Apple to Bring Back Camera Roll in iOS 8.1 [iOS Blog]

Today at its media event in Cupertino, Apple SVP of software engineering Craig Federighi announced that Camera Roll would be returning to the Photos app in iOS 8.1. Apple had removed Camera Roll with iOS 8.

Photo courtesy of The Verge
The Photos app in iOS 8 splits a users’ photos between three sections: Photos, which organizes photos into years, collections and moments, iCloud Photo Sharing and Albums, which contains an alternative to Camera Roll in a “Recently Added” album that organizes photos by date.

Camera Roll allowed users to have easy access to their recently added photos without having to go into a photo within a section of the Photos app, which caused many users to be upset by the loss of the feature. iOS 8.1 will be released on Monday, October 20.

Apple Announces iPad Mini 3 With Touch ID Home Button, Gold Color Option

Today at its media event in Cupertino, Apple announced the iPad mini 3 with Touch ID Home button and a new gold color option. These updates appear to be the only significant changes over the previous generation, with the new model continuing to use the A7 chip from the original Retina iPad mini.

In addition to gold, the iPad mini 3 also comes in the previous space gray and silver color options. The pricing will start at $399 for 16 GB Wi-Fi version, with 64 GB and 128 GB variations priced at $499 and $599 respectively. As usual, Wi-Fi + Cellular models of the iPad mini 3 will be priced at a $130 premium over the Wi-Fi only models.

iPad mini 3 will be available for pre-order tomorrow, October 17, and will begin shipping next week.

Alongside the iPad mini 3, Apple is continuing to sell the iPad mini 2 in 16 GB ($299/$429) and 32 GB ($349/$479) variants. The original 16 GB non-Retina iPad mini is also still available for ($249/$379).

Apple Announces New Mac Mini Starting at $499

Today at its media event in Cupertino, Apple announced a brand-new Mac mini, a popular Mac computer that hadn’t been updated since October 2012. The new Mac mini starts at $499, $100 less than the previous $599 starting price.

“People love Mac mini. It’s a great first Mac or addition to your home network, and the new Mac mini is a nice upgrade packed into an incredibly compact design,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With the latest CPU and graphics, faster Wi-Fi, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, OS X Yosemite, and starting at just $499, the new Mac mini is the best value ever.”

The new Mac mini comes with 4th-generation Intel Core processors, Intel Iris and HD Graphics 5000 with up to 90 percent faster graphics than the previous generation, PCIe-based flash storage, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and two Thunderbolt 2 ports. Apple also claims it’s the “world’s most efficient desktop”.

The new Mac mini begins shipping today.

OS X Yosemite Available Today, iOS 8.1 Coming Monday

During today’s media event, Apple announced that OS X Yosemite, the next version of its Macintosh operating system, will launch today on the Mac App Store. OS X Yosemite will be available for free to all users with an eligible machine, and iOS 8.1 will also be available on Monday for Apple’s mobile devices.

As detailed in our comprehensive OS X Yosemite roundup, the new operating system brings a new iOS 7-style design with an emphasis on translucency, smarter controls, and streamlined toolbars.

There are also several new features, including Continuity, which expands integration between iOS 8 and OS X, allowing users to accept phone calls on their Macs and seamlessly transition tasks from one device to another. Yosemite also includes iCloud Drive, plus new features and designs for several key apps like Mail, Messages, and Safari.

Apple Announces iPad Air 2 with Thinner Profile, Touch ID, and A8X Processor

At today’s media event, Apple introduced the all new iPad Air 2. The second-generation tablet features an ultra thin profile that’s just 6.1mm thick, much thinner than the 7.5mm original iPad Air. The significantly thinner design was enabled through the use of a gapless laminated display panel that also produces sharper images. In addition to a thinner chassis, the new iPad Air also includes a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, a faster A8X processor, a new 8-megapixel iSight camera, and an anti-reflective coating that reduces glare by up to 56 percent.

According to Apple, the iPad Air 2 is 18 percent thinner than the first-generation iPad Air and its A8X chip features a 2nd-generation 64-bit architecture which is 40% faster than the A7 used in the first iPad Air in terms of CPU performance up to 2.5x faster when it comes to GPU performance. Like its predecessors, the iPad Air 2 gets 10 hours of battery life and it also includes an M8 motion coprocessor that gathers data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, and an all-new barometer that senses air pressure to determine relative elevation.

Apple has added a Touch ID fingerprint sensor to the iPad Air 2, which was said to be the “most requested feature from customers.” With Touch ID, iPad Air 2 owners can use their tablets to make Apple Pay purchases within apps that support the Apple Pay API. The iPad Air 2 does not have NFC support and thus cannot be used to make purchases in retail stores.

The iPad Air 2 has gained 802.11ac Wi-Fi with multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) capabilities. Apple states that the iPad Air 2 contains 2.8x faster performance with support for speeds up to 866 Mbps on Wi-Fi and now contains 20 LTE bands for faster LTE with support for speeds up to 150 Mbps via LTE Advanced.

Apple has also included a new 8-megapixel iSight camera on the iPad Air 2, which features an f/2.4 aperture and can record 1080p HD video. For the first time, the camera can take 43 megapixel panoramas and burst mode photos, and it is also able to shoot time lapse and 120 FPS Slo-Mo video. The front-facing FaceTime camera on the iPad Air 2 has also been improved, with an f/2.2 aperture that lets in 81 percent more light. It lets users take burst mode selfies, single-shot HDR photos, and HDR videos.

Pre-orders for the iPad Air 2 will begin on Friday, October 17, and the tablet will begin shipping at the end of next week. Available in gold, silver, and space gray, the iPad Air 2 is available with 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB storage capacities, priced at $499, $599, and $699, respectively, for the Wi-Fi models. Cellular models are also available and are priced $130 higher, at $529, $629, and $729.

Apple Announces 27-Inch iMac With Retina 5K Display Starting at $2500

At today’s media event, Apple announced the next-generation 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display carrying a resolution of 5120 x 2880 pixels, as expected from recent rumors. Featuring 14.7 million pixels, the new iMac offers improved improved contrast, viewing angles, and color accuracy.

Thirty years after the first Mac changed the world, the new iMac with Retina 5K display running OS X Yosemite is the most insanely great Mac we have ever made,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With a breathtaking 14.7 million pixel display, faster CPU and graphics, Fusion Drive, and Thunderbolt 2, it’s the most beautiful and powerful iMac ever.

The base iMac with a Retina 5K display will be available with a 3.5 GHz quad-core Intel i5 processor, AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 1TB Fusion Drive starting at $2,499 with shipping beginning today. The new Retina iMac models can be upgraded with 4.0 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor and AMD Radeon R9 M295X graphics processor. All Retina iMac models come standard with two Thunderbolt 2 ports.

The remainder of the iMac lineup has not been updated, with the 21-inch model still starting at $1,099 and the 27-inch iMac without a Retina 5K Display starting at $1,799.

Apple Posts Full Video of Today’s Special iPad and Mac Event

Apple has posted the full video of today’s iPad and Mac event on its website. The video should also be made available later this afternoon on the Apple Keynotes podcast, which can be found on the iTunes Store. [Podcast link: Keynotes, Keynotes in HD, Keynotes in 1080p HD]

Media Event Highlights:

Apple Announces iPad Air 2 with Thinner Profile, Touch ID, and A8X Processor
Apple Announces iMac with Retina 5K Display for $2,500
Apple Announces New Mac Mini Starting at $499
Apple Announces iPad Mini 3 with Touch ID Home Button
OS X Yosemite Available Today, iOS 8.1 Coming Monday
Apple Pay Launching This Monday, October 20 with iOS 8.1
Apple Will Release WatchKit in November for Developers
Apple to Bring Back Camera Roll in iOS 8.1

New Cellular iPads Include ‘Apple SIM’ in U.S. and U.K. for Multi-Carrier Compatibility

Historically, users purchasing cellular versions of iPads have had to choose their carrier at the time of purchase, with Apple shipping a device specifically configured for use on that carrier. But with the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, Apple is launching a new “Apple SIM” included with devices purchased in the United States and United Kingdom.

For U.S. users in particular, the Apple SIM allows users to easily move among AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint by taking advantage of short-term data plans as needed. And with EE participating in the UK, even access while abroad is simplified. And of course the system should work equally well for UK customers traveling abroad to the United States.

Apple outlines the Apple SIM on its iPad Air 2 wireless feature page:

One SIM. Many options.

The new Apple SIM is preinstalled on iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi + Cellular models. The Apple SIM gives you the flexibility to choose from a variety of short-term plans from select carriers in the U.S. and UK right on your iPad. So whenever you need it, you can choose the plan that works best for you — with no long-term commitments. And when you travel, you may also be able to choose a data plan from a local carrier for the duration of your trip.

Apple notes in an explanatory pop up on its iPad Air 2 store page that Verizon is not a participating carrier and Verizon customers will need to visit Verizon stores to activate cellular service on their devices.

Apple Debuts New Smart Covers and Smart Cases for iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3 [iOS Blog]

Apple has introduced new Smart Covers and Smart Cases designed to go along with the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 that it unveiled this morning.

Smart Covers are available in polyurethane, while the Smart Cases are available in aniline-dyed leather. Smart Covers for both the new Air and the new mini are available in Black, White, Pink, Yellow, Blue, Green, and (PRODUCT) RED. They are priced at $39.

Leather Smart Cases for the iPad Air 2 and the Retina mini 3 are available in Black, Midnight Blue, Olive Brown, Soft Pink and (PRODUCT) RED. Smart Cases are priced at $79 for the iPad Air and $69 for the iPad mini.

Leather Smart Cases for the iPad Air 2 can’t be purchased online yet, but the Smart Cases for the mini and the Smart Covers for both products can be ordered and are available to ship in one to three days. In-store pickup options are listed as “Coming soon.”

As with all versions of Apple’s Smart Covers and Cases, these new products include sleep/wake functionality and serve as a stand for the tablets when folded back. While old iPad mini cases will fit the iPad mini 3, Smart Cases for the original iPad Air will not fit the new iPad Air due to its thinner profile. It is unclear if Smart Covers for existing iPad Air models will fit the new model, again due to its smaller size.