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CUPERTINO, Calif. -- Apple unveiled a thinner iPad
Thursday with a faster processor and a better camera as it tries to
drive excitement for tablets amid slowing demand. The company also
released an update to its Mac operating system and introduced a
high-resolution iMac model that might appeal to heavy watchers of
television over the Internet.
The new iPad Air
2, at a quarter of an inch "thin," also adds many of the features
previously available on iPhones. That includes the ability to take burst
shots and slow-motion video, and unlock the device with a fingerprint
ID sensor instead of a passcode.
Meanwhile,
Apple made its new Mac operating system, Yosemite, available as a free
download starting Thursday. The new 27-inch iMac - which Apple is
dubbing the "Retina 5K" model - went on sale Thursday as well.
The
company also said Apple Pay, its new system for using iPhones to make
credit and debit card payments at retail stores, will launch on Monday.
Much
of the emphasis at Thursday's product-launch event centered on how
Apple's devices work well together because the company makes both its
hardware and software.
"They're designed to be
incredible products individually but they're also designed to work
together seamlessly," CEO Tim Cook said. "This is our vision of personal
technology, and we are just getting started."
---
NEW IPADS:
It's
been a year since Apple came out with a lighter, thinner full-size
model called the iPad Air. Apple refreshed that with a device that is
skinnier by 18 percent at 6.1 millimeters. The rear camera is boosted to
8 megapixels, matching what's found in iPhones. Previous iPads had a 5
megapixel camera.
The iPad Air 2 will start at
$499. Apple also updated its iPad Mini device, with a starting price of
$399. The new devices will begin shipping next week, with advance
orders starting Friday.
Thursday's event comes
as sales of Apple's iPads have dropped. Through the first half of this
year, Apple had shipped 29.6 million iPads, a 13 percent drop from the
same time last year. Apple plans to issue results for the latest quarter
on Monday. Apple has been facing competition from cheaper tablets
running Google's Android operating system. Google announced Wednesday
that an 8.9-inch Nexus 9 tablet is coming next month at a starting price
of $399, $100 less than the 9.7-inch iPad Air. It will run a new
version of Android, dubbed Lollipop.
Besides
competition, there's been an overall slowdown in tablet demand. This
week, research firm Gartner projected worldwide shipments of 229 million
tablets this year. Although that's up 11 percent compared with 2013,
it's far less than the 55 percent growth seen last year and the more
than doubling in sales in 2012.
Cook sought to
address those concerns by pointing out that the 225 million iPads sold
cumulatively since 2010 is more than any other product Apple has sold in
the first four years after launch. He also said Apple sold more iPads
in the past year than many manufacturers have for personal computers.
The
step-up models of the new iPads will have double the storage of
previous models. (Just like Apple's new iPhones). So the $599 iPad Air 2
will come with 64 gigabytes instead of 32 gigabytes, for instance. The
$499 base model remains at 16 gigabytes.
Addressing
competition from Android, Apple is also cutting the price of its 2012
iPad Mini model to $249. It had been selling for $299.
---
MAC UPDATES
The
company unveiled new iMacs with a sharper display, following what Apple
has already done on its mobile devices and MacBook laptops. The company
says the new iMacs have seven times the pixels found on standard
high-definition television sets. The new 27-inch iMacs have a starting
price of $2,499. Apple will continue selling standard-screen models
starting at $1,799 for 27 inches and $1,099 for 21.5 inches.
Apple
also released its new Yosemite operating system for Macs as a free
download. The Mac update includes aesthetic changes as well as new
functionality, such as the ability to make phone calls with an iPhone
nearby and a one-stop search tool for both locally stored documents and
online resources.
Apple has been releasing Mac
updates more frequently, in part to time them with annual changes to
the iOS system for iPhones and iPads. Many of the new Mac features will
complement what's found in iOS 8, including the ability to start tasks
such as email on one device and finish on another.
During
a demo, Apple executive Craig Federighi made a phone call to Stephen
Colbert from his Mac and connected with the comedian. The call was
actually being made through a nearby iPhone. Federighi also used Apple's
upcoming Apple Watch as a remote control to control a Mac presentation
being projected onto a big-screen set via Apple TV.
---
APPLE PAY
Apple
had already announced its new payments system, Apple Pay, but the
iPhone feature wasn't made available right away. In announcing a Monday
launch date, Cook said deals have been made with hundreds of additional
banks since the service was announced last month. Cook also said
additional merchants plan to accept Apple Pay by the end of the year.
With
Apple Pay, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners will be able to make payments at
brick-and-mortar stores by holding their phone near a card reader. The
new iPhones have a wireless chip to transmit the information needed to
complete the transaction. Owners of older models won't be able to use
Apple Pay, even with the software update.
Consumers
aren't likely to abandon plastic credit cards until a majority of
retailers, especially smaller merchants, accept contactless payments
such as Apple Pay. But Apple Pay may spur transactions over mobile Web
browsers and apps this holiday season, since it lets consumers avoid
typing in credit card information each time.
The new iPad Air 2 will be able to make browser transactions, but not payments at retail stores.
---
APPLE WATCH
Apple
says it will release tools next month so that developers can begin
making apps for the upcoming Apple Watch wearable device.
Rival
smartwatches running Android have suffered from not having many useful
apps from the start. Apple is hoping to have a strong app store in place
when Apple Watch debuts next year.
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