What you need to know about Apple's new iPad and MacBook

Apple

In the Brooklyn Music Academy, the climate is different from that of the Steve Jobs Theater. New York is refunding Apple's choice with an ovation for Tim Cook and a lot of screams for new products. So much so that the CEO says, "I have to move here."

Apple rewards the public by confirming expectations. No surprise except for the performance of Lana Del Rey who closes the event. For the rest, there was what we expected: two new iPad Pro, a MacBook Air and a Mac Mini.

The iPad Pro leaves the Home button

The iPad Pro receives the applause from a very generous audience. Apple is updating its flagship tablet after almost a year and a half. The aesthetic touch is obvious: you go back in the past, with more angular lines and less rounded angles. Instead, it differs from the tradition by saying goodbye to the "Home" button, which distinguished the device from 2010 to yesterday. Choice consistent with the style and technology offered on the iPhone X and XS. The abandonment of the Home key allows you to limit the contours and accompanies the arrival of Face ID, the facial recognition system to unlock the device.

The new iPad Pro

Reduced edges result in larger screens with the same overall size of the tablet. And so the new iPad Pro goes up in the smaller version from 10.5 to 11 inches. The biggest is 12.9 inches, but it gets smaller. The new iPad Pro are very thin: 5.9 mm (15% less than their predecessors) and reduce overall quarter volume.

The other novelty is the beginning of a Usb-C attack, a precedent on iPad that leaves only the "lightning" connector of the iPhone that has long distinguished Apple products. There is also a new Pencil, the second generation of the digital pen very hated by Steve Jobs but exhausted by Cook. Pencil 2 becomes a kind of flying mouse. By holding it, just two supports on the rod to change tools (write, delete, sketch). Loading is enabled by applying the stylus to the tablet.

Also redesigned another accessory: the integrated keyboard, which also serves as a cache. Under the body, a new processor, the A12X Bionic, promises better performance, graphical console processing and new features in augmented reality, as evidenced by the presentations on the stage of Photoshop and the video game dedicated to the NBA.

The iPad Pro is therefore proposed as a product not only for the tablet market, but aspires (both in productivity and entertainment) to encroach on that of 2-in-1 hybrids and, in part, to steal something from laptop. . It's no coincidence that Cook points out that iPad sales are superior to any other portable device (not just a tablet) of its competitors. Starting prices are 899 euros for the 11-inch version and 1119 euros for the 12.9-inch version. Pre-order immediately, availability from November 7th.

MacBook Air and Mac Mini

Apple had renewed the MacBook and MacBook Pro but did not touch the range Air (the thinnest and lightest) since 2015. Here is the update. The retina screen begins, offering more performance with 4 million pixels. The size of the screen remains the same as that of its predecessor: 13.3 inches, defined by Apple as "the perfect fit" to achieve the goal of the Air, the merger of maneuverability and performance.

Apple has worked to reduce the size: the new laptop is 17% smaller than the previous one and 15% thinner (15.6 mm), weighing one kilo and 250 grams. The ability to keep the 13.3-inch screen with smaller dimensions comes from the same precaution as that adopted on the iPad Pro: thinner edges.

The Nba game used to show the graphics processor power of the new iPad Pro

Instead, the touchpad is enlarged: the control base of the pointer is 20% larger. Audio equipment and processors also change. The sensor is integrated in the keyboard for fingerprint recognition. in Italy, the MacBook Air starts at € 1,379 and will be available from November 7th. The trio of devices ends with the Mac Mini, the small desktop computer that Apple has not renewed since 2014. It had presented the lean: promises to be five times faster than its predecessor, up to 32 GB of RAM and up to 4 GB of memory. at 2 terabytes. The Mini, like the Air, is made of 100% recycled aluminum and its starting price is 919 euros.

Absent: AirPower and AirPods

Nobody was waiting for them a few days ago. So we can not talk about disappointment. But, as already at the launch of the iPhone, the lack of two gadgets stands out. The AirPower charging base has not been received. Announced more than a year ago, it has never been on the market, apparently due to problems with excessive warming. Cupertino promised, after the first delays, that the store will land by 2018. There are only two months left until the end of the year, there are no others Events scheduled by Apple and AirPower seems to have disappeared. No mention, neither on the stage, nor on the official website of the apple. However, Cupertino would be well advised to hurry up, because the wireless charging bases are more and more widespread and evolve (like Google's Pixel Stand). Losing time also means losing a position in a new market. We also lost track of the new AirPods: the wireless headphones should be replaced by a case to place on the AirPower to charge the headset. The impression is that buying a helmet and a base was not a great find.

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