The estimated reading time for this post is 2 minutes
If you’re a fan of Apple products, you’ll probably think this is the best week of 2019 so far. Every day this week Apple has announced an update to at least one of its products, with announcements coming Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Don’t be shocked if we get more update announcements from Apple today and/or Friday.
Updates to the iPad Air and iPad Mini
Monday brought news from Apple of updates to the iPad Air and iPad Mini. Both of these iPads will support the 1st generation Apple Pencil so you can write, draw and sketch with apps such as Procreate and Notability.
See => Take Note of Notability!
Both the iPad Air and Mini have updated front and rear cameras for photos, selfies and FaceTime calls. They come in silver, space gray and gold, Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + cellular, with storage of 64GB or 256GB.
These iPads join the iPad Pro and the iPad, giving you plenty of iPad choices. To help you decide between them, Apple offers an interactive iPad Comparison page.
iPad Air
The iPad Air has a 10.5″ screen and a 70% improvement in performance over the previous iPad Air. Its advanced Retina display is 20% larger than the previous iPad Air and has over 500,000 more Pixels. True Tone technology means the colors are more vivid than the previous iPad Air.
Prices for the iPad Air begin at $499 for the Wi-Fi only model and $629 for Wi-Fi + cellular.
iPad Mini
The 7.9 inch iPad Mini has been updated for the first time since 2015, with nine times faster graphics and three times better performance. The advanced Retina display is 25% brighter and has the highest pixel density of any iPad, making the images and text very sharp.
The iPad Mini begins at $399 for Wi-Fi only and $529 for Wi-Fi + cellular.
iMac Computers
On Tuesday Apple updated its iMac desktop computers in both the 21.5-inch and 27-inch sizes. The smaller iMac has more powerful processors that perform 60% faster. The larger iMac also has better processors with 2.4 times faster performance that the previous model.
The graphics have been improved as well, with 80% faster speeds for the smaller iMac and 50% faster speeds for the larger one.
The Retina displays of the new iMacs have over 1 billion colors in hardware that is a mere 5 millimeters thin.
The 21.5-inch iMac starts at $1,299 and the 27-inch iMac starts at $1,799.
AirPods
AirPods, Apple’s wireless earbuds, got their first update with a new chip that allows you to use them hands-free. No more need to tap AirPods to control them. Just say, “Hey Siri” and use voice commands.
New AirPods also have a longer battery life, with 50% more talk time. Apple offers the option of a wireless charging case, for an additional $50, or the standard charging case. Either case can be engraved for free if ordered through the Apple Store online or through the Apple Store app.
Owners of the 1st generation AirPods can buy the wireless charging case separately for $79.
Your Thoughts
Are you excited about these updates from Apple? Are you planning to upgrade your existing Apple products? Do you think Apple will announce more updates today and tomorrow?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!