Apple brings iPhone X features to new iPad Pros, makes MacBook Air more eco-friendly
Apple seems to be blurring the lines between phones, tablets, and computers. The iPhone X's popular features are everywhere now.
Apple has held two grand launch events in two months, and this time, the non-iPhone devices have received an upgrade.
On Tuesday, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, Apple rolled out two new iPad Pros, a refreshed MacBook Air, and a Mac Mini. All new devices borrow features from last year’s iPhone X, and are increasingly blurring the lines between phones, tablets and computers.
The new iPad Pro, Apple claims, marks the biggest change and design refresh since the inception of the iPad in 2010. It is not only lighter and slimmer by about 15 percent, it also does away with the home button and the headphone jack ala iPhone X, and comes with a Face ID feature, and edge-to-edge display with rounded corners.
The iPad Pros also come with USB-C type ports and can be connected to monitors up to 5K. Then there is the Apple Pencil, which was introduced with the iPad Pro in 2017. The Pencil attaches itself like a magnet to the new iPad Pro and charges automatically.
Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said:
“The new iPad Pro is a huge step forward for powerful, creative, mobile computing; it has an all-new thinner design, speeds through projects with the super-fast A12X Bionic chip and unlocks with a glance using Face ID in any orientation — while you’re sitting or standing, with iPad Pro on your desk or lap, with the new Smart Keyboard Folio and new Apple Pencil.”
The device goes on sale November 7 onwards. Two variants are available - 12.9 inches priced at $999 and 11 inches available at $799.
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New redesigned Macs
Apple’s iconic MacBook Air, which revolutionised the notebook industry, has also become lighter by 25 percent and has undergone a major redesign. It now sports thinner bezels and comes with a Retina display and all-day battery life which makes it pricier by $200 compared to the last Air.
Philip Schiller noted:
“The first MacBook Air revolutionised Mac with its thin wedge-shaped aluminium design. It forever changed the entire industry for portable computers and became the world’s most loved notebook.”
For the first time, the MacBook Air has been crafted out of 100 percent recycled aluminium that is estimated to reduce Apple’s carbon footprint by half. Apple has also given the not-so-popular TouchBar a miss in favour of the Touch ID. The 13.3 inch Air retails at $1,199 and hits stores this week.
Apple also announced a refreshed Mac Mini for the first time in four years. It is the more pocket-friendly version of the Mac available at $799 and is aimed at reducing consumers’ entry barriers to Apple products.
The Mac Mini bears a strong resemblance to the regular Mac and is five times faster than the earlier Mini. “Mac Mini now rips through traditional desktop tasks like photo and video editing, music creation and software development, and crushes pro workflows including video transcoding, code compiling and live musical performances,” Apple said in a statement.
