Thinner iPads, sharper iMacs in Apple's lineup

[Fascination]

Thinner iPads, sharper iMacs in Apple's lineup

PUBLISHED : Friday, 17 October, 2014, 3:56am
UPDATED : Friday, 17 October, 2014, 3:56am

Associated Press

Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller announces the new iPad Air 2.

Apple unveiled a thinner iPad Thursday with a faster processor and a better camera as it tries to drive excitement for tablets amid slowing demand. The company also released an update to its Mac operating system and introduced a high-resolution iMac model that might appeal to heavy watchers of television over the Internet.

The new iPad Mini 3 (left) and iPad Air 2 (right)

The new iPad Air 2, at a quarter of an inch “thin,” also adds many of the features previously available on iPhones. That includes the ability to take burst shots and slow-motion video, and unlock the device with a fingerprint ID sensor instead of a passcode.

Meanwhile, Apple made its new Mac operating system, Yosemite, available as a free download starting Thursday. The new 27-inch iMac — which Apple is dubbing the “Retina 5K” model — went on sale Thursday as well.

The new iMac with 5k retina display.

The company also said Apple Pay, its new system for using iPhones to make credit and debit card payments at retail stores, will launch on Monday.

Much of the emphasis at Thursday’s product-launch event centered on how Apple’s devices work well together because the company makes both its hardware and software.

“They’re designed to be incredible products individually but they’re also designed to work together seamlessly,” CEO Tim Cook said. “This is our vision of personal technology, and we are just getting started.”

 

[Fascination]

Apple steals its own iPad thunder with photo release ahead of unveiling

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 16 October, 2014, 9:32pm
UPDATED : Friday, 17 October, 2014, 3:23am

Bloomberg in San Francisco

The masters of suspense at Apple took the surprise out of their big iPad introduction before the official unveiling overnight.

Apple, known for its strict secrecy ahead of product announcements, posted images and some details about its newest iPad tablets on its iTunes website briefly yesterday (right), grabbing attention on the internet before the information was removed.

The company was set to introduce a new version of its 24.6cm iPad and the smaller iPad mini. CEO Tim Cook is aiming to reinvigorate the iPad line after sales of the tablets, Apple's second-biggest product by revenue, declined for two straight quarters.

"Usually, there is always a Vietnamese blogger or a Taiwanese blogger who will find a blueprint of the device days before it launches, but for Apple to make a mistake" was rare, said Jean Bouchard, an IDC analyst.

The images posted indicate the next version of the 24.6cm device will be called iPad Air 2, while the smaller model will be dubbed iPad Mini 3. Both will come with Touch ID, the fingerprint scanner introduced last year on Apple's iPhone 5.

The company has not introduced a new iPad since last October, and consumer tastes have been shifting towards smartphones with bigger screens.

Meanwhile, Google has unveiled its new tablet in an apparent effort to upstage Apple.

Besides taking the wraps off its new Nexus 9 tablet on Wednesday, Google also rolled out its latest Nexus smartphone. The Nexus 6 phone has a 15.2cm screen, eclipsing the 14cm display on the iPhone 6 Plus that Apple launched last month.

Both of the Nexus devices will run on a new version of Google's Android operating system. It is called Lollipop in keeping with Google's tradition of naming its Android upgrades after treats.

Additional reporting by Associated Press

 

[Fascination]

New iPads could bolster Apple's lead in China’s tablet market

Authorities yet to approve models with combined Wi-fi and cellular connections, says insider

PUBLISHED : Friday, 17 October, 2014, 11:08am
UPDATED : Friday, 17 October, 2014, 12:55pm

Bien Perez [email protected]

Apple launched the iPad Mini 3 (left) and iPad Air 2, the latter dubbed the thinnest tablet in the world. Photo: Bloomberg

Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland are among 32 countries and territories where Apple’s newly launched iPads will be initially made available later next week.

Pre-orders for the new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 at the online Apple Store start today. In Hong Kong, prices for the iPad Air 2 start at HK$3,888 and the iPad mini 3 at HK$3,088.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook pointed out that the start of pre-orders fell on the same day as Apple’s biggest iPhone launch on the mainland, with all three nationwide telecommunications network operators — China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom — launching the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

The Wi-fi version of the new iPads will initially be available on the mainland. An Apple insider said the company was still in the process of getting approval from authorities to release the Wi-fi and cellular-network-enabled version of the new iPads.

The early release of the new iPad models on the mainland augurs well for Apple to strengthen its position in the world’s second-largest economy, where the iPad remains the top-selling media tablet since its first model was introduced to the domestic market in September 2010.

"I don’t see any vendor being able to upstage Apple in tablets in [mainland] China just yet, given its sheer scale and size, as well as the legion of loyal consumers waiting in the wings to lap up new Apple devices," Avinash Kalyana Sundaram, senior market analyst at technology research firm IDC, told the South China Morning Post.

Total tablet sales on the mainland are forecast to reach 28.4 million units this year, up from 25.9 million units last year, according to IDC.

The mainland’s top five tablet suppliers during the first six months of this year and for the whole of last year are Apple, Samsung Electronics, Lenovo, Huawei Technologies and Asus, in that order, according to IDC.

Apple on Thursday unveiled the latest iPads at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, where the company also announced that its Apple Pay mobile-payments system would roll out across the United States from October 20.

Philip Schiller, senior vice-president for worldwide marketing at Apple, touted the iPad Air 2 as "the thinnest tablet in the world", at 6.1 millimetres.

The device also weighs less than a pound, at 437 grams for the Wi-fi version and 444 grams for the model with both Wi-fi and cellular network connections.

Like the latest iPhones, the new iPads feature the "Touch ID" fingerprint identity sensor in its main button. This is a security feature that is also expected to help advance the use of the iPad in enterprises.

Touch ID gives iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 users a simple and secure way to unlock the device with just the touch of a finger, as well as the ability to authenticate within mobile applications to better protect logins and data. It can also be used as a secure way to approve purchases from the online App Store, where there are 675,000 apps for the iPad.

Both the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 also have added colours – now available in gold, silver and grey – to help boost sales in the lucrative fourth-quarter shopping season.

Other features on the latest iPads include Apple’s Retina display with anti-reflective coating to reduce glare, the new A8X chip for faster processing, improved back and front cameras, and support for more 4G mobile frequency bands.

While Apple has remained strong in the mainland’s tablet market, it faces more competition in smartphones. Low-cost Android smartphones from the likes of Lenovo, Xiaomi, Huawei Technologies and Samsung Electronics have outsold Apple’s iPhone on the mainland in recent years.

The new iPhones with larger displays, however, could help turn the tide for Apple, despite these being premium-priced models.

The Post reported on Thursday that more than 20 million iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus models have been ordered through the Apple Store, mainland mobile network operators and e-commerce giant JD.com since pre-orders became available last Friday.

 

[virus]

so now the ipad considered as ultra thin si boh? did steve crook make it super absorbent so that female users can sleep peacefully throughout the night?

 

[laksaboy]

so now the ipad considered as ultra thin si boh? did steve crook make it super absorbent so that female users can sleep peacefully throughout the night?

If you prefer better absorbency on heavy flow days, there's always the thicker Google Nexus 9 tablet to choose from.

 

[johnny333]

When I got my iPad Air I expected to use it only when I travelled. However I am now using it everyday to watch live TV , watching YouTube,... & when I travel.

Sometimes it is more convenient to power up my ipad than my desktop.

Would like to get the new iPads but can't justify because my iPad Air is not even 1 year old.

 

[virus]

If you prefer better absorbency on heavy flow days, there's always the thicker Google Nexus 9 tablet to choose from.

Its always a turn off becos the transvisity is that pple might mistaken the budge as transgender