Apple Event 2021 LIVE – April ‘Spring Loaded’ latest, NEW iPhone colour, location-tracking AirTags & first 5G iPad
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APPLE has announced a slew of new products – including an iPhone, iPad, Mac and more.
The top-secret gadget bonanza was leaked by Siri last week, but is now finally official – and took place on Tuesday, April 20.
Apple kicked off proceedings with a new iPhone 12 variant in purple, which is very attractive.
And there's a new iMac running on Apple's speedy M1 chip.
It's got a brand new design, and comes in seven different colour options.
There's a new iPad Pro that lands as Apple's first 5G tablet, and also comes running on the M1.
It's also got a powerful Liquid Retina XDR display that uses Mini LEDs for improved colours, contrast and brightness.
And there's a new accessory called AirTag.
It's basically a small tracker tag that you can attach to belongings – like keys or a suitcase.
Your iPhone can then track the item, courtesy of the Find My app.
THE BIG UPDATES:
- New iMac 2021 – a colourful update to the iMac with the powerful M1 chip on board
- New iPad Pro 2021 – a better screen, support for 5G internet, and the speedy M1 chip at its heart
- Apple AirTags – location-tracking tags that strap onto your keys or luggage, to be monitored using Apple’s Find My app on your iPhone
Find out more about those products - and follow the Apple Event in real time by reading our live blog below
THAT'S ALL FOLKS
The Apple Spring Loaded event is over, and we've seen plenty of new products.
Here's what was announced:
New iMac 2021 – a colourful update to the iMac with the powerful M1 chip on board
New iPad Pro 2021 – a better screen, support for 5G internet, and the speedy M1 chip at its heart
Apple AirTags – location-tracking tags that strap onto your keys or luggage, to be monitored using Apple's Find My app on your iPhone
We've also got an enhanced 4K Apple TV with better visuals and an upgraded Siri remote.
And there's a new version of the iPhone 12 in a spiffing purple colour option.
We've seen a veritable gadget bonanza from Apple tonight, so there's plenty for fans to enjoy.
That's all from me – thanks for reading our live coverage of Apple's Spring Event 2021. Check back on for all the latest...
COUNTING POUNDS
Hear ye, hear ye – UK pricing for the new iPad Pro is in.
The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at £749 for the Wi-Fi model.
And the WiFi + Cellular model will cost you £899 – though you'll need a SIM card to take advantage of mobile internet.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at £999 for the WiFi variant.
And if you want the Cellular + WiFi version then you'll pay a whopping £1,149.
Storage options include 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB configurations.
QUESTION TIME
SURPRISE, SURPRISE?
Apple doled out loads of new gadgets tonight – but little was surprising.
All of the major announcements had been leaked ahead of time.
Everything from the new iPad Pro with a Mini LED display to a redesigned iMac – and even the AirTags – had been rumoured online.
But the general public who don't trawl the net for gadget leaks will have plenty to chew over tonight!
WHAT IS MINI LED?
Here's a quick recap on how Mini LED works...
When it comes to screens, there are lots of types.
You've probably heard of an LCD and a plasma, but there are other premium displays available too: like OLED and Mini LED.
Your typical TV or mid-range smartphone will use an LCD screen, which stands for liquid-crystal display.
But these crystals don't light up on their own – for that, you'd want an OLED.
Instead an LCD screen uses lots of LEDs to "backlight" it, allowing you to see a picture.
Part of the problem with this method is that it doesn't give the TV very much control over some of the finer aspects of video – like the highs and lows of brightness and contrast.
One way to solve this is to make the LEDs smaller, so you can fit more in.
A bit like cramming more pixels into a TV lets you offer more detail, the same is true of LEDs.
So a Mini LED TV is one where the LEDs are much smaller, with many more of them making up the screen.
That way, the TV can provide more detailed lighting in very specific areas of the screen.
The end result is that you get a more accurate representation of the original video.
SCREEN QUEEN
If you're getting the bigger iPad Pro, you're in for a visual treat.
The new iPad has an upgraded display that's called Liquid Retina XDR.
It's got 1,000 nits of full screen brightness, 1,600 nits peak brightness, and mimics the performance of Apple's pro-grade Pro XDR display.
Apple says the screen offers the brightest highlights, as well as details in the darkest parts of an image.
It's thanks to revolutionary Mini LED tech – there are 10,000 Mini LEDs inside the screen.
The result is a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, thanks to the LED density and dimming zones.
Basically, the iPad Pro gives you better contrast, brighter visuals, and a wider range of colours.
SNAP HAPPY
The camera is getting some improvements.
You've got better low-light performance, an ultra-wide selfie cam, and studio-quality audio recording for your videos.
There's adaptive zoom on video calls too, so the camera will adjust and pan to keep you centerstage. The feature is therefore called...Centre Stage.
PAD POWER
There's a new 2TB configuration for the iPad Pro, which is frankly ludicrous storage capacity.
And there's support for Thunderbolt and USB 4.0, making the iPad Pro more versatile than ever.
You'll be able to hook it up with super-fast external storage and high-performance displays, as a result.
But perhaps the most exciting change (aside from M1) is new support for 5G.
Apple only introduced 5G support with last year's iPad, so the tech has made its way to iPad fairly quickly.
IPAD ARRIVES!
Apple has announced a new iPad Pro – courtesy of a bizarre and amusing TV ad that shows Tim Cook stealing an M1 chip from Apple HQ.
The new iPad Pro features an M1 chip, giving it rapid performance.
It's a clever move – the iPad Pro already serves as a laptop replacement for some people.
Now this pro-grade iPad offers even faster processing performance, graphical heft and more.
Apple says it's "the fastest device of its kind".
I-CAN'TBELIEVEIT!
There are loads of new iMac improvements.
You've got improved sound thanks to a redesigned speaker system, and a better camera optimised for video calling.
They're good quality of life improvements, especially as the past year has had us all communicating over computers more than ever before.
POWER HOUR
Apple says the M1 chip has made it possible to reduce the size of the logic board significantly.
And due to the improved power efficiency, the thermal system has been replaced with two small fans.
The tech giant says the machine will stay under 10 decibels.
But the big news is that it's just 11.5mm thin – startlingly svelte.
That's thanks to the reduced component size, made viable thanks to M1.
MAC IT HAPPEN
As rumoured and leaked, Apple has announced a new version of the iMac.
The important bit to note is that it's powered by Apple's own M1 chip – a blisteringly fast processor.
"This isn't just an upgrade, it's a breakthrough," said Apple chief Tim Cook, speaking during the keynote.
It's also been given a major redesign, with an iPad Pro style design.
The iMac is now available in a range of bright colours – and is less curvaceous than the older iMac.
APPLE ON TELLY
Apple has moved on to Apple TV 4K – its set-top box for your telly.
And there's a new version, with the speedy A12 Bionic chip inside.
You'll get HDR formats like Dolby Vision, and you'll even get HDR in high frame-rate for a smoother experience.
Apple says sports will be the standout genre for this type of footage.
If you've got an iPhone 12 Pro, you can already record in Dolby Vision at 60fps – which will therefore be viewable natively on the Apple TV+.
There's automatic colour balancing for your TV.
But the best news is that the old (and widely hated remote) has been replaced with a new Siri remote that has a circular touchpad.
It's available for $179 in 32GB or $199 for the 64GB model.
They're up for order on April 30, and land in stores in May.
KEEPING TRACK
Apple is launching a brand new accessory to help you avoid losing your keys, handbag or suitcase.
It's called AirTag, and it's a small "smart" disc.
And it works using Apple's Find My app, which already exists for finding your lost iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch.
The AirTag can be located from anywhere, and can be personalised with your initials.
Check it out...
CARD CLEVER
Tim is talking about Apple Card – the firm's existing credit card, available in the US.
You can now share joint credit lines with partners.
And you can share the Apple Card with other members of the family – with specific credit limits.
The new ecosystem is called Apple Card Family, of course!
TIM TIME
As expected, Apple chief Tim Cook has kicked off proceedings – after a spiffing animated intro of colours whirring across Apple Park.
That's the iPhone maker's giant circular HQ in Cupertino, California.
Referring to the truly rubbish past year, Tim says: "Brighter days are just in front of us."
I-NCOMING!
One of the less talked-about rumours for tonight's event is an iOS 14.5 release.
The long-awaited iPhone software update could land any day now.
And many Apple-watchers suspect that we'll get a release date tonight.
Better yet, the software could even roll out later this evening – if the stars align.
A number of major upgrades are expected to drop with the update.
They include updates to Apple Maps, new voices for Siri, six new emoji and support for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X controllers.
Apple fans will also get a new setting that allows them to unlock their mobile using their Apple Watch instead of Face ID.
The change will let people wearing a face covering access their mobile without having to remove their mask or plug in their passcode.