolution retina display the firm says is the world's highest resolution.
Called the retina 5K display, it boasts 14.7 million pixels, seven times more than a HD TV.
The $2499 27inch iMac with retina display goes on sale today.
The firm also revealed a new version of its Mac Mini computer, selling for $499.
The tiny computer, which has been popular as a living room machine, also goes on sale today.
The new iPad Air 2 will start at $499, or £399 in the UK
Stephen Colbert was announced at the event as Apple's new 'supreme commander of secrecy'
Thin: The new Ipad Air 2 is just 6.1mm thick making it the thinnest tablet on the planet
Apple's own leaks confirmed a number of features including Touch ID sensors for both and a 'Burst Mode' for taking pictures on the iPad Air 2.
The leak was spotted by Mark Gurman from 9to5mac.
The screenshot from the iOS 8.1 user guide for iBooks confirms the names of the two new devices - the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3.
THE RETINA IMAC
Apple's Phil Schiller also revealed a new iMac with a high resolution retina display the firm says is the world's highest resolution.
Called the retina 5K display, it boasts 14.7 million pixels, seven times more than a HD TV.
It has 67% more pixels than 4K.
The edge of the machine measures just 5mm.
The new 27‑inch iMac with Retina 5K display has four times as many pixels as the standard 27‑inch iMac display.
The $2499 (£1999) 27inch iMac with retina display goes on sale today.
The firm also revealed a new version of its Mac Mini computer, selling for $499.
The tiny computer, which has been popular as a living room machine, also goes on sale today.
Both devices now have a Touch ID sensor in their home button, which was first employed on Apple's iPhone 5S and now also features on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Thursday's event comes as sales of Apple's iPads have dropped.
Through the first half of this year, Apple had shipped 29.6 million iPads, a 13 percent drop from the same time last year.
Apple's Phil Schiller unveils the new iPad Air 2
| Specification | Apple iPad Air 2 | Apple iPad Air | Microsoft Surface 2 | Samsung Galaxy Tab S | Nexus 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Size | 9.7-inches | 9.7-inches | 10.6-inches | 10.5-inches | 8.9-inches |
| Resolution | 1.12 micron pixels | 2048 x 1536 | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | 2048 x 1536 |
| Camera | 8 Megapixel iSight camera | 5 megapizel iSight camera | 5 megapixel | 8 megapixel | 8 megapixel |
| Basic storage | 16 GB | 16 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB | 16 GB |
| Price | From $499, UK price not yet announced | From £399 | From £359 | From £399 | Not yet announced |
Apple plans to issue results for the latest quarter on Monday.
Apple has been facing competition from cheaper tablets running Google's Android operating system.
Besides competition, there's been an overall slowdown in tablet demand.
This week, research firm Gartner projected worldwide shipments of 229 million tablets this year.
The new iPad Air 2 is available in silver, space grey, and for the first time, gold.
Although that's up 11 percent compared with 2013, it's far less than the 55 percent growth seen last year and the more than doubling in sales in 2012.
More than half of U.S. households own at least one tablet, and the rest include people who may not want one or can't afford it, Gartner analyst Mika Kitagawa said.
GOOGLE'S IPAD AIR: THE NEXUS 9 TABLET
The tablet, which is smaller than an iPad, but larger than and iPad Mini, is built for multi-tasking and has a brushed aluminum frame with a 'soft grip' back. Like Windows' tablets, a case that doubles as a keyboard can be used to turn it into more of a laptop (pictured)
Manufacturer: HTC
Screen: 8.9 inches, 2048 x 1536 resolution
Platform: Android Lollipop
CPU: 64bit dual core processor
Memory: 16GB or 32GB with 2GB RAM
Sound: Dual front-facing speakers with HTC Boomsound
Weight: 420g, making it 50g lighter than an iPad Air
Camera: 8MP with front-facing 1.6MP camera
Battery: 6,700mAh
Extra features: Keyboard folio
Price: Not yet confirmed
Launch date: Tablet can be pre-ordered from October 17 and will go on sale on November 3.
While wireless carriers often subsidize smartphones to bring the price down to about $200, customers typically pay full price for tablets - starting at $499 for the iPad Air.
The leak came just minutes after Google revealed unveiled its new operating system, Lollipop, alongside the new Nexus 6 smartphone and Nexus 9 tablet yesterday.
Both mobile devices will run the new version of the firm's mobile operating system, Android 5.0, which has been confirmed to have the name Lollipop.
The Apple Pay system was first announced on September 9th, and is expected to be made available to consumers this weekend.
The service will be able to store Visa, MasterCard and American Express credit card information. Apple said shops like Macy's and Bloomingdales, drugstores including Walgreen's and Duane Reade, and other stores including McDonald's, Staples, Subway and Whole Foods are participating in Apple Pay.
Sleek: The iPad Air 2 is demonstrated at Apple headquarters on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014 in Cupertino, Calif
The Motorola-made Nexus 6 smartphone comes with a 5.96-inch Quad HD screen and a 13 megapixel rear-facing camera.
The Nexus 6 also has dual front-facing speakers designed to offer better quality audio, says Google.
The handset sports a feature called Turbo Charger, which can give the phone up to six hours of battery life from just a 15 minute charge.
The phone also boasts new hands-free voice activated functions.
It will come in two colours: midnight blue and cloud white and two storage options, 32 or 64GB.
And before Apple unveils its updated iPad family, the search giant has shown off its new Nexus 9 tablet, made by HTC.
The tablet, which is smaller than an iPad, but larger than and iPad Mini, is built for multi-tasking and has a brushed aluminium frame with a 'soft grip' back.
An upgrade in terms of size as well as internals on Google's existing Nexus 7, the new Nexus 9 has a 8.9-inch screen, and weighs in at 420g, making it 50g lighter than an iPad Air.
Range: The new model comes in gold as well as the traditional black and white
Apple has said a new Mac operating system is coming this fall, so there's been speculation that the company will use Thursday's event to announce more specifics, including timing.
The Mac update will be called Yosemite and will include aesthetic changes as well as new functionality, such as the ability to make phone calls with an iPhone nearby and a one-stop search tool for both locally stored documents and online resources.
Apple may also use the event to announce new Mac computers.
The company released new laptops last October, and there's speculation new iMac desktops are in store.
Apple already has announced some of the credit card issuers and retailers expected to enable Apple Pay.
Consumers aren't likely to abandon plastic credit cards until a majority of retailers, especially smaller merchants, accept contactless payments such as Apple Pay.
But Apple Pay may spur transactions over mobile Web browsers and apps this holiday season, since it lets consumers avoid typing in credit card information each time.
YOSEMITE: THE MAC'S NEW LOOK
The first thing that strikes you about Yosemite is that there is less to look at.
Gone are the bells and whistles, the fake leather and other distractions of previous versions.
Instead, what you have is, without doubt, the best looking operating system ever seen.
Apple's obsession with detail is clear, and when combined with high high resolution retina display of the firm's latest laptops, the difference is incredibly obvious.
Even the tiny details, such as a new font Apple designed, give everything a crisp, uncluttered feel.
Apple#s Yosemite software has a new look and feel making it cleaner
Menus also now have a transparent feel, giving the system an almost glass-like feel as you move windows around.
Although iOS 8 is not yet available so we were unable to try out the call and 'handoff' features, the new notification centre on screen gives a real sense that the iPhone, iPad and Mac are now one system, system than three separate gadgets.
Notifications can carry over from your iPhone, and the 'today' view mimics that iPhone users are used to.
Also surprisingly useful are the upgrades to Spotlight, the Mac's search system.
Searching now shows you information from Wikipedia pages, and you can even search the web without having to open a seperate browser window - although it does Bing rather than Google.
you can also do basic sums, and even currency conversions form the spotlight window, and even show you cinema times if you search for a film - a real timesaver.
The Mail app has also been updated, with a new 'markup' feature that lets you easily draw on images - which is great fun to play with.
Searching now shows you information from Wikipedia pages, and you can even search the web without having to open a seperate browser window - although it does Bing rather than Google.
Yosemite also feels incredibly fast and snappy.
Oonce you've tried Yosemite, going back to the previous version is hard - as well as being the best looking OS we've ever seen, Yosemite really does give a glimpse into the future of Apple, where all your devices work together seamlessly - as long at they are made by Apple.
Mark Prigg
Put the internet to work for you.
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