KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — Apple sent out press releases announcing updates to its iPad line as well as, surprisingly, a new Apple TV.
Here's a brief rundown on the new devices to help you decide if they should be in your shopping cart.
What did Apple announce exactly?
Apple announced a new iPad, the base model of the iPad line-up as well as updated iPad Pro tablets and its set-top box the Apple TV.
What's the buzz about the new iPad?
Apple has redesigned it so it's more in line with the rest of its tablets, namely the iPad Air and iPad Pro.
No more lightning port, instead you get USB-C charging and that's likely going to be the new norm in Apple devices after the recent EU ruling that stipulated mobile phone makers must use a common charging port ― the USB-C.
It will have a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display and plenty of power thanks to the A14 Bionic chip.
You'll also get support for Wi-Fi 6 as well as 5G and you get new updated cameras ― 12MP in front and 12MP in the back. The rear camera also supports 4K video recording, which opens up the possibility for some interesting use cases.
Apple also has a Magic Keyboard Folio just for this iPad that even includes a trackpad, retailing for RM1,249, and comes in white.
There is a simpler folio sans keyboard that retails for RM379 with the following colour choices: white, sky, watermelon, and lemonade.
As for colour choices for the iPad itself you can choose between white, pink, yellow, and silver.
Interestingly Apple has decided to make it only compatible with the first-generation Apple Pencil instead of supporting the newer second-gen one.
The USB-C to Apple Pencil adapter to charge the Pencil costs RM55 separately but is included if you buy a new Apple Pencil, that retails for RM479.
Pricing starts from RM2,099 for the basic Wi-Fi models and the cellular ones start at RM2,849 and they both have 64GB and 256GB storage options.
The older 9th-gen iPad will still be on sale for RM1,599 and RM2,249 for the Wi-Fi and cellular models respectively.
Is the year to consider getting an iPad Pro?
The iPad Pro remains, as ever, a specialist machine and for most people the basic iPad or the slightly pricier iPad Air might be the better option.
This time around, Apple hasn't changed much, maintaining last year's design but with a new M2 processor instead.
However Apple does add a new feature for Apple Pencil use (the 2nd-gen version) called Hover.
What it does is detect the Pencil up to 12mm above the display so users can see a “mark” that previews just where the Pencil will land. Apple says that it makes usage a lot more precise, useful for drawings and illustration.
This feature is only available on the new M2 iPad Pros with iPadOS 16.
You get the same sizes as last year, namely 11-inch and 12-9-inch displays with only the larger display getting the Liquid Retina XDR screen, essentially a mini-LED display.
It does mean, however, that the 11-inch iPad Pro is cheaper at RM3,899 for the Wi-Fi model and RM4,649 for the cellular option. The 12.9-inch version starts at RM5,399 for Wi-Fi and RM6,149 for cellular.
No fancy colours here as the models only come in silver and space grey, with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB storage options. The Apple Pencil (2nd-gen) is sold separately for RM599.
Another Apple TV?
Apple typically doesn't refresh the Apple TV line that often so it's surprising that there's already a new one this year. It uses an A15 Bionic chip, supports HDR10+ resolution and is priced at RM699.
You can choose between the Wi-Fi only version with 64GB of storage or the Ethernet version that supports fast Gigabit Ethernet with 128GB storage.
Why a new Apple TV now? I wager that the company wants to give consumers a slightly cheaper Wi-Fi only option to encourage takeup as well as help promote its Apple TV+ service.
So when are we getting these new devices?
You'll just have to do what I do ― refresh the Apple website every so often to check if they're available yet.
The earliest I'd expect to see the new units is probably next month as iPads don't have a track record of being available very soon after announcement, unlike iPhones.
