Apple Announces New iPhone, iPad Air, Mac Studio computer And More

Apple yesterday held an event at their Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino, California. During the event the new iPhone SE, iPad Air and a few changes on their already existing products.

New iPhone SE

The new iPhone SE is a budget phone that will retail for $429 US. It is the successor to the 2020 model but with 5G and the latest iPhone processor, A15

The device looks like the previous iPhone SE. It has a 4,7-inch rectangular display and a TouchID fingerprint sensor. It also has a 12-megapixel rear camera. It all has the classic iPhone home button for those who prefer the simpler non-complicated functionality of one. Apple CEO Tim Cook said the device was ideal for people who like smaller phones.

There has been a bit of a surprise with the pricing of the new iPhone SE at $429 US compared to the $399 US model Apple launched in 2020.

New colour additions to the iPhone 13

Lovers of the colour green can finally pre-order the iPhone 13 in “green” and the iPhone 13 Pro in “alpine green” starting Friday.

New iPad Air with M1 chip

Apple also announced the new iPad Air.  The iPad Air is a mid-range iPad. It uses Apple’s M1 processor which is the same chip used in their pricier iPad Pro and MacBook Air models. It also has optional 5G support.

The device’s front-facing camera has been upgraded to a 12-megapixel camera with a wide-angle lens and this enables a feature called Centre Stage that can follow subjects as they move around in the frame while video conferencing.

The iPad Air will cost $599 US with optional storage space and cellular upgrades. This is the same price it retailed for before and it will hit the store shelves on the 18^th of March.

The Mac Studio with M1 Ultra chip

Apple introduced the first new Mac model in a very long time with the Mac Studio. The new model is a display-less desktop computer. It’s a cube-shaped aluminium box with USB-C ports and an SD card slot in the front.

The Mac Studio is taller than the existing Mac Mini and the additional height is used for big fans to keep the computer’s temperature down.

Apple also announced a separate 27-inch display called Studio Display with 5K resolution, equipped with an Apple chip, speakers, and built-in camera.

The computer uses the high-performance M1 Ultra processor, which the company says has more power than its existing M1 chips.

The Mac Studio with an older M1 Max chip starts at $1999. The model with an M1 Ultra chip starts at $3999. The Studio Display starts at $1599.

Apple said that the M1 Ultra doubles the size of Apple’s previous M1 chips using a connection technology it calls UltraFusion. Apple said it has more transistors than any other PC chip and includes a 64-core graphics processor.

Apple said that the Mac Studio with M1 Ultra is 80% faster than the top-of-the-line Mac Pro, which retailed for over $50,000.

“We’ve transitioned nearly every product in the Mac lineup to Apple Silicon,” Cook said.

Deal with MLB to air games on Friday nights

Apple has entered into live spots as it said it will air two exclusive Major League Baseball games on Friday nights.

Apple will air live pregame and postgame shows, and it will be free from local broadcast restrictions, and won’t require an Apple TV+ subscription for now.

The games will be aired in the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, Apple said.

But, it comes a week after MLB cancelled opening day due to the ongoing lockout.

Apple has made some impressive changes to its gadgets. The event ran under the theme “Peek Performance” and 150 000 people had already joined the live stream on YouTube 5 minutes before it started. This is a sign that Apple can still generate a huge demand for their products.