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As the pressures of the pandemic begin to subside but many working-from-home arrangements continue, Apple is hoping to capitalise on a need for new computers with a range of devices powered by its home-grown M1 system-on-a-chip.
At its first major product reveal event of the year, which took place via a pre-recorded stream, the company took the wraps off a line of refreshed all-in-one iMacs, a new iPad Pro, a revamped Apple TV 4K, its long-awaited Tile competitor AirTags and a new subscription service for podcasts.
Apple’s new iMac is available in a range of colours.
The colourful iMacs bring to mind the late ’90s computers of the same name, but these are significantly more svelte machines with incredibly thin 24-inch displays at higher than 4K resolution, and just a handful of USB-C ports on the back. The speakers, camera and microphone have all received much-needed upgrades, so you don’t look so much like a smeary apparition on Zoom calls, and Apple’s M1 — its first computer-grade chip which marks a departure from previous Intel-powered Macs — provides the smarts and graphical grunt.
Starting between $1900 and $2200 depending on how powerful you’d like it, the iMac comes at a premium versus the existing chunkier models, but Apple says it’s also more powerful and more efficient. A new range of colour-matched accessories, including a keyboard with Touch ID, was also shown. And if you’re a person who wants to colour-match all your gear, the iPhone 12 and 12 Mini were also given a new purple option.
The new 12.9-inch iPad Pro has a HDR display and a wide-angle front camera.
Also sporting the M1 processor is a new iPad Pro, blurring the line more than ever between the iPad and Apple’s portable Mac computers which use the same chip. In addition to more power, the latest iPad features Thunderbolt and USB 4 support for connection to high-end displays and accessories, a new wide-angle camera that can pan to keep track of you on video calls and the option of 5G connectivity.
The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $1199, with a 12.9-inch model including a new microLED HDR display starting at $1649, but a fully-loaded iPad Pro 5G with 2TB of storage and a new Magic Keyboard will set you back around $4000.
The new AirTags.Credit:
Outside of the productivity space, Apple introduced small connected devices called AirTags, which you can attach to any object you want to keep track of. Just like with Find My Phone, these tags can be made to play a noise if you lose them around the house, or can be plotted on a map if you misplace them out and about. They have replaceable batteries and go for $45 each or $150 for four.