Apple Event 2021: New iMac, iPad Pro, AirTags, Apple TV, & More Announced
On Tuesday, Apple hosted its first hardware event of 2021, announcing a flurry of new items in an hour-long presentation. Any of the changes were slight, such as the addition of a purple iPhone 12 model and the announcement that the second season of Apple's famous TV show Ted Lasso would premiere on July 23.
The following are some of the most noteworthy announcements from Apple's event:
New Apple TV and Apple TV remote
Apple hadn't upgraded its video streaming set-top box since 2017, and it was already using a processor designed for iPhones from 2016. The updated Apple TV 4K kit features the A12 Bionic chip used in 2018 iPhones, as well as support for Dolby Vision, Dolby's newest technology for improving image quality.
The latest Apple TV is a black box with rounded corners about the size of a small book, similar to its predecessor. On the other hand, Apple revamped the Apple TV's remote control, which had become a source of criticism. The updated remote includes a dedicated clickpad for navigating Apple TV's on-screen applications, as well as dedicated mute and power on/off keys for the connected TV set.
Credit Card Plan for Family
Early in CEO Tim Cook's presentation, an abrupt addition introduced capabilities to Apple's credit card. Cook dubbed the extended scheme "Apple Card Family," claiming that it will also encourage two adults to share a card with one line of credit, allowing them to create credit histories. Any mutual credit card accounts only keep track of the primary cardholder's credit background and do not build the credit score of the secondary cardholder. Existing cardholders may combine two accounts to create a single joint account, according to Apple.
Special features for children have been added to the current curriculum. Adults may give a child a passport, watch their use on their computer, and set spending restrictions if they choose. Users must be at least 13 years old.
New iMacs with Apple Chip
Apple has made big changes to the exterior of its iconic iMac desktop computer for the first since 2012. The latest iPhones and iPads have a 24-inch panel and a smaller metal frame, replacing the squared sides of previous versions with a boxy design identical to recent iPhones and iPads. The previous lineup's 21.5-inch and 27-inch options are being phased out, but a larger-screen new edition may come later this year.
The latest iMac comes in seven colors: green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. The options are reminiscent of the model's early days when former CEO Steve Jobs unveiled five vividly colored iMac versions in 1999.
The latest iMac even ditches Intel processors in favor of Apple-developed processors close to those used in other Apple products.
New iPad Pro with a mini LED display
The iPad Pro, Apple's most expensive tablet, has been upgraded with improved processors, 5G wireless connectivity, a faster and more capable USB-C port, and modern screen technology. It comes with the same two screen sizes as the previous lineup, 11 inches, and 12.9 inches.
The M1 processor used in Apple's new iMac, Mac Mini, and MacBook Pro computers are also used in the current iPads. It also includes 5G modems that will link to AT&T, Verizon, and T-latest Mobile's superfast broadband networks being deployed around the globe. Apple claims that in ideal circumstances, the latest iPads will reach transmission rates of 4 gigabits per second, which is good enough to download an entire 4K video in a matter of seconds. However, only a few areas of the country have 5G capable of exceeding that speed.
A new display technology built on mini LEDs is used in the larger-screen iPad. Instead of a few hundred LEDs under the panel, the current iPad has over 10,000 smaller LEDs, making better control and conserving battery life.
AirTags keep records of things that have been lost
AirTags, Apple's long-rumored wireless monitoring tags, was eventually unveiled. The little discs may be clipped to a keychain, backpack, or pocket, for example. If objects are missing, the customer will use the iPhone's Find My app to locate them and make the tag sound an alert.
The tags would be available for $29 each or $99 for a set of four on April 25.
Subscription-based Podcasts
When Apple introduced the audio format to its iTunes store two decades ago, it helped kickstart the podcast revolution. Apple is upgrading the podcast app, introducing outlets that would include podcasts with a similar theme and allowing podcast creators to charge for subscriptions for the first time, in what it calls the "biggest redesign ever."