Apple’s October 2018 event: New MacBook Air, iPad Pro, Mac Mini and everything else announced

Apple October 2018 event: MacBook Air

The Apple MacBook Air 2018. (Express photo by Anuj Bhatia)

The star of the show, of course, was the all-new MacBook Air. This is the first time Apple has significantly updated the MacBook Air, which was originally launched by Steve Jobs in 2008. The new MacBook Air has got the first big update since 2015, featuring a 13.3-inch Retina Display and a resolution of over “4 million pixels”. The bezel on the screen has been reduced and new Air has “17 per cent less volume” than the previous MacBook Air, weighing 2.75 pounds.

The Air is powered by Intel’s 8th generation Core processor with onboard graphics, up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1.5TB of SSD. The new laptop has Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint scanner, Force Touch trackpad, third-generation Butterfly keyboard from the MacBook Pro and two Thunderbolt 3 ports for power and connectivity. Plus, the Air is powered by Apple’s T2 security chip which promises protection of “Touch ID information and also ensures that software loaded during the boot process hasn’t been tampered with”. The new notebook is the “greenest” Mac to date, manufactured with 100 per cent recycled aluminum.

For Indian customers, the new MacBook Air isn’t cheap, though. It starts at Rs 1,14,900 and is currently available to pre-order through Apple Authorised resellers starting Wednesday, November 7. In the US, the new MacBook Air starts at $1200 (or approx Rs 90,000).

Also read: Apple’s future: The iPad Pro is more powerful, MacBook Air becomes more mobile

Apple October 2018 event: iPad Pro

The new Apple iPad Pro (Express photo by Anuj Bhatia)

John Ternus, VP of hardware engineering, called the new iPad Pro the biggest change to the device since it launched. The home button is gone and the screen stretches from almost edge to edge with a minimal bezel. The new iPad Pro now comes in two screen sizes: an 11-inch model and a 12.9-inch model.

The new 11-inch variant has a larger screen in the same sized body as the previous 10.5-inch iPad Pro, while the 12.9-in model has shrunken bezels with the same screen dimensions. Both tablets come with USB-C ports instead of the Lightning port and support a new Apple Pencil stylus and folio keyboard.  Interestingly, a redesigned Apple Pencil magnetically connects to the device and charges automatically.

Both tablets are powered by Apple’s new A12X Bionic chip, which the company claims is up to 90 per cent faster than the last version, and faster than 92 per cent of mobile PCs sold in the last year.

The 11-inch variant of the iPad Pro starts at Rs 71,900 for the Wi-Fi-only variant and Rs 85,900 for the Wi-Fi plus Cellular model. The 12.9-inch model starts at Rs 89,900 for the Wi-Fi-only model and Rs 103,900 for the Wi-Fi plus Cellular model. The second-generation pencil is priced at Rs 10,900, while the smart keyboard Folio is priced at Rs 15,900 for the 11-inch iPad Pro and Rs 17,900 for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Apple October 2018 event: Mac Mini

Apple Mac Mini with 8th-gen Intel Core processor for a price starting at $799

Apple’s entry-level desktop sees its first major update since 2014, adding quad-core 8th Gen Intel processors with the option to upgrade to six-core Intel Core i7 processors, up to 64GB of RAM and four Thunderbolt 3 ports. The base model starts at Rs 75,900 with 8GB RAM, and 128GB of storage, with the option to upgrade to 64GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.

Disclaimer: The writer is in New York on the invite of Apple India