In the spotlight today is Apple’s newly announced iPad Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac Mini. In today’s episode, we’ll give you a quick tour of their special features.
The new iPad Pro has received a hefty makeover. Apple squared its edges and rounded its corners for a sleeker look. Screen size has been expanded by half an inch without increasing its size. Apple removed the home button and narrowed the bezels. No home button means no fingerprint sensor, so the new iPad Pros now exclusively use Face ID for biometric sign-in. Powering the iPad Pro is the newer, faster A12X Bionic chip. In addition, Apple says the iPad Pro’s new GPU is comparable to the XBOX One X in terms of performance. Security is managed by Apple’s T2 co-processor, a dedicated chip to handle not just security, but also things like image processing and voice recognition. Sound interesting? Then be prepared to spend $999 in Canada for the 11” model or $1,299 for the 12.9” model.
Next is the significantly overhauled MacBook Air. Pretty much everything on this device has been updated. It’s now equipped with a high-resolution Retina display, new butterfly switch keyboard, Force Touch trackpad, fingerprint sensor, and the Intel 8th generation dual-core i5 processor. It’s also smaller, slimmer and it weighs less than 3lbs. Full-size USB ports have been replaced by USB-C Thunderbolt ports, which double as charging ports. Like the iPad Pro, these new features don’t come cheap. The new MacBook Air starts at $1,499 Canada in for just 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage.
Finally, there’s the new Mac Mini. It’s the first update in four years. That includes a newer, faster 8th generation Intel quad-core processor. Or upgrade to a six-core processor if you want more power. RAM is upgraded to 64GB, and storage to 2TB. A newly-designed thermal solution cools the Mac Mini. Input options include four USB-C Thunderbolt ports, two full-size USB ports, an HDMI port, and optional 10 Gigabit Ethernet. Unlike the other two devices, the Mac Mini’s $999 starting price in Canada is somewhat palatable.
Well, that’s what’s trending today. Hashtag Trending is produced by the ITWC Podcast Network. If you enjoy Hashtag Trending, please be sure to give us a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts. I’m Tom Li and thank you for tuning in.