Apple refreshes 15-inch MacBook Pro, introduces cheaper 5K iMac

Apple has refreshed the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, beefing up its top-of-the-line laptop with a Force Touch trackpad, faster internal storage and dedicated graphics, and, of course, better battery life. Also new is a 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display configuration which kicks off at $1,999, $300 cheaper than the original model.
 
But these are not the only changes that Apple has announced. The original 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display now starts off at $200 less than before -- prior to this price-cut, it had been available from $2,499. Let us take a detailed look at what the new 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display brings to the table.
 
For those who are not familiar with the Force Touch keyboard technology, it basically adds haptic feedback to the trackpad using built-in pressure sensors. It enables new gestures, and there are dedicated APIs for developers so that they can integrate the new capabilities into their apps. The Force Touch trackpad was introduced alongside the new MacBook, in early-March 2015, and is also available on the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display.
 
Apple claims that the refreshed 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is equipped with internal storage that is 2.5 times faster than before, offering a throughput of up to 2 GBps (2,048 MB/s). The laptop's battery life is one hour longer than before, with the latest model quoted to offer 9 hours of battery life when browsing via Wi-Fi or watching videos using iTunes.
 
The high-end version of the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, which adds a dedicated graphics card, is said to perform 80 percent better in the graphics department -- when editing video, rendering images or playing games -- compared to the model it replaces, thanks to its AMD Radeon R9 M370X card.
 
The base 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display ships with a 2.2 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, 256 GB of internal storage and Iris Pro graphics, as the main features. It kicks off at $1,999.
 
Starting at $2,499, the high-end model adds a faster 2.5 GHz Intel Core i7 processor, doubles the internal storage to 512 GB of space, and, as mentioned above, adds the Radeon R9 M370X graphics card to the mix.

Moving on to the base 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display, the new $1,999 all-in-one features a 3.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, Radeon R9 M290 graphics, 8 GB of RAM, 1 TB of internal storage, 4 USB 3.0 ports and 2 Thunderbolt 2 ports, the last of which are said to offer twice the bandwidth -- 20 Gbps each -- of the previous generation. It has the same display as the original model, a 27-inch IPS panel with a resolution of 5,120 by 2,880.
 
The $2,299 model improves upon the base model by packing a faster 3.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, and Radeon M9 M290X graphics, and also by replacing the standard 1 TB HDD with a speedier 1 TB Fusion Drive.
 
As you might expect, the refreshed and new models that Apple has introduced are available right away from its online store and select authorized resellers. All ship with OS X 10.10 Yosemite.
  
~ Mihaita Bamburic

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Apple's new iPads sport modest upgrades but short on 'wow'

Phil Schiller, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing speaks during a presentation at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California October 16, 2014.

Credit: Reuters/Robert Galbraith

 

(Reuters) - Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) faster, slimmer iPads come with modest improvements, such as a fingerprint sensor, but some analysts say it offers few other features to wow consumers ahead of a holiday shopping season expected to be swamped by mobile devices.
 
At a launch event on Thursday, Chief Executive Tim Cook called Apple's new line-up, which includes a new iMac computer with a "5K retina" or high-end display, the company's best ever. But analysts say Apple may struggle to arouse the same passion for its tablets as in past years among consumers faced with an abundance of hand-held, touch-screen devices. 
 

Apple CEO Tim Cook holds an iPad during a presentation at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California October 16, 2014.

Credit: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

  

"I've got to be honest and say, the only impressive thing was the 5K retina display on the iMac," said Gartner analyst Van Baker, who attended the show at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California. "The other things we saw (included) just iterative improvements on the iPad."
 
Marketing chief Phil Schiller called the larger tablet the world's slimmest and described several new features such as an anti-reflective screen. He also confirmed the inclusion of the "Touch ID" sensor, already available on the latest iPhones.
  

Phil Schiller, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing speaks during a presentation of the new iPad at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California October 16, 2014.

Credit: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

  

Pre-orders start Friday for the larger iPad Air 2, priced at $499 and up, with shipping beginning next week. The smaller iPad mini 3 will be about $100 cheaper.
 
The new iMac, which sports the new "Yosemite" operating system, will go for $2,499.
 
Tablet sales are set to rise only 11 percent this year, according to tech research firm Gartner, compared to 55 percent last year, even as smartphone sales continue to soar and personal computer sales are waning. 
 
DEFINING MOMENT
 
Tablet sales for Apple, which defined the category with the iPad just four years ago, have fallen for two straight quarters. Investors remain focused on the iPhone, Apple's main revenue generator, but a prolonged downturn in iPad sales would threaten about 15 percent of the company's revenue.
 
The new iPads will go up against recently introduced tablets from Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Google Inc (GOOG.O) in coming months. Shares of Apple slid 1 percent to $96.57 shortly before the close.
 

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks about the Apple Pay service during a presentation at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California October 16, 2014.

Credit: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

  

Apple also said it will launch its new electronic payments service on Monday, after the iPhone maker signed up another 500 banks to support a feature that competes with eBay Inc's (EBAY.O) PayPal and other online systems.
 
Cook said developers were beginning to design apps for its upcoming Watch.
 
Apple last month introduced the Watch, its first new device since the iPad in 2010. The company's entry into the rapidly expanding wearable computing arena will be available only from 2015, but Cook said software development kits for the device will be available from November.
 
Missing on Thursday was a larger, 12-inch-plus iPad, the subject of industry speculation ahead of Apple's event.
 
"It is disappointing, particularly to enterprise buyers, that there wasn't a 12.9 inch iPad model," said Forrester Research analyst J.P. Gownder. "To return iPad to high growth, form factor innovation will be required. We'll have to wait until 2015 to see if Apple addresses this issue."           
 
~ Christina Farr

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Apple refreshes Mac lineup... in installments

Summary: Those waiting for a MacBook Air with Retina Display will have to wait a little longer. The iMac, however, was updated with a Retina 5K display. 
 

 

Apple on Thursday outlined new Macs including the launch of Yosemite OS X. The catch is that Apple's Mac updates didn't include the ever popular MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines.
 
Instead, Apple gave the faithful a 27-inch iMac to complement a 21.5-inch version. Apple also added a Mac mini for good measure.
 
Macs are less than 15 percent of Apple's business, but still a sizeable unit. In the enterprise, Macs — especially laptops — are becoming a staple among creative pros and others.
 
A slide in CEO Tim Cook's presentation at Apple's iPad event illustrated how the Mac launches were a work in progress. The latest OS X, iOS 8 updates, iPad and even Apple Watch eclipsed the Mac content.
 
Overall, the event featured Yosemite OS X and Apple is betting that the coordination and continuity between the Mac and iOS 8 devices will give it some growth in laptops and desktops.
 

 
The Yosemite updates are free. Some features include:

• The ability to hand off content and tasks from one Apple device to another. 

• An instant hotspot that allows the Mac to use connectivity with the iPhone. 

• iCloud synchronization.

 

Apple's marketing VP Phil Schiller introduced the latest iMac with a 5K Retina Display. It ships starting today, at $2,499. Older non-5K versions will still be available. 
 
The new iMac was also updated with fourth generation Intel Core processors, Intel Iris and HD graphics 5000, 802.11 ac Wi-Fi, and two Thunderbolt 2 ports. iMac with Retina 5K display comes standard with 8GB of memory and a 1TB Fusion Drive for the first time.
  
As for the Mac mini, new features include fourth generation Intel Core processors, integrated graphics that Apple claimes are up to 90 percent faster, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and a Thunderbolt 2 port. Starting price is $499.
 
The MacBook that everyone wanted was a MacBook Air with a Retina Display. Maybe next time.
 
~ Larry Dignan

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