After their September event saw the reveal of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple’s October conference showed us new iPads, iMacs and more.
Oh Apple, you sly old dogs you. When their September event began, they promptly threw down the gauntlet and challenged each and every one of their competitors to step up to the plate. Apple’s freshly announced iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones would be more powerful than ever before, have a better battery life and would even be optimised for mobile game developers. Those are some beefy specs to trifle with.
Despite the Bendgate controversy, both iPhones have gotten off to a stellar start, having sold over 10 million units across the globe after just three days on sale. Hoping to achieve similar sales success with a new line of iPad, the company hosted a similar event yesterday. So, to make sure that you’ve got every piece of important info from the show, we’ve put together a handy facts round up for you to pore over.
1. iPad Mini 3
While the tagline of the iPhone 6 Plus might be ‘bigger and better’, with the iPad Mini line of tablets Apple is keen to downsize.
Now on their third iteration, the newly announced iPad Mini 3 is essentially just the iPad Mini 2 but with a different name. Both tablets are 8 inches, the iPad Mini 3 isn’t any lighter or thinner than its predecessor and all of the technical specs are the same. It has the same battery life, processor and there’s no discerning technical reason to purchase one.
So what’s new for the iPad Mini 3? The TouchID fingerprint scanner.
Used to purchase things with Apple Pay (which will only be available in North America at launch), TouchID also has the benefit of unlocking your tablet and having extra security for your peace of mind. But, this single feature adds $100 to the iPad Mini 3’s price (the cheapest version of the Mini 3 is $399). When it launches next week you’ll be better off skipping it and forking out for the cheaper iPad Mini 2 instead.
2. iPad Air 2
Also out next week is the iPad Air 2. Going for a similar ‘bigger doesn’t always mean better’ stance, the iPad Air 2 is just 6.1mm thick, a whopping 18% thinner than the iPad Air that came before it.
That thinness doesn’t mean that Apple has skimped out on tech specs either as the tablet is packing some incredible power. The iPad Air 2 will have the A8x chip and will be the first device to do so. As a result, the Air 2 will be a great deal faster than the two iPhone 6 devices (which have the A8 chip instead) and will surely make a noticeable difference. Don’t expect this extreme power to drain too much either as Apple says it has 10 hours of battery life.
The final back of the box feature is its TouchID sensor. Coming just in time for Apple Pay which is set to go live on Monday, the iPad Air 2 has that iconic ring around its home button.
The iPad Air 2 goes on sale next week and the Wi-Fi only model will cost $499.
3. Retina iMac
Think those iPad screens are too small for you? You might be interested in the Retina iMac instead then.
As the name suggests, Apple’s brand new desktop is all about those shinier, far better looking visuals. Not only is its 27-inch display ideal for watching movies and TV shows, that screen is also 5K (a 5210 x 2880 resolution) which is the world’s highest resolution display, says Apple.
Its innards are quite good on paper too. Boasting a 3.5GHz Intel i5 processor (although a 4GHz Intel i7 configuration is available too) and 8GB of RAM, things are kept speedy whilst its AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics and its 1TB fusion drive means that there’s more than enough power and space to run the latest gaming blockbusters.
All of this comes at a price though as the Retina iMac starts at $2,499. It starts shipping next Thursday.
4. Mac Mini
For anyone who wants all of the Apple Mac brilliance but at a fraction of the cost, the updated Mac Mini might be a better option.
Essentially being a iMac hard-drive without a screen, the latest version of the Mac Mini comes in three different flavours. The best (and most expensive of these) has a 2.8GHz dual-core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM which should run rather speedily. It also packs Intel Iris Graphics and a 1GB Fusion Drive which again, should be perfect for running games.
This version of the Mac Mini is priced at $999 which may seem like a bargain in comparison to the Retina iMac. However you will need to purchase a screen (or you could plug it into your TV via a HDMI cable), a mouse and a keyboard so you should factor this into your budget if you plan to buy one.
The new Mac Mini is available now.
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