Apple unveils the iPad mini, 13-inch retina MacBook Pro, new iMac, updated Mac mini, and updated iPad

iPad-mini

Amongst Apple’s announcements includes a new iPad mini, a new iMac, a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a retina display, and updates to the existing iPad & Mac mini. Nothing mentioning iTunes 11 was made, but we can expect that to be released sometime next week, as well as iOS 6.0.1. You can learn more about the new products and updates below.




iPad mini

As expected, Apple unveiled a smaller version of the iPad. It takes a number of design cues from the latest-generation iPod touch, yet costs only $30 more. Here’s a quick rundown of the iPad mini:

  • Available in black & slate and white & silver color combinations
  • Available in a Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi + Cellular configuration
  • Display size of 7.9-inches
  • Resolution of 1024×768
  • Apple’s dual-core A5 chip (the same that’s in the iPad 2 and latest-generation iPod touch models)
  • Storage options of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB
  • 1.2MP front-facing camera (720p video)
  • 5MP rear-facing camera (1080p video)
  • Lightning port
  • 4G LTE

On-par with recent rumors, the 16GB iPad mini starts at $329. Add $100 for each increase in capacity. Add $129 for the cellular model, too.

iPad 4th-generation

To the surprise of many, Apple updated the already-available iPad with retina display. While the design stayed the same, the internals have been slightly updated. This updated model came just 6 months after its original release. Here are the changes:

  • Apple’s A6X (dual-core CPU; quad-core GPU)
  • Improved Wi-Fi
  • Expanded 4G LTE compatibility
  • Lightning port
  • 1.2MP front-facing camera (720p video)
  • Same 5MP rear-facing camera (1080p video)

Pricing and storage options have remained the same, so the Wi-Fi only models will start at $499 for the 16GB model with $100 increases per capacity bump, while adding $129 for the cellular models.

13-inch retina MacBook Pro

As expected, Apple introduced a 13-inch MacBook Pro. It has a resolution of 2560×1600 and, beyond that, it shares many of the design aspects that’s found on the 15-inch version of the retina MacBook Pro. The base model, priced at $1,699, starts you off with a 2.5GHz dual-core third-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of DDR3 1600MHz RAM, and a 128GB SSD. At the absolute highest end, priced at $3,199, you’ll get a 2.9GHz dual-core third-generation Intel Core i7 CPU, and a 768GB SSD.

Mac mini

The Mac mini saw a modest incremental update, which includes Intel’s third-generation “Ivy Bridge” processors (available in dual-core and quad-core varieties), USB 3, Thunderbolt, and increased storage. The dual-core model starts at $599, while the quad-core model starts at $799.

iMac

Seeing the most impressive update was the iMac, featured a much thinner design, updated internals, but no retina display. Apple’s also introduced their “Fusion Drive,” which is basically a hybrid hard drive with more internal flash memory. The screen sizes and resolutions have stayed the same, but instead of sticking with AMD for graphics, Apple opted to use NVIDIA’s latest Keplar GPUs, topping out with the GT 660M. The 21.5-inch model starts at $1,299 and will be available in November, with the 27-inch starting at $1,799 a month later in December.

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