Apple launches new powerful iPad Pros, finally upgrades the iMac, introduces AirTag and has a new purple colour for iPhone 12 and 12 mini

Apple’s event revealed new iMacs, iPad Pros, AirTags, and even a new colour for the iPhone 12 and 12 mini. Here are the highlights.

iPad Pro

The moment that all iPad Pro users have been waiting for: the super fast M1 chip is now in the 11″ and 12.9″ iPad Pro. And with it come incredible specs — up to 50% faster CPU performance, and up to 40% faster GPU performance. This results in ridiculously fast gaming and design work on the iPad Pro. Network speeds are also faster with 5G now available on the devices.

The front camera has a new 12MP Ultra Wide camera, which is perfect for video calls, and there’s also a new feature called Center Stage that keeps the subject in the centre of the screen, and pans as the person moves. It even zooms out when it detects more people joining the frame.

The 12.9″ iPad Pro also sports a new Liquid Retina XDR display that is brighter, has higher contrast, and all this is achieved with 10,000 mini-LEDs in the display. Creative professionals will definitely appreciate the true-to-life HDR content on the large display.

Above: Finally, the Magic Keyboard now comes in white and it’s gorgeous.
The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,199 for the Wi-Fi model and $1,419 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,649 for the Wi-Fi model and $1,869 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. Available in silver and space grey finishes, with orders beginning April 30, and delivery in the second half of may.

 


iMac

After years of the same iMac design, this is the most radical upgrade in specs and style for Apple’s all-in-one desktop computer. It is way thinner (11.5mm thin), more squarish (following in the style footsteps of the iPhone 12 series), and comes in seven colours (although we still like the original silver). Fun fact — from the side, its profile resembles the iPad Pro on the Magic Keyboard.

Above: The seven colours include green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver.

Features include a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display (up from the previous 21.5-inch display), a 1080p FaceTime HD camera for your video calls, and integrated Touch ID in the keyboard (thank you!). Most notably, the iMac houses Apple’s M1 chip, making it extremely speedy and giving it power to multi-task like never before.

Above: Touch ID on the new keyboard.

Above: The back of the iMac features four USB-C ports, including two Thunderbolt ports for fast data transfer, and support for up to a 6K display.
The new 24-inch iMac is available to order from April 30, on apple.com/sg and in the Apple Store app. Delivery is in the second half of May.
iMac with 7-core GPU starts at $1,849 and $1,779 for education, and is available in green, pink, blue, and silver. It features an 8-core CPU, 8GB of unified memory, 256GB SSD, two Thunderbolt ports, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Mouse.
iMac with 8-core GPU starts at $2,149 and $2,009 for education, and is available in green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. It features an 8-core CPU, 8GB of unified memory, 256GB SSD, two Thunderbolt ports, two additional USB-3 ports, Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, Magic Mouse, and Ethernet.

 


AirTag

AirTags are small, round, lightweight discs that help users keep track of and find their items. Yes, it’s pretty much like Tile, but with the advantage of being part of Apple’s ecosystem, and making use of the Find My network that all iPhone users have in place (and there are many iPhone users out there).

Setting up an AirTag is easy; just bring it close to your iPhone and it will automatically connect (it’s a similar setup as AirPods). Attach these to your things like keys, wallets or bags, and view their current or last known location on a map.

Note that this isn’t a GPS device, so you probably shouldn’t rely on it for your kid’s location in school (especially since most schools don’t allow the use of smartphones); it’s instead more suited for items like your jacket or even car. Nonetheless, the Find My network is huge, so whatever you tag one of these on to, you’ll likely find its location especially in a city like Singapore that’s full of iPhone users.

Above: front and back of the apple Airtag.

Above: Just bring the Airtag close to your iPhone to connect it, and pull up its location on your map.

Above: There are accompanying accessories to latch an airtag onto your things, including ones from Hermès. The range includes a bag charm, key ring, travel tag and luggage tag.

Above: airtag secured in a luggage tag.
AirTag will be available in one and four packs for $45 and $149 respectively, beginning April 30. Apple-designed AirTag accessories include the Leather Key Ring in Saddle Brown, (PRODUCT)RED, and Baltic Blue for $55; the Leather Loop in Saddle Brown and (PRODUCT)RED for $59; and the Polyurethane Loop in White, Deep Navy, Sunflower, and Electric Orange for $45.

 


iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in Purple

And here we have the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in purple:

It’s the same phone that was released last October, but in a new colour. The matching accessories are very classy:

PRE-ORDERS for the new purple-coloured iPhones are from April 23.