Apple presented its new MacBook Air and iPad during a special event organized in New York, on the morning of Tuesday, October 30th (with us it was early afternoon). The news were presented just over a month after the presentation of the iPhone XS / XR and complete Apple's offer for the Christmas shopping season, usually the most profitable for the company.
MacBook Air
An update of the MacBook Air, Apple's most popular and popular laptop, was long overdue: no new versions of the device for several years. The most interesting novelty concerns the introduction of a new Retina type screen, which offers greater image definition and more realistic colors. The bezel around the screen has been cut in half and now has a design reminiscent of a MacBook. The reduction of the bezel allowed to reduce the overall volume of the new MacBook Air, while maintaining the 13.3-inch screen size. The laptop also has two USB-C ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack, the classic one in short.
The keyboard has been updated with a new system to improve the travel of the keys (i.e. the space in which they move vertically when pressed), with the addition of a new backlight system with an LED for each key. The trackpad is about 25 percent larger and a fingerprint sensor has been added at the top right of the keyboard that can be used both to unlock the computer and to automatically enter the passwords of the various online services that you is enrolled. Apple also says the battery lasts at least 12 hours, which is as long as the previous model, albeit the new one is more powerful.
The base model of MacBook Air with 8 GB of RAM, Intel 1.6 GHz Core i5 processor and 128 GB of internal memory costs 1,379 euros and can be ordered starting today, while it will go on sale starting next November 7.
iPad Pro
Apple unveiled a completely redesigned version of its iPad Pro, the company's first tablet without a Home button, replaced by a facial recognition system to unlock the device as it already happens on the iPhone X / XS / XR. It comes in two versions, a smaller 11-inch and a larger 12.9-inch. Thanks to the reduction of the bezel around the screens and the elimination of the Home button, the new iPad Pros take up less space than their predecessors.
The new tablets use the Apple-developed A12X Bionic processor, making them between 35 and 90 percent faster (depending on processing) than their predecessors. They are in fact very powerful and designed especially for those who deal with graphics, manage a lot of data or are passionate about video games.
The new iPad Pro are also the first Apple tablets not to have a Lightning connector, replaced by a more common and versatile USB-C connector like on MacBooks. This will allow you to use the iPad Pro with a greater number of devices, without particular limitations. The USB-C port can also be used to charge your smartphone by connecting it to the tablet via cable.
Apple has also modified its Pencil, the stylus to use for drawing and writing on the iPad Pro screen. The new version has a different design and has a system to remain magnetically connected to the frame of the iPad Pro. When placed on the frame, it starts also automatically the wireless charging process.
The new iPad Pro start at € 899 for the 11-inch model and € 1,119 for the 12.9-inch model. They can be ordered online on Apple's website and will go on sale starting November 7th.
Mac mini
Apple has finally also updated its Mac mini, another product much appreciated by users and which had not received particular attention in recent years. The new version can be customized with the latest generation Intel quad-core processors and can reach configurations up to 64 GB of RAM. The basic model costs 919 euros and can be purchased from 7 November.
