Apple Just Launched The New iPad Pro, MacBook Air, And Mac Mini

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Apple Just Launched The New iPad Pro, MacBook Air, And Mac Mini

At its event tonight, live from Brooklyn, Apple launched a slew of devices for us to play around with, ending months of hints and speculation.

Aside from the expected new iPad, the Cupertino giant also refreshed the MacBook Air lineup, and also showed off a new Apple Pencil. So here are the highlights you need.

iPad Pro (2018)

The first mention needed for the new iPad Pros is that they've finally made the switch over from Apple's Lightning port to USB Type-C. That means they get all sorts of new goodies like 4K video out. However, there's also a new USB charge-OUT mode, meaning you can use your iPad Pro to charge your iPhone!

There are two new size variants of the iPad Pro. A 11-inch display that fits in the same size body as the old 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and a new 12.9-inch display in a smaller package as it's predecessor. Both of these versions are Liquid Retina at 264ppi, and are edge-to-edge. Apple has also ditched the traditional Home button in favour of Apple's FaceID, which is why the bodies are so much smaller. And as a side effect of the Home button going away, it now uses the same gesture controls as on the iPhone X.

The iPad Pro uses a new A12X Bionic chip a beefier version of the A12 in the new iPhones. This is an 8-core CPU (4x performance and 4x efficiency), which is 35 percent faster than the old iPad Pro. In fact, Apple claims the new iPad Pro is "faster than 92 percent of all portable PCs sold in the last 12 months". It also has four-speaker audio with two woofers and tweeters, at the corners. There's a 12MP camera on the rear, and even eSIM support for LTE.

Both sizes of iPad Pro will be available in 64GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options. The 11-inch version will start at $799 (Rs 58,800), and the 12.9-inch at $999 (Rs 73,500). You can preorder today, and they'll be available on Nov 7. In addition, the current 10.5-inch version of the old iPad Pro will continue to be available.

Apple Pencil (2018)

The iPad Pros also get a new accessory, the refreshed Apple pencil. Where the original Apple Pencil only had a multitude of sensors in the tip (to detect the angle of writing or drawing) the new version also features a prominent button, for extra shortcut actions. In addition, the Pencil also now has gesture support. The Pencil has a flat side now, so it's not rolling off your table, and attaches to the side of the iPad Pro magnetically. When it does that, it's also charge wirelessly.