UK Edition
Apple unveils new more expensive MacBook Air and iPad Pro
- Apple reveals new MacBook Air starting at £1,199
- The updated MacBook Air comes with Retina display and Thunderbolt 3 ports
- Apple launches a new iPad Pro with Face ID and no home button starting at £769
- Apple updates its Mac Mini starting at £799
- New MacBook Air available to pre-order from today and in stores November 7
Apple has unveiled new versions of its iPad and Mac computers as it seeks to revive growth in the two divisions amid stalling sales.
The US tech company unveiled a redesigned MacBook Air laptop and an overhauled iPad Pro at an event in New York on Tuesday, the second Apple product launch in as many months.
Unlike the new iPhones released last month, the new products both feature significant design changes to their predecessors, and Apple will hope they trigger a sales boost ahead of Christmas.
Sales of Macs and iPads have been sluggish when compared to those of the iPhone, the Apple Watch, and software such as apps and music. Earlier this year, Mac sales fell to their lowest level for eight years, while iPad sales have dropped since their peak in 2014.
The new MacBook Air is the biggest redesign of the company’s entry-level laptop since it was released a decade ago. It contains a high-definition “Retina” screen, the Touch ID fingerprint recognition system, and modern USB-C ports.
Apple customers have been demanding an update of the laptop for years. However, the new features meant the laptop received a price hike, at £1,199 compared to the previous MacBook Air’s £949.
The iPad Pro, a more expensive version of the tablet aimed at artists and business users, received its biggest overhaul since it was first unveiled in 2015.
The new version removes the home button, a staple on the iPad since its launch in 2010, and replaces the fingerprint reader with a facial recognition system.
The device also does away with Apple’s Lightning charging port, the connector used in the iPhone and previous iPads, and replaces it with USB-C, a more versatile port used on Apple’s laptops. It means that users travelling with an iPad Pro and an iPhone will now have to carry two chargers. The new models will cost £769 for a version with an 11-inch screen, and £969 for a bigger, 12.9-inch model.
Apple also announced a new version of its Mac Mini desktop computer, which had not been updated in four years.
Tim Cook touted the success of both the iPad and Mac. He said there are now 100m Macs in use around the world, with strong growth in China, and said the iPad was “the most popular computer in the world”.
Shares in Apple were flat. The company, which reports quarterly results on Thursday, is close to losing its trillion-dollar valuation amid an industry-wide fall in tech shares in recent weeks.
Full iPad Pro price list
The iPad Pro price breakdown is out, and it is not going to be cheap. Overall, some of the versions are up to £150 more expensive than their counterparts of the last generation. Apple has also added an iPad Pro with up to 1TB of storage, which will set users back £1,719. With cellular connection this price jumps further to £1,869.
iPad Pro 11-inch without/with cellular
64GB, £769 - £919
128GB, £919 - £1,069
512GB, £1,119 - £1,269
1TB, £1,519 - £1,669
iPad Pro 12.9-inch without/with cellular
64GB, £919 - £1,119
128GB, £1,119 - £1,269
512GB, £1,319 - £1,469
1TB, £1,719 - £1,869
And here is what that will look like in your basket with all the accessories you need.
Old Apple MacBook Air still available
We've spotted that on Apple's store the old £949 Apple MacBook Air is still on sale for now, making it still the cheapest option, although it is looking quite out of date next to its revamped peers.
Apple is also keeping the Apple MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar on sale, costing £1,249. It's still quite a confusing line up for buyers, but no more complicated than what you see from Windows manufacturers like HP or Dell.
New Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio
These are the new accessories for the iPad Pro.
Apple Pencil
Apple has updated its Apple Pencil that can magnetically attach to the iPad Pro, similar to that used on the Microsoft Surface Pro. It starts at £119.
Smart Folio Keyboard
A full-size keyboard that can turn the iPad into a portable laptop. It starts at £179.
A quick recap on what we have seen so far
Apple MacBook Air starting at £1,199
Probably the most anticipated new device, a new MacBook Air with 13-inch Retina display, Touch ID and all-day battery in gold, silver and space gray. Its price is a significant step up on the older MacBook Air, which started at around £949 but could be found for even less.
iPad Pro starting at £769
A new iPad Pro, in 11-inch and 12.9-inch designs, with Face ID and a larger screen and a body that has 25pc less volume than the previous iPad Pro.
Mac Mini starting at $799
An updated Mac Mini with 5 times the speed of the previous model.
We are moving on to iPad
Tim Cook says: "Now let's talk about another powerful creative product - iPad. We have sold over 400 million iPads, making it the most popular tablet by far."
Apple has sold more iPads than all the top notebook manufacturers world wide - "the most popular computer in the world," Cook says.
Apple MacBook Air ports
Here is one feature that may prove controversial.
The MacBook Air comes with two thunderbolt ports, which Apple says can "connect to just about anything".
No regular USB slot to be seen. But, it does appear to still come with a headphone jack, unlike some of its other models.
It is has 17pc less volume than the older MacBook Air, as you can see below.
MacBook Air new features
This is what we are getting so far:
MacBook Air
- A Retina Display with four times the pixels.
- Touch ID in the keyboard with a T2 security chip
- A webcam at the top of the screen
- macOS Mojave
- Butterfly keyboard with 4x more stable keys and backlit keys
- A 20pc larger Force Touch trackpad
- Colours including Silver and Gold
Could we be getting a new MacBook Air
"They especially love one Mac in particular... and that is the MacBook Air. When Steve pulled that MacBook Air out of an envelope it would be clear nothing would be the same... it changed the industry. It had a breakthrough unibody design... it was the first thin and light notebook with all day battery life."
Over 100 million Mac users worldwide
Tim Cook says: "Over half of new buyers worldwide are new to Mac - 76pc in China". He adds that there is a total active installed base of 100 million Mac users (this is significantly less than the hundreds of millions of Windows devices).
The event starts with a short film of Apple Mac users, from pop stars and musicians to human rights activist Malala Yousafzai.
Apple has neglected the MacBook line up
It is no secret among Apple fans that the company has left its MacBook line out in the cold. While the iPhone has become its main revenue driver, the MacBook Air has remained a popular laptop, and the only (relatively) cheaper macOS option for those who don't want to use Windows.
Apple does not rely on Macs nearly as much as it used to. The iPhone is its most important product, and accounts for more than half of its sales. The Apple Watch, initially maligned, is now selling strongly. And revenues from apps, software and cloud storage have become its new growth engine.
But for a company that prides itself on perfection, the state of the current Mac lineup is less than ideal, especially given the product’s place in the company’s history...
These days, the Mac lineup, and in particular its laptop range, is a confusing one. The two lines that Apple has prioritised in recent years - the ultraportable 12-inch MacBook and the powerful MacBook Pro - both have their compromises.
It is perhaps no surprise, then, that the relatively ancient MacBook Air remains so popular despite its basic design not changing much since 2010.
Apple iPad Pro design revealed in leak
The new design for the iPad Pro was revealed in a leak earlier this week, suggesting no home button on the new model, similar to the design seen on the new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Here is what we expect to the new iPad Pro to look like.
The Telegraph's Silicon Valley editor James Titcomb wrote earlier today:
Apple has traditionally promoted iPads over computers. When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad in 2010, he started talking about the tablet replacing laptops.
This carried on into Tim Cook’s leadership. After unveiling the iPad Pro in 2015, he told The Telegraph that “the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people”.
What we expect to see from Apple today
Apple is set to reveal a new version of its iPad Pro and a new Apple MacBook, according to reports. The iPad Pro was revealed in a leak from its iOS software by 9to5Mac. The leak shows a device with no home button, suggesting Apple plans to go all-in on Face ID on its new iPad range.
Here is what we expect to see:
New iPad Pro 11-inch and 12.9-inch screens
- Face ID on an iPad for the first time
- No Home Button and gesture controls using iOS 12
- Screen sizes in 11-inch and 12.9-inch
New Apple MacBook Air
- An updated, cheaper Apple MacBook to replace the old MacBook Air, which has not been fully updated since 2010.
- Modern features, including USB-C ports and an updated screen.
- Coming in cheaper than its current MacBook Pro range
New Mac Mini
- A new mini desktop Apple device to replace the 2014 Mac Mini
"There's more in the making"
Apple has headlined this event as "There's more in the making" - so users are certainly hoping for more hardware to be on display.
It is also probably a reference to the iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil. Apple has long pushed the device as a tool for creators and designers to use. You can read the Telegraph's review of the older 10.5-inch iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil here.
Apple has also released its cryptic event invites for the new showcase - but this time there are dozens of coloured artworks, suggesting the new iPad could feature prominently.
These are some of the best:
Apple's Event may have been worth the wait for MacBook fans
Good afternoon and welcome to the Telegraph's liveblog of Apple's event in New York. The tech giant is expected to reveal updates to its iPad Pro range and a successor to its MacBook Air, something Apple fans have been hoping for. We will be following events and getting a first glimpse at Apple's new tech.