Tag Archives: apple reveal

4 Amazing Product Reveals from Apple’s iPad Event

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Apple WWDC

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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5 Need to Know Announcements from Apple’s Big Reveal

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Tim Cook Apple logo

Yesterday, Apple showed off lots of new, shiny, electronic wares but with so many announcements you may have missed some! Here are all the need to know facts.

Ah, Apple, like the predictability of that burning globe of fire and gas that we call the Sun, we can depend upon the well-known tech company to have a whole host of new reveals for us each and every year. We already had one back in June when they took to the stage of WWDC to show off iOS 8 to the developers preparing to make apps and such for us but Tuesday’s press conference is where they wheeled the big guns out. No operating systems and coding info here, oh no, just some impressive stats, some impressive features and a (slightly mixed) bag of new gadgets to play with. There’s been lots of talk about what Apple did or didn’t say and with the conference running for almost two hours straight, you probably didn’t watch it live now did you? Not to worry as we have a list of all the things that you need to know right here.

1. iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus

First of all, there were the iPhones. They are what so many people gathered in that massive auditorium to see Apple talk about and by Jove did Apple deliver. Somewhat unexpectedly, Apple revealed two new iPhones – the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.

The iPhone 6 Plus is the flagship as it will be an inch and a half bigger than the iPhone 5S, will be 50% more energy efficient and it will even be 25% more powerful than its predecessor. In addition to those impressive stats the phone also comes with an 8 megapixel camera that lets more light into photos, has a ‘Best Photo’ mode and optical image stabilisation too which means that your photos will look as lovely as ever.

The iPhone 6, meanwhile, is the cheaper, smaller version. 4.7 inches in size, the phone does almost everything the iPhone 6 Plus does except it doesn’t have the optical image stabilisation feature. It’s still a worthy handset though and the price difference will certainly make it a worthy contender.

Both phones go on sale on September 19th.

2. Apple Pay

One of the extra bonus features that Apple surprised us with is Apple Pay. Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus come with NFC (Near Field Communication) capabilities and what this means is that you can now pay for things wirelessly. Walked into a shop without your wallet? Well that’s alright as if you’ve connected your card and any other relevant payment details to Apple Pay, you can now purchase goods in real life with the press of a button.

Apple are saying that their phones will ultimately replace physical money altogether, which is a pretty bold claim even for them. However, many of their Android competitors have already allowed for this so they could be onto something.

3. Apple Watch

Shockingly, the Apple smartwatch that we all knew was coming isn’t called the iWatch! Arguably, Apple Watch is a poorer name in comparison but poorer still is what the smartwatch offers.

Apple talked up the Digital Crown of the Apple Watch that lets us navigate, zoom in, zoom out and use Siri but this appears to be the device’s only killer feature. There are games coming to the platform too but is a gimmicky arm wrestling app really worth the money? Furthermore, the Apple Watch is said to suffer from some serious battery issues that people will have to iron out before the 2015 launch, so this is something to think about when forking over the $350 asking price.

4. iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C; Even Cheaper Than Before

Despite the Apple Watch’s rather disappointing pricing though, where Apple have gotten it right on the cost front is with last year’s iPhone 5S and 5C.

US retailer Walmart recently made headlines by offering the iPhone 5C for under a dollar and now Apple is going one better as consumers can now get the iPhone 5C for free. The iPhone 5C will set you back by $99, not unlike Walmart’s pricing, but if you really want to to get the phone and don’t think you’ll be able to afford the many hundreds of dollars of the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, this is an absolute bargain. As always, you’ll be subject to a two year contract, so keep that in mind too.

5. iOS 8 Release Date

We’ve heard tales of its buggy beta all year but now that the kinks have been rolled out like the smoothest of pastry, iOS 8 is ready to be downloaded by the masses.

As explained before, iOS 8 will have a health and fitness focus (in line with the Apple Watch) signalled by its Health app. Health will combine all of the data from your sleep tracking, diet tracking and workout tracking apps, sticking it in one handy, readily available space for you to peruse and check up on your body. Gym goers are certainly catered too then while everybody else will make use of iOS 8’s new practical features such as Siri’s new fluency in 22 languages and the fact that the Home screen will now become landscape depending on how you hold the phone.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories, Apple Reveal Why They Reject So Many Apps, Apple Watch Gets Unveiled, Is Surprisingly Unsurprising