Apple’s New Keynote and What it Means for You

As mentioned in last weeks news bubble Apple had a key note last tuesday. That day confirmed most rumours on the internet as well as some pleasant surprises. However if you are looking at the news, scratching your head and wondering how this will affect anything in your life, read on dear reader and all shall be explained! Let’s first talk about the new iPads. These two updates to existing products had been predicted several weeks ago, so no big surprises their. Furthermore rather than these devices being revolutionary, they are more evolutionary than anything, but I bet you heard that clichéd phrase before. However more so than recent years, these iterations actually did get some serious upgrades. Before we start anything though, let’s just clear up that the new name for the big iPad is the iPad Air, which considering its new weight and thickness is actually quite a good name. It seems this is an attempt by Apple to create more of a link between their macbook range and their tablets (maybe we might even see a combo device some day!). A complete redesign for the bigger iPad has seen it lose half a pound as well as 24% of its overall volume. At this point it really just seems to fall in line with the minimalist design that Ive so loves. The mini also got an upgrade by receiving that retina display, that should have been included in the first Mini. However with 4 times the pixels, this display should be a real beautiful to look at and fall in line with the high standard that all other apple products follow. The inclusion of the 64-bit A7 in both the Air and the Mini will lead to some serious speed increases, which should make that graphic design/music production/gaming that much more smooth. Now the big question, should you splash out? Well that really depends, if you are in the market for a new tablet and are willing to pay the premium (£399 for cheapest iPad Air, £319 for new iPad Mini), I would seriously suggest going for either the Mini or the Air. If you have just gotten the last iPad it may be more prudent to wait, as the high price does not really warrant what you are getting in terms of new stuff. The other big thing of this keynote was Mavericks. While everything new in mavericks has been discussed in a prior article, the pricing was not. Therefore one of the pleasant surprises of the keynote was the fact that Mavericks (Apple’s newest update of its operating system) would now be free. Previously these things usually cost about £20, which comparing to the price of windows is a steal. However if you consider how much Apple really makes from their OS, they may as well make it free. Its a great way to lure in new customers, and hopefully all new updates will be free. Therefore if you have an eligible Mac, you may as well update as you will get some nice new features (love that extended battery life)! However one little caveat. I found that my Mac slowed down a bit after the update, so for all you out there with older devices, I would suggest to you to maybe wait a month or so, until all the last bugs are worked out and the OS is fully optimized! The last little thing I want to mention is the price of Apple’s equivalent of Office. It is now also free of charge. Yes, dear reader you read correctly, it costs diddly squat. If you consider how much money Apple really makes, the amount they make from their software is like a drop in the ocean. Therefore this strategy of offering pages, keynote and numbers for free is quite a smart strategy. However, and here comes the disadvantage, is that this price only applies to new devices! How devious of Apple!