SAN FRANCISCO
By Barry Eitel
SAN FRANCISCO (AA) – Apple unveiled the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3 on Thursday, as well as updates to the company’s desktop and notebook product lines.
The event revealed no great surprises, just solid new iterations of successful products.
The iPad Air 2 is the thinnest iPad ever built; measuring in at just a quarter of an inch (6.1mm), it’s the thinnest tablet on the market. It’s 18 percent slimmer than last year’s iPad Air and less than half as thick as the first iPad. The tablet also boasts Touch ID, Apple’s fingerprint scanner that has proved successful on the iPhone. It also contains an 8MP camera similar to what’s available on smartphones.
The iPad Mini 3 is similar to its larger cousin on the inside. It now also features Touch ID.
The Mini 3 starts at $399, while Air 2 starts at $499. The prices are for the 16GB wireless versions abd both are the first available in gold coloring.
Apple claims it has sold 225 million iPads since the tablet first launched in 2010 and the product’s popularity appears to be staying strong.
Cupertino also updated the Macbook Pro laptop, improving its speed and slashing its price. One of the more exciting innovation was the new iMac desktop computer, that now comes in Retina display.
There are no desktops like the iMac with Retina display, Apple contends. The computer dazzles with a 27-inch display showing a 5120x2880 resolution. The display has seven times more pixels than high-definition and will start at $2,499.
The event at Apple’s campus in Cupertino was a much more relaxed affair compared to the iPhone event Sept. 9.
Last month’s affair took place at the Flint Center, where the company’s late founder Steve Jobs originally introduced the world to the first Macintosh computers. Fast forward two decades, and Jobs’ successor, CEO Tim Cook, released the enormous iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus alongside Apple Watch, the tech giant’s first dabble in wearables.
Pre-orders for the iPads are available Friday, and the first units are scheduled to ship next week.
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