Here’s everything Apple announced today at its big hardware event

From new iPads to new MacBook Airs, Apple had a bunch of hardware refreshes to debut this morning. Here’s everything they showed off.

New MacBook Air

The MacBook Air is, at last, getting a Retina display. Roughly six years after the MacBook Pro went high-res, Apple’s slim line is following suit.

It has a 13.3″ screen, with a slimmer bezel (now black, rather than aluminum.) There’s a TouchID fingerprint sensor near the upper right corner of the keyboard — a keyboard which, by the way, has been shifted over to Apple’s butterfly mechanism keys. Oh, and it’s got actual function keys. No goofy TouchBar here.

It’s got a 20% larger Force Touch trackpad. The speakers are 25% louder than the previous generation with, the company claims, double the bass. Apple says the bodies of the new MacBook Airs are made of 100% recycled aluminum.

It’s got two Thunderbolt ports, and crams an Intel i5 CPU, up to 16GB of 2133Mhz RAM, and up to 1.5 TB of storage into its 2.75lb body. It’ll start at $1199. Orders start today, and will ship out starting November 7th.

New Mac Mini

Given that it’s been four years since the last Mac Mini refresh, you might’ve assumed Apple was done with the line. Nope!

The new Mac Mini will come in 4-core or 6-core models, up to 2TB of SSD storage, and up to 64GB of memory. It’s got a new thermal system that doubles the airflow to keep things cool. It’s got gigabit ethernet (or 10 gigabit ethernet, as an upgrade), 4 thunderbolt ports, HDMI, and 2 USB-A ports. Like the new MacBook air, it’s made of 100% recycled aluminum.

The base model starts at $799, and will start shipping out on November 7th.

New iPad Pro

Goodbye home button! Like many an iPhone before it, the new iPad Pro ditches the home button in favor of a much slimmer bezel.

By slimming down the bezel, they’re able to cram an 11″ screen into the same body that previously fit a 10.5″ screen. They’ll also continue to offer an even larger model with a massive 12.9″ display.

On the inside, it’s running Apple’s new A12X Bionic chip — a chip packing an 8-core CPU, a 7-core GPU, Apple’s secure enclave, and a storage controller that lets the new iPads handle up to 1TB of storage. Apple claims this new iPad Pro is faster than “92% of portable PCs.”

It’s got FaceID for unlocking your iPad with just your ol’ noggin, with a 7 megapixel camera on the front and a 12 megapixel camera on the back.

Perhaps most notably, the iPad Pro is dropping the Lightning port in favor of USB-C. That USB-C port can drive an external 5K display — or, in a pinch, charge your phone.

The 11-inch iPad Pro will start at $799, while the 12.9 inch model starts at $999. Orders start today, shipping out starting November 7th.

New Apple Pencil

The new Apple Pencil is built to snap magnetically to the edge of the new iPad Pro. Once snapped, it automatically pairs and starts wirelessly charging. No more goofy pencil sticking out of your iPad! Tap the Pencil to the Pro, and the iPad wakes up and launches right into Notes. It’s got support for gestures now, like double tapping the edge of the pencil to zoom way in or out in Photoshop.

iOS 12.1

As expected, the first big update to iOS 12 ships today, its biggest feature being Group Facetime for chatting with up to 32 people at once. It’s also got 70 new emoji, and brings dual SIM support to the iPhone XS, iPhone Xs Max, and iPhone Xr.

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The iPad finally moves to USB-C

Lightning had a good run, but it’s time to switch everything to USB-C. Apple finally dropped the Lightning port with the new iPad Pro. And it’s much more versatile than Lightning.

For instance, you can plug a 5K display to your iPad Pro and show some video on the external display. It’s still unclear how it’s going to work when it comes to software, but it opens up a lot possibilities.

You can also use USB-C dongles to plus all sort of data accessories. SD card readers, Ethernet cables, etc. The iPad Pro is looking more and more like a traditional laptop. Many third-party accessory makers will probably use this opportunity to develop docks and other hubs.

Finally, the good thing about USB-C is that you can theoretically turn any device into an external battery pack. Using a USB-C to Lightning, you can now charge an iPhone from your iPad. It’s an expensive battery pack, but it can be useful for those who always carry both at the same time.

Now let’s hope this is the first sign that USB-C is coming to the iPhone. I can’t wait to use my laptop charger to charge my phone, or my iPhone charger to charge my Nintendo Switch.

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Apple adds 60 more ‘Today at Apple’ sessions covering Pro tools, Siri Shortcuts, AR and more

Apple is expanding the number and types of classes it hosts at its retail stores, under the banner of “Today at Apple.” The company says it’s adding 60 more sessions at its stores, including those focused on using its newer apps, like Siri Shortcuts and Clips, as well as those focused on AR, art, music, family photo-taking and more.

According to Apple SVP of Retail, Angela Ahrendts, Apple has hosted over 18,000 sessions per week, since the launch of the “Today at Apple” program 18 months ago. It also updated the Apple Store app in the latest release to better highlight sessions tailored to individual users based on the devices they own, as well as other signature programs.

Now, it’s expanding the lineup.

The focus of the newly designed sessions will be on using Apple’s latest technologies, like Siri Shortcuts and augmented reality, Ahrendts said.

It’s also creating its first video lab called “Small Screen Magic” in partnership with video creator Zach King where people will learn how to shoot and edit videos using Apple’s Clips app.

Another session will be a photo lab called “Fun Family Portraits,” which will feature the use of Live Photos, filters and Apple Pencil.

Meanwhile, a new design lab called “Drawing Treehouses” has been co-created with architects Foster + Partners – which collaborated with Apple on Apple Park. The course will teach architectural principles through the lens of fantasy.

A new Pro series will cover skills for Mac owners, like a video lab that teaches Final Cut Pro and a music lab involving Logic Pro.

The company says it’s also expanding spaces for sessions, by adding Forums at over 70 stores per year.

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Apple introduces a new magnetic Apple Pencil

Apple is borrowing some ideas from the competition with the second-generation Apple Pencil with a flat edge. The most exciting thing is that you won’t lose it in your backpack anymore as it uses magnets just like your smart cover.

You can attach it to the tablet and it won’t get in the way if you’re using it in landscape. Even better, you no longer need to remove a cap to plug it to the Lightning port. The Apple Pencil charges when it’s attached to the iPad. It works pretty much like a regular wireless charger.

When you first attach it to your iPad, it automatically pairs with the iPad. Finally, Apple added a gesture on the Pencil so that you can change the color or the shape of your strokes. You just need to tap twice with your finger. Tapping the screen with the Pencil lets you wake up the iPad as well.

The new Pencil seems to work only with the new iPad Pro given that it requires magnetic edges. It will be available for $129. The new Smart Keyboard Folio will cost $179 for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $199 for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

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The new iPad Pro features less bezel, larger screens and USB-C

Here it is, the latest iPad Pro. A refreshed version of Apple’s highest-end tablet is, as anticipated, the centerpiece for today’s big event in Brooklyn. The new tablet marks what is arguable the most radical departure for the line from a design perspective, since the line rolled out some eight and a half years ago.

The “all new” iPad takes more than a few design cues from the iPhone line, continuing Apple’s single-minded focus of eliminating the world’s bezels. To achieve this, the company has dropped the home button, leaving only room for the front-facing camera along the top. Like the iPhone, the new Pro logs you in via FaceID using the depth-sensing, front-facing camera.

The new tablets are thinner than their predecessors and feature larger screen sizes at either 11 or 12.9 inches. Inside, you’ll find the company’s latest chip, the A12X bionic, a step up from the iPhone’s 12. It features an 8 core CPU and a 7 core GPU. Performance is up 35 percent faster for single core and up to 90 percent faster for multi-core programs. Graphical performance is around double its predecessor.

The new chip also brings the neural engine found on the company’s phones, which should help more intelligently perform tasks like editing photos.

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The new Mac Mini is up to five times faster

Now that the Air’s got shiny new update, it’s time for the other major neglected entry in the Mac line. As Tim Cook noted on stage, the company’s got another “small” addition to the line. The pint sized desktop is getting it’s “biggest updated, ever, according to the company.

The footprint is the same familiar squircle design that’s defined the line since the begin, but now with the space gray finish found on the rest of the line. The biggest changes, however, are on the inside. The new device features the latest generation six core processor, up to 64GB of RAM and up to 2TB of solid state storage.

On the back of the device, you’ll find four Thunderbolt 3, an HDMI and USB-A ports. Like the new Air, the updated Mini is made from 100 percent recycled aluminum. The entry level version features 8GB of RAM and starts at $799. Pre-orders for the diminutive desktop starts today, and it starts shipping on November 7.

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Long-awaited brand-new MacBook Air finally gets retina display and Touch ID

MacBook Air fans aren’t hard to find. Although I admit to being a bit skeptical at its introduction, the laptop grew from an underpowered runt to an underappreciated workhorse over the years. But the design has hardly changed in the decade (!) since it came out — at least until today’s Apple event, when the company took the wraps off a totally redesigned Air with a retina display and Touch ID — and a new $1,199 price.

“When Steve pulled that MacBook Air out of that envelope, it was clear things would never be the same,” recalled CEO Tim Cook in his introduction. “MacBook Air truly embraced the notion that less indeed could be more. And it redefined the modern notebook in the process. MacBook Air has become the most beloved notebook ever. it’s time for a new MacBook Air, one that takes the MacBook Air experience even further in the areas that are most important to our customers.” (Yes, he said the product name five times in a row like that.)

The new Air is clearly meant for budget buyers who have been put off by the 12″ MacBook, which although popular, isn’t without its flaws, and it ain’t cheap, either. For anyone looking to spend less than a grand on a new Mac notebook, the Air is their best (and practically only) bet.

Although the old Air was updated as late as last year with new specs, the display has always been an obvious deficiency. 1440×900 was nothing to crow about even in 2008, let alone nearly a decade later. That’s been fixed with a new high-resolution 13.30-inch screen: inches and 2560×1600. (And “48 percent more color,” whatever that means.)

Of course the guts to support that display, and the tasks you’ll be doing on it, needed a serious bump too. So the new Air has an 8th-generation Intel processor, presumably with integrated graphics. It’s probably enough to play Fortnite, which is all that matters.

As for the design, it really is hard to improve on the original; its knifelike profile was nothing short of astonishing at its debut, and it’s stayed more or less the same since, with a solid keyboard and (regrettably) a rather prominent bezel. The bezel is gone, at least, replaced with a thinner black one. There goes the signature Air look, but you won’t see anyone crying about that.

At least it’s still aluminum, and all recycled aluminum now too, Apple explained with pride. Helps make it more sustainable.

The trackpad is the new force touch version, meaning no actual movement when you click, which is a mixed blessing. It’s quite a bit larger, at least, while the laptop itself is a bit smaller and lighter.

The addition of Touch ID and the secure enclave that runs it is welcome, of course, and it’s doubtful many will miss the Touch Bar, which so far hasn’t demonstrated any serious utility outside a few specialty apps and workflows. You have the F-keys instead, which is a good choice.

Unfortunately, Apple has also decided to change the keyboard. While the old Air used a tried and true scissor switch, and my 2012 model still types like a dream, the new model uses the much-criticized “butterfly switch” mechanism. This keyboard has proven to be one of Apple’s worst engineering mistakes in years, with many complaining of noise, key failures, and discomfort. Air lovers may find this extremely disappointing.

The MBA’s variety of ports, including USB-A and an SD card reader, are of course gone, replaced by the now-standard USB-C. While I realize this is the future, it’s still a little sad to lose those legacy ports, which are still incredibly useful.

I’ll be holding onto my late-model MacBook Air, myself, but I understand the draw of this new one. It starts at $1,199 — apparently they couldn’t quite hit that $999 sweet spot — and should be available next week.

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