The estimated reading time for this post is 6 minutes
Yesterday Apple held an event that was chock full of news about upcoming Apple products. Not to be confused with last month’s event where Apple announced new versions of the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPod Nano, yesterday’s announcement was all about the MacBook Pro, iMac, iPad 4th generation and iPad Mini. If you’re in the market for new Apple products for the holidays, know that this fall, Apple has overhauled nearly its entire product line.
MacBook Pro
The 13″ MacBook Pro has been Apple’s best selling computer and now will be offered in a model that has a Retina display screen. The new 13″ MBP will be 0.75 inches thin, 20% thinner than the previous model, and weigh 3.57 lbs.
The display will have the world’s 2nd highest resolution (after the 15″ MBP with Retina display), with four times more pixels than the non-Retina display model. The 13″ screen has over 4 million pixels and a 75% reduction in reflective glare. The laptop has an HD FaceTime camera for video chats and an HDMI port for connections to TV’s and external monitors.
Prices for the 13″ MBP with Retina display start at $1699 for 128 GB of flash storage. They are available for purchase now.
iMac
Staying with the theme of thinner and lighter, Apple introduced the latest generation of the iMac desktop computer. The edge of the screen is 5 mm thin, 80% thinner than the previous model. The new display is laminated to the glass and is 45% thinner, with an anti-reflective coating that is one nanometer thin.
The new iMac comes with an HD FaceTime camera, stereo speakers and dual microphones. It uses 50% less power than previous models when in sleep mode.
The new iMac comes in two sizes: 21.5″ and 27″, with 1 or 3 TB (terabytes) of storage. It comes with a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse. Accessories available for the new iMac include the Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad and a USB Optical Drive if you want to play CD’s or DVD’s on your computer.
Prices start at $1299 for the 21.5″ model and $1799 for the 27″ model. The 21.5″ model will be available in November and the 27″ model will be available in December.
Apple Fusion Drive
Buyers of the new iMac will have a choice of storage options: flash drive for faster performance, hard drive for increased storage, or Fusion drive which combines both flash and hard drive storage. Fusion storage keeps the software you use the most frequently on a 128 GB flash drive and other files on your larger hard drive. Fusion figures out where files should be and puts them there. You don’t need to figure it out yourself, you let iMac do the work.
Fusion is available in:
- 1 TB for both 21.5″ and 27″ iMacs or
- 3 TB for the 27″ iMac.
For an analysis of the Fusion Drive, check out Ars Technica: Apple Fusion Drive—wait, what? How does this work?
iPad 4th Generation
With over 100 million iPads sold in the past 2 1/2 years and 275,000 iPad apps available in the iTunes App Store, Apple decided to update the iPad. Apple introduced the 4th generation iPad, replacing the 3rd generation iPad (called the “New iPad” at its launch in March). The iPad 4 will have a new chip that will be twice as fast as the chip in the iPad 3. The Wi-Fi connection is twice as fast as well. The iPad 4 will have the Lightning port to match the port on the iPhone 5 and the new iPod Touch. Like its predecessor, the iPad 4 comes with a Retina display screen.
Other interesting facts about the iPad revealed at yesterday’s event include that the iPad is the source of 91% of the Internet tablet traffic and that 94% of Fortune 500 companies are using or testing the iPad.
The iPad 4 will have the same pricing as the iPad 3 had:
Wi-Fi
- $499 16 GB
- $599 32 GB
- $699 64 GB
Wi-Fi + Cellular
- $629 16 GB
- $729 32 GB
- $829 64 GB
Pre-orders start on Friday, October 26 with delivery to begin on November 2. iPad cellular service will be available through Verizon, AT&T and Sprint.
iPad Mini
The much-anticipated iPad Mini was revealed as the final announcement of the event. The device has a 7.9″ screen, which is small enough to hold in one hand, but has 33% more screen space than a 7″ Android tablet. When browsing the Internet, the iPad Mini has 35% more screen space in portrait mode and 67% more screen space in landscape mode than a 7″ Android tablet.
The iPad Mini weighs 0.68 lbs and is 7.2 mm thin. The iPad Mini will be able to run iPad as well as iPhone apps. The device has a 5 MP iSight camera and a HD FaceTime camera. Like the iPad 4, the iPad mini comes with the Lighting port but the iPad Mini does not have a Retina display screen.
The iPad Mini is priced:
Wi-Fi only
- $329 16 GB
- $429 32 GB
- $529 64 GB
Wi-Fi + Cellular
- $459 16 GB
- $559 32 GB
- $659 64 GB
Pre-orders start October 26 with shipments beginning on November 2 for Wi-Fi only models and two weeks later for Wi-Fi + Cellular models. Cellular LTE service will be available on the Verizon, AT&T and Sprint networks in the US.
Note, if you bought an iPad 3rd generation within the past 30 days, you may be able to exchange it for a 4th generation iPad. Check with your local Apple store for details.
Buying New or Old?
With the iPad 3rd generation (née the New iPad) a mere seven months old, you may be tempted to grab a slightly used older iPad model rather than the 4th generation iPad. The iPad 2 is now priced at $399 for Wi-Fi only and $529 for the Wi-Fi plus cellular at the Apple Store online. The 3rd gen iPad is no longer available in the Apple store online.
Glyde reports that listings for the iPad 2 have increased 55% since last week when Apple announced yesterday’s event. Listings of Nexus 7 tablets increased by 300% and other tablet listings increased 35%.
Glyde provided me with pricing for buying and/or selling iPads on its site:
|
Resale values for iPads in good condition sold via Speed Sale on Glyde.com: |
|
| iPad 1 16GB Wifi | $ 140.00 |
| iPad 1 32GB Wifi | $ 148.00 |
| iPad 1 64GB Wifi | $ 161.00 |
| iPad 1 16GB 3G | $ 149.00 |
| iPad 1 32GB 3G | $ 155.00 |
| iPad 1 32GB 3G | $ 168.00 |
| iPad 2 16GB Wifi | $ 209.00 |
| iPad 2 32GB Wifi | $ 245.00 |
| iPad 2 64GB Wifi | $ 300.00 |
| iPad 2 16GB 3G | $ 252.00 |
| iPad 2 32GB 3G | $ 288.00 |
| iPad 2 64GB 3G | $ 318.00 |
| iPad 3 16GB Wifi | $ 288.00 |
| iPad 3 32GB Wifi | $ 360.00 |
| iPad 3 64GB Wifi | $ 420.00 |
| iPad 3 16GB 3G | $ 370.00 |
| iPad 3 32GB 3G | $ 430.00 |
| iPad 3 64GB 3G | $ 470.00 |
|
Resale values for iPads in good condition sold via Regular Sale on Glyde.com: |
|
| iPad 1 16GB Wifi | $ 183.00 |
| iPad 1 32GB Wifi | $ 193.00 |
| iPad 1 64GB Wifi | $ 210.00 |
| iPad 1 16GB 3G | $ 194.00 |
| iPad 1 32GB 3G | $ 202.00 |
| iPad 1 32GB 3G | $ 218.00 |
| iPad 2 16GB Wifi | $ 270.00 |
| iPad 2 32GB Wifi | $ 315.00 |
| iPad 2 64GB Wifi | $ 383.00 |
| iPad 2 16GB 3G | $ 323.00 |
| iPad 2 32GB 3G | $ 368.00 |
| iPad 2 64GB 3G | $ 400.00 |
| iPad 3 16GB Wifi | $ 368.00 |
| iPad 3 32GB Wifi | $ 454.00 |
| iPad 3 64GB Wifi | $ 527.00 |
| iPad 3 16GB 3G | $ 455.00 |
| iPad 3 32GB 3G | $ 534.00 |
| iPad 3 64GB 3G | $ 584.00 |
Your tablet buying decision just became a bit more complicated.
Your Thoughts?
What do you think about Apple’s announcements yesterday? Is there a new Apple product that particularly excites you? Does the announcement confirm your contentment with your existing devices? Let us know in the Comments section below!
I really think that Apple could have killed the market for small tablets if the price point was in the $250-$290 range. Since there is not much of a difference in price, the folks I have talked to would spend the extra to purchase a full size iPad at $499. The pundits were right on target with the specs of the Mini, but not the price. In this pre-Christmas buying season, we will see how America votes with their dollar.
Hi Robin, Great point. At under $300, the iPad Mini would have been serious competition to the Kindle Fire HD and other Android tablets. As the specs of the iPad Mini are quite similar to the iPad 2, people may decide to spend the extra $70 and get an iPad 2 instead of a Mini. But there will be Apple fans who will buy the Mini no matter what.
Don’t you think, when prices will be on that level Apple will not be “Apple that we know” – it will not be so valuable and that with reduced prices it will lose that touch of uniqueness inherent in it?)
Thnks.
At 1st the price of the new product is not compatible & secondly, I feel that, Microsoft surface will be a great competitor of iPad Mini & thus the revenue of Apple would be affected considerably!
Hi Zainil, It will be interesting to see how the tablet market is affected by both the iPad Mini and the Microsoft Surface being sold beginning on Friday. A month from now we will have a better idea of how things are shaking out.
I am thinking the Surface will be more of a competitor with the large iPad because of their common $499 starting price. The Mini will definitely have an effect on the tablet market though!
Thanks for sharing your insights with us, Zainil! 🙂
I have to agree with Robin, the prices are so close you might as well shell out the extra to get a full sized iPad. Personally, I’m looking forward to the Microsoft Surface but it will come down to either the Surface or Google Nexus for me.
Hi Luis, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re right, Robin has an excellent point, the price difference isn’t all that much between the smaller and larger iPads. But if I’m getting an iPad for my kids, I would probably get the smaller one because it’s less expensive (in case they break or lose it) and it’s more portable. I asked them if they would want an iPad Mini (not that they’re getting one, but just to see what they would say) and they wanted the iPod Touch instead.
Time will tell how popular the Mini will be.
Hi Carolyn,
This just goes to show that Apple continues to innovate and bring outstanding products to the marketplace. I really like the super thin monitor. That has my attention for sure.
I’m not too interested in the iPad mini myself but I’m sure it will go over well with college kids (who have better eyesight than little ole me).
Thanks for the rundown!
Hi Ileane, That monitor is very impressive. It’s even more amazing when you realize that there is a powerful computer behind it. You have to wonder how much thinner Apple can make its devices!
Yes, between being smaller and having no Retina display, the iPad Mini might not be the best bet for those without perfect vision. Those who want the convenience of a smaller iPad (and have good vision) will be excited at this development.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Ileane! 🙂
Hello Carolyn, You sure did a great sell job for all this new technology for sure. I still have my 8 year old hp, works great, never did see the need for the tablets besides they look real cute.
You did a great job with giving us allot of good information, especially for those in the market.
Hi Carol, Thanks, but I’m not trying to sell anything to anyone, just give information about the products that were announced yesterday. Whether or not you like the product line, it’s still amazing that Apple revamped nearly all of their hardware this year.
If your tech is still working well for you then you should stick with it. I’m thinking you may be running Windows XP on your computer which may be an issue if you try to download new software, but if you don’t need any new software then your hardware will probably suit you well.
My husband’s desktop computer is nearly six years old (also an HP) and it’s doing just fine.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Carol! 🙂
That new iMac is a thing of beauty, don’t you think? And 3 TB (terabytes) of storage ain’t too shabby.
iPad Mini … well, I like what it’ll do for the stock price. Still not sure I need something like this though. I have an iMac … iPhone … and MacBook Air. Me thinks that’s enough and I don’t want to go broke. Kinda pricy little buggers.
Thanks for the breakdown. I’ve missed most of this stuff this week.
Hi Craig, Yes, the new iMac is stunning and the idea of 3 TB of storage is compelling. If I were in the market for a desktop, I would give the new iMac serious consideration.
So far the iPad Mini hasn’t had a positive effect on Apple stock price as many think that the device is overpriced. But sales numbers will be the true measure of success and the stock price may be positively affected once the device goes on sale tomorrow.
Yes, you do have quite a few gadgets. If you hadn’t added an iPad to your iDevice collection previously, the iPad Mini may not be the one to get you to become a tablet fan.
Although I like the convenience of a 7-8″ tablet, I really like the size of my larger iPad screen, as well as the Retina display.
You’re right, it’s easy to go broke with all of these fun tech toys, er, devices, but I don’t think anything announced on Tuesday will cause lines to form at the Apple store tomorrow.
Hi Carolyn
I’ve still a PC man when it comes to computers, mostly because of price and in the past because of the range of software. I love the Apple design though.
The Fusion Drive also sounds very interesting!
Hi Tim, Yes, PC’s are much less expensive and have the advantage of a wider range of software. With the launch of Windows 8 tomorrow, are you tempted to upgrade your operating system and/or your computer?
Hi Carolyn
Yes, I am very tempted. I still have Vista and it’s not the greatest!
The only issue is that with a Windows 8 upgrade from Vista I’ll only be able to keep settings and anything saved under users. Everything will need to be manually reinstalled.
I’m planning to leave it for a couple of weeks to see what the consensus is before taking the plunge. I think the special offer price is available until the end of January 2013.
I plan to buy a new PC but only in 12 months or so but certainly not before then. I currently have a desktop and am toying with buying a laptop to save on space.
Yes, Tim, you’re very wise to wait a while and see what the consensus is. If you’ve survived this long with Vista, you can probably wait a while longer to see what the reaction is to Windows 8. You may even want to wait until you get a new computer so you don’t need to reinstall everything twice.
I agree with you Tim and Carolyn. Almost all gamers also uses desktop or favor desktop because it’s more designed for gaming. And you’re right Carolyn, it’s also cheaper.
Hi Carolyn,
I think Apple did a doosra( term inspired from the game of cricket to mean something unexpected that fools someone) on many of the big blog networks, who just did not see the new iPad coming. It kinda stole the thunder from the wings of the mini iPad, which I feel should have got more attention than it did.
Hi Adeline, What a great description of Apple’s iPad 4 announcement yesterday! You’re right, there is quite a bit of controversy about Apple announcing the iPad 4 so soon after the iPad 3 was launched in March. People had settled in to a routine of the iPad being launched in March/April so this announcement definitely threw people.
My theory is that Apple didn’t want the iPad to be its only mobile device without a Lightning dock connector so it wanted to update the device mostly for that reason. It realized that it needed to update the iPad with more than just a dock connector so it added an upgraded chip and Wi-Fi capabilities.
But in upgrading the iPad, Apple devalued the iPad 3 so a buyer of an iPad now may very well decide upon getting a refurbished iPad 3 from Apple for only a few dollars more than getting an iPad Mini: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad
Time will tell if the iPad Mini will be successful. Do people want a smaller iPad with less advanced features if they will only be saving a little money?
Wow, Carolyn,
This is such a completely Apple new stuff update info with prices and everything 🙂 While I’m not personally in the market for this right now, I will share this, as I know there are lots of Apple aficionados out there!
Hi Sylviane, Yes, I’m not in the market for any of these devices either but I am interested in what Apple is offering. They make elegantly designed products that function well, a great recipe for success!
Thanks for sharing this article. I know a lot of people are interested in Apple’s announcement, especially in light of Microsoft’s big launch tomorrow. People will have plenty of choices of new tech after this week!
So you asked our thoughts on this Carolyn. How about WOW!!! My goodness, all the updates and new and improved and mini’s and all this good stuff that I know nothing about. lol…
But seriously, Apple is the company to beat with the technology that they have come out with. As you very well know, all I have that’s an Apple is the iPod Touch and I got that upon your recommendation. Still love it by the way. Maybe one of these centuries I’ll get another toy.
Always appreciate your updates though Carolyn. If it weren’t for you I’d be lost. 🙂
Hi Adrienne, Yes, you’re right, it’s very impressive that Apple revamped so much of its product line in one year. It’s a very ambitious undertaking yet they pretty much made everything thinner and lighter. Except the larger iPad. But no one seems to be complaining about that!
I’m glad you’re still enjoying your iPod Touch, Adrienne. My girls just bought the new one with their birthday money and they’re very excited for it to arrive! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Adrienne!
Carolyn, this makes me want to run right out and grab a new MacBook. First, I’ll need to send out an extra invoice or two…
I’ve been an Apple user since 1986 and an Apple owner since 1992. The products seem to last a whole lot longer these days so I don’t feel the pressure to run right out and get a new device. But my MacBook is just this week out of AppleCare, so I guess Cupertino will be getting more of my retirement fund sooner rather than later.
Hi Barrett, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, you certainly are an Apple fan. You’re right, Apple products tend to last quite a while. Many people have original iPods still going strong. I’m hoping your MacBook lasts for many more years so you don’t have to worry about AppleCare.
I thought the iMac looked particularly enticing. I use laptops, but I think it would be great to have a 27″ screen with 3 TB of storage! :-bd
I think an interesting take would be to post what from this list we each think will NOT be showing up.
Because Apple never gives us everything the rumors say.
Hi Erda, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I agree, it’s also telling to look at what Apple didn’t announce. In this case, Apple didn’t announce a new version of iTunes, updates to Maps and iOS 6. Here is an interesting article on just that topic: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/10/23/what-didnt-we-get-from-apple-today/
Like a lot of people I wish they had been more competitive with the less expensive tablets. I’ve been wanting and iPad and putting it off for a while. Now I’m thinking I’ll just go look at the Surface 🙂
I love the new Macs. Well, I love any Mac, I think they’re beautiful and the monitors are amazing. When you’re an Apple fan I think you just have to be prepared to cough up several hundred bucks to upgrade your devices every year. Going to be getting the iPhone 5 soon…
Hi Carol Lynn, Yes, if you’re an Apple fan, it’s very tempting to upgrade your devices frequently. You may want to consider an iPad Mini instead of a Surface if you’re looking for a tablet. Since you’re so invested in the Apple computing system, the iPad might be a better fit. Then all of your iPhone apps would work on your iPad.
I keep wondering when Apple is going to lose its market edge over everybody else. Sure doesn’t seem to have happened yet.
Hi Judith, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Apple only dominates the market in the tablet sector. The Mac market share continues to grow but the iPhone market share continues to be much smaller than the Android market share.
With the introduction of all of the new tablets, including the iPad Mini, the tablet market may be very different in a year than it is now. Time will tell!
I think that many users are going to let their old i-pads bite dust and switch on to the new ones.
But then again, the new i-pad is great!
Retina display and all.
The cellulair ones are going to make things more sweet!
Hi Soepdeet, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, the iPad Mini sold out within hours of going on sale in the US. I imagine many people are upgrading their iPads with the new Mini.
To be honest, I like the small improvements that Apple has in, but I expect more from Apple (If you ask me, they are seriously lacking something in their creative department!).
I mean, all they are doing these days is taking the same old device, making them smaller or thinner and making it faster (I like those things, but should Apple just rely on them for their sales? I mean, a company like Apple).
I do hope that they do better next time (I am kind of disappointed in Apple right now, especially after I heard about iPad Mini).
Anyways, thank you for the post, Carolyn!
Hi Jeevan, Sorry I missed your comment earlier! You have an excellent point. Apply updated their entire line up this year but didn’t really give us much in the way of innovation. There is no new product or radically different product for us to say, “Wow”.
I don’t know what the future holds for Apple but right now they seem to be refining more than innovating.
Guess what? I have just bought the 13″ MacBook Pro with Retina display and I love it. It’s fantastic. It was one of my hardest buying decisions ever, and that was mostly because I was going to buy the 11″ MacBook Air. I wanted a really light and easy to carry laptop, but when I discovered the 13″ rMBP, it was so much lighter than the others and it looked really small. I went to the store three times to look at it before I bought it, and now, my next purchase will be the 27″ Cinema Display 🙂
– and an iPad Mini for my wife for Christmas (I hope she’s not reading this) 🙂
Very cool, Jens! That 13″ rMBP is going to be great for you. You have both the portability and the power you will want. That 27″ Cinema Display should give you the best of both worlds with a huge screen.
I bet your wife will really enjoy her iPad Mini, if she can keep it away from your kids! 😉
I am big fan of Apple products. I am eagerly waiting for iPhone 5 available in India. There is no comparison between Apple and Samsung. Apple is awesome and whatever the price, it deserved.
Hi Yogendra, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You sound like a devoted Apple fan, which means that you will be very pleased with the new iPhone 5. I hope it comes to India soon, Yogendra!
Yeah, I am big fan of Apple and iPhone 5 has come in India now.
Congratulations, Yogendra! I hope you enjoy your new iPhone 5. 🙂