Lighter, Sharper, Faster: Apple’s Fall Event
Apple announced a new product line up on Tuesday at their annual third-quarter event, unveiling new versions of some of their most popular products. Also announced was a reworking of their popular software suites, iWork and iLife, as well as the newest update to their flagship operating system, OS X.
Following a trend toward lighter, thinner and more powerful, the iPad Air is Apple’s newest tablet. Weighing in at just under a pound, it has been called the lightest consumer tablet available. The improvements continue under the hood with the addition of a 64-bit A7 processor, increased battery life and a 128GB storage option.
Apple’s smaller, cheaper tablet has also received substantial changes. The iPad Mini now sports the highest screen resolution of any 8-inch tablet, pushing an impressive three million pixels and providing a sharper picture than before. Alongside these surface changes, the internal hardware has been updated to match the iPad Air, with the same processor and battery life. Both tablets, like those recommended drawing tablets, run iOS 7, which introduces a flashy new interface, power-saving changes and bug fixes.
The 13 inch Macbook Pro also received minor upgrades, with the 15 inch model being dropped in favor of the Retina Display version at the same price point. Finally, it was announced that all new versions of OS X, beginning with that day’s Mavericks release, would be available for free from the Mac App Store.
The iLife and iWork suites, which are available as apps for both iOS and OS X, have been retooled to support Apple’s switch to 64-bit architecture. They have been made available for free to those who purchase any of their new devices. All the new devices, with the exception of the Mac Pro and Macbook Pro, will be available through the University Tech Store, Apple Stores or the Apple website in November. The Mac Pro is slated to launch in December and the new Macbook Pro models are available now.
Edited by Nichole Stevens
