Apple Unveils a New MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and iPad Pro

Apple has hosted yet another “special event”, six weeks after the last one. In September, Apple unveiled the new iPhone Xs, Xs Max, and iPhone XR. Now, one month on, Apple has unveiled slightly upgraded versions of the MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and iPad Pro.

Apple Announces New Old Products

The New MacBook Air

Apple has finally updated the MacBook Air for the first time since 2015. The new MacBook Air has a Retina display on a 13.3-inch screen, thinner bezels, two USB-C ports, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. At 2.75 pounds, it’s also slightly lighter than the previous model.

Unfortunately, there’s no Touch Bar, USB-A ports, or SD card reader. There are various versions available, with the base model boasting 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. For that you’ll pay $1,199, with the new MacBook Air available to buy from November 7.

The New Mac Mini

Apple has also updated the Mac Mini for the first time since 2014. The new Mac Mini boasts a quad-core 8th Gen Intel processor and up to 64GB of RAM and up to 2TB SSD storage. You get a generous four USB-C ports, plus USB-A ports, HDMI, and Ethernet.

The new Mac Mini actually looks very similar to the old Mac Mini, but the changes have all been made under the hood. The base model includes an Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB RAM, and 128GB of SSD storage. That will set you back $799 and be available from November 7.

The New iPad Pro

Last but not least is the new iPad Pro. This has been redesigned inside and out. Design-wise, the new iPad Pro has smaller bezels and a screen which run closer to the edge. Apple has also added Face ID, but removed the Home button and the 3.5mm headphone jack.

The new iPad Pro boasts impressive specs. It’s powered by the A12X Bionic chip, which has an 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU which Apple claims compares to an Xbox One. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799, with the 12.9-inch base model priced at $999.

But Where Are the New NEW Products?

This is the fourth special event Apple has hosted in 2018. However, they’ve all been about introducing slightly better versions of existing products, including the iPhone, the iPad, the Apple Watch, and operating systems for all of the above and more besides.

But where are the brand new, never-seen-before products that once helped Apple stand out from the crowd? And why aren’t more Apple fans calling out the company for playing it safe? Unfortunately, this is what happens when you’re worth $1 trillion and counting.

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