Apple iPad Event: New iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 3 and Retina iMac

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Today was once again Apple’s (AAPL) turn in the spotlight. The first salvo in the company’s assault on holiday shopping was the September 8 event that saw the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Apple Watch and the launch of iOS 8.

Apple iPad Event Intro
Source: Apple

Google (GOOG) tried to take some of the wind out of today’s Apple iPad launch by announcing its new Nexus 6 phablet and Nexus 9 tablet on Wednesday. Apple itself accidentally leaked some of the new iPad details on its iTunes Store.

Tim Cook and company still managed to make a splash today as they unveiled the new iPad options and Apple Mac models they hope will be on your holiday shopping list.

If you didn’t have the chance to catch the live stream (you can still watch it on Apple’s website), here’s everything you need to know about the new iPad line-up and  the 5K Retina Display iMac.

Apple iPad Air 2

Apple iPad Event, New ipad Air 2
Source: Apple

The iPad Air has been the cornerstone of Apple’s tablet lineup since the Air’s 2013 launch.

Samsung (SSNLF) has swung hard at its “thinnest full-sized tablet” crown, while Amazon (AMZN) refreshed its Kindle Fire HDX models and promotes the $379 8.9-inch model as having “30% more pixels than iPad Air’s Retina display.”

Yesterday, Google released the Nexus 9 — a high powered Android competitor manufactured by HTC — undercutting the flagship Apple iPad by $100.

The iPad Air 2 has a lot riding on it. Here’s what Apple did with the new iPad in an attempt to hold off the competition, and hopefully regain some of the tablet market share it lost this year:

  • A8X processor with 40% performance boost
  • Anti-reflective display coating
  • 18% thinner, the “world’s thinnest tablet”
  • Touch ID sensor (supports Apple Pay)
  • 8MP iSight camera with Panorama, Time Lapse, Slow Motion and Burst mode
  • Gold case option
  • Starts at $499 (16GB)
  • Available for pre-order starting Friday

Apple iPad Mini 3

Apple iPad Event, new iPad Mini 3
Source: Apple

While much of the focus was on the iPad Air’s replacement, Apple also updated the iPad Mini with Retina Display with a Touch ID sensor (last year’s A7 CPU remains). Now referred to as the iPad Mini 3, the smallest and most affordable of current Apple iPad offerings looks like this :

  • Touch ID sensor (supports Apple Pay)
  • A7 CPU
  • Gold case option
  • Starts at $399 (16GB)
  • Available for pre-order starting Friday

The original iPad Mini remains in the lineup as a $249 option while last year’s iPad Mini with Retina Display goes for $299.

Apple iPad Event: Apple Pay

Apple iPad Event, Apple Pay
Source: m

With rumors that retailers were preparing for an October 18 launch of Apple Pay — AAPL’s mobile payment system — and the release of new iPhones and iPads with Touch ID sensors, it was a fairly safe bet Apple Pay would be mentioned on stage.

And it was.

For those who are anxious to leave their credit cards and cash at home in favor of a suitably equipped iPhone or iPad, Monday is the day the system officially goes live.

Apple has list of participating banks, credit card companies and retailers on its website.

Apple Mac News: Retina iMac

Apple iPad Event, new iMac Retina
Source: Apple

Ever since Apple helped start the current display resolution war with its “Retina” displays, the company has taken heat for not offering a higher resolution in its iMac all-in-one PC lineup.

After all, the iMac is the most popular Apple Mac desktop computer, and the 27-inch model is favored by many professionals who would benefit from a higher density display — particularly those in creative fields such as photo and film editing.

Proving this wasn’t just an Apple iPad event, the company made Mac fans happy too. The new 27-inch iMac with 5K Retina Display has seven times the pixels of an HDTV and 67% more pixels than a 4K TV.

  • 27-inch 5210 x 2880 pixels
  • Intel (INTC) CPUs are 45% faster than last year’s model
  • Radeon R9 Graphics
  • 1TB Fusion Drive standard
  • Available starting today
  • Starting Price $2,499

Apple Mac News: OSX Yosemite

Apple iPad Event, Apple MAc OSX Yosemite
Source: Apple

As expected, Apple ’s latest desktop operating system was also briefly showed off.

OSX Yosemite offers a slew of improvements and more importantly, is required in order to support the integration with iPads and iPhones introduced with iOS 8.

OSX Yosemite will be available starting today and is once again being offered for free to Apple Mac owners.

Apple iPad Event: The Rest

Apple iPad Event, Apple Watch news
Source: Apple

As usual, there were plenty of other facts and minor updates sprinkled through the various presentations:

  • iPhone 6 is about to launch in China and is the biggest iPhone launch ever
  • Apple Watch software developer kit is coming in November
  • 90% of iOS device users are running a version of the mobile operating system that’s a year or less old
  • iOS 8.1 with bug fixes and iCloud Photo Library is coming on Monday
  • With Yosemite, new versions of Safari, iTunes and iWork are also arriving
  • Mac Mini was also updated with faster CPUs, graphics, storage and Wi-Fi

As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

Brad Moon has been writing for InvestorPlace.com since 2012. He also writes about stocks for Kiplinger and has been a senior contributor focusing on consumer technology for Forbes since 2015.


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2014/10/apple-ipad-air-event/.

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