You may have heard Apple in the news the last couple weeks announcing new products. They announced 5 service-based products at their “It’s show time” launch event on March 25. Before that event, Apple announced updates to the iPad Air, iPad Mini, and AirPods. Then, one day after the iPad announcement, the new iMac was announced.
Even though these products were rumored, I was a little surprised to see so many products announced.
In this edition, I will do a quick review of some products announced. We will take a deeper dive with the new products in upcoming editions.
Apple Hardware Announcements
iPad Air Updated
Starting at $499, the new iPad Air features a 10.5-inch Retina display and the same A12 Bionic processor used in the iPhone XS. The new iPad Air sits between the 9.7-inch iPad introduced last year, which starts at $329, and the 11-inch iPad Pro, which starts at $799.
Just one pound and 6.1 mm thin
A12 Bionic chip with Neural Engine, M12 coprocessor
8-megapixel rear camera, 7-megapixel FaceTime camera
Support for the original Apple Pencil (not the newer one announced in October)
64GB or 256GB of storage
Support for eSIM
Rated for 10 hours of battery life
3.5mm headphone jack
Touch ID
Lightning connector
Available in space gray, silver and gold
Starts at $499
iPad Mini Updated
The new $399 iPad Mini will replace the aging iPad Mini 4, which had been left virtually unchanged by Apple since its debut in 2015. The screen and bezel has not changed in size, and it doesn't have Face ID or USB-C ports -- found on other recent Apple tablets -- it does now have a much faster A12 processor.
Apple TV+ is the name of Apple's new television service that will be home to the original TV shows and movies that are funded by Apple. There are more than 30 shows in the works. The new streaming service where the most creative minds in TV and film tell the kinds of stories only they can.
Apple is aiming to compete with existing streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Showtime, and others with its original content and has brought on huge names ranging from Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams to Oprah.
Ad-free and available to watch on demand
Apple hasn't announced pricing for Apple TV+ yet
Apple TV+ will be built into the Apple TV app
Can watch on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV, along with the Mac. Apple is also expanding its TV app to Samsung Smart TVs in the spring, and Sony, Vizio, and LG TVs later in the year. The TV app is also coming to Amazon Fire TV and Roku
Available in Fall of 2019
Apple Arcade
Apple is expanding its presence in the video games space with its own game subscription service called Apple Arcade--designed to provide access to a variety of titles that will be accessible on mobile, desktop, or in the living room.
Paid Service
Unlimited access to exclusive paid titles
Pricing not available yet
Available this Fall
Apple News +
Apple unveiled Apple News+ for $9.99 per month. The service is integrated directly into the News app and features magazines from National Geographic, Popular Science, New Yorker, Vogue, Rolling Stone and more. Apple News+ will also include content from the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal.
Apple Card
Apple Card is a consumer U.S. credit card issued by Goldman Sachs. A digital version of it lives in the Wallet app of your iPhone geared towards online and in-store contactless purchases. There's also a physical version which is made of titanium and unlike most credit cards, does not contain your card number, expiration date, CVV security code or signature in an effort to better protect your account information.
No Fees (that's right no fees at all)
Offers 2% cash-back on all purchases when you pay with Apple Pay, 1% cash-back when you pay using the physical card and 3% cash-back on purchases made directly from Apple, including iTunes digital media.
Available sometime in the summer of 2019
Where to Learn More From Dave...
Come see Dave in person at the following events...
04/08/2019 - Shorewest Realtors TechKnowledgey Club (Host/Teacher) - Brookfield-Waukesha, WI
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Dave, This Stuff is Awesome! I Would Love More Training, How Can I Get It?
If you crave more personalized training for business or personal use, I provide both one-on-one and classroom style training for various iOS and App topics. I'd be happy to work with you and/or your business/organization to improve your Apple iOS device comfort, knowledge, and experience.
Please email me at iPad Expert Dave to discuss all opportunities -- including speaking at events.
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