Apple announces new iPad Pro with full-screen design and more at special event
![The new iPad Pro launched by Apple with second generation Apple Pencil](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sau2yDRgDyo8j4jHB6oocR-415-80.jpg)
‘I’m moving to New York,’ quipped Apple CEO Tim Cook at today’s keynote at the Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn. So far, the technology giant’s latest products had been met with ardent approval from the audience – and Apple proved it had certainly been busy, launching the next generations of the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Mac mini and MacBook Air at the special event (alongside iOS 12.1, with Group FaceTime among its notable new features). Here’s more on all of the hardware unveiled by Apple at the 30 October event.
iPad Pro
It’s the iPad the firm has ‘wanted to design from the beginning’, with all-new designs pushing 11-inch and 12.9-inch Liquid Retina displays to the edges of the iPad Pro. Gone, too, are the headphone jack and home button, though the iPad Pro now includes Face ID for the first time and gestural navigation already familiar to iPhone X and iPhone XS users. Boasting a 25 per cent reduction in volume, both versions clock in at 5.9mm, making it the thinnest iPad ever. The smartest and most powerful chip in a tablet – AX12 Bionic – has not gone unnoticed by developers: Adobe will launch Photoshop CC and its new AR tool Project Aero on the device in 2019. Apple revealed updates for the iPad Pro’s accessories, with a streamlined Smart Keyboard Folio that is easily adjustable for lap or desk use. The second generation Pencil magnetically attaches to the iPad Pro for automatic pairing and wirelessly charging, much to the relief of users who grappled with the detachable cap of its predecessor. It comes in a matte finish that’s more pleasing to the touch, and has one flat side to accommodate tap and swipe gestures along the Pencil. Available in silver and space grey finishes, the 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799, while the 12.9-inch version starts at $999.
Mac mini
Apple’s first reworking of the Mac mini in four years didn’t disappoint. Packing a big punch in a small package, the reengineered Mac mini boasts powerful specs under its new space-grey veneer. It delivers performance five times quicker than its predecessors, with quad- and six-core processors, up to 64GB of faster memory, an all-flash storage, Thunderbolt 3, and Apple T2 Security Chip. Like the MacBook Air, the Mac mini uses an Apple-designed alloy made from 100 per cent recycled aluminium for the first time, and more post-consumer recycled plastic in parts like the foot. Available to order today with shipments from 7 November, the Mac mini starts from $799.
MacBook Air
When Steve Jobs first pulled the MacBook Air out of a brown envelope a decade ago, the audience erupted in rapturous applause. ‘He truly embraced the notion that less could be truly more,’ said Cook, circling back to this revolutionary moment has he revealed the latest version of the ultra-light notebook. The refreshed MacBook Air delivers a striking 13.3-inch Retina display with 4 million pixels of resolution and 48 per cent more colour than previous generations, Touch ID, all-day battery-life, and a spacious Force Touch trackpad in a new, wedge-shaped design. It’s the greenest Mac ever – and not just because it takes up 17 per cent less volume and is 10 per cent thinner measuring just 0.61-inches at its thickest point. The notebook’s enclosure is made from custom aluminium alloy that reduces its carbon footprint by nearly 50 per cent. The MacBook Air starts from $1,199, with three finishes to choose from, including gold, space grey and silver.
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Explore the new features of the latest iPad Pro in this short video
At 5.9mm thin, the new iPad Pro is the thinnest iPad design ever
Mac mini now features the Apple T2 Security Chip, enabling on-the-fly data encryption, secure boot and up to 30 times faster HEVC video transcoding
MacBook Air features a 100 per cent recycled aluminium enclosure and high speed Thunderbolt 3 ports
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Apple website
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
Watch Steve Jobs give a keynote at the 1983 International Design Conference in Aspen
The latest publication from The Steve Jobs Archive captures Apple’s co-founder giving a typically iconoclastic performance to a 1980s audience of design
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The new Beats Pill: exclusive interview with Apple’s Oliver Schusser
Oliver Schusser, an Apple Vice-President, is in town to talk Pills, thrills and heartaches. We sat down to explore the Beats portable music strategy
By Craig McLean Published
-
Apple Intelligence has landed, giving Siri the ChatGPT treatment and adding new AI-powered features and functions
Apple’s 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference marked the debut of Apple Intelligence, the company’s long-awaited riposte to Silicon Valley’s current AI obsession
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
‘Audio Erotica’ charts home audio through promotional graphics and imagery
‘Audio Erotica: Hi-Fi Brochures 1950s-1980s’ is a playful survey of three decades’ worth of design for listening
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Deyan Sudjic’s new book explores the appeal of analogue technology
‘Analogue: A Field Guide’ by Deyan Sudjic delves into the design history of hundreds of iconic pieces of personal tech
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
‘Apparatrum’ is a book exploring the craft of synthesist and inventor Love Hultén
‘Apparatrum’ charts the life and work of Swedish craftsman Love Hultén – you’ll have to move fast to secure the limited-edition version
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Apple Vision Pro: exclusive interview with the Apple Design Team
Apple Vision Pro – available today in the US – is a wearable spatial computer that blends the digital with the physical, heralding a whole new platform for experiencing technology
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
What’s new from Apple: iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 make their debut
Apple cuts the cord with its isolationist past by joining the USB-C party. Other enhancements and upgrades ensure the new iPhones remain the photographer’s choice
By Jonathan Bell Published