New and improved hardware and software from Apple:
- Stats: Apple sold 9 million iPhone 5C and 5S phones over the first weekend of availability in September. Over 200 million devices were running iOS 7 after five days of availability. Over ⅔ of Apple’s mobile devices are now running that upgrade. The iOS App Store has seen over 60 billion downloads.
- New Mac OS X version Mavericks, v10.9, has nearly twice the graphics processing speed of the previous version. It’s written fully 64-bit. OS X Mavericks price: FREE. Single-step upgrade from any previous version going back to Snow Leopard, for Macs going back to 2007 models. Available today.
- iBooks (Kindle store competitor) and Maps come to the OS X desktop. Maps will seamlessly integrate with iOS devices such as iPhone and iPad. Map a route on the desktop, send it to your mobile devices.
- Updated 13-inch MacBook Pro (with Retina display, but naming does not mention that): 3.46 pounds, 0.7 inches thick, runs on the latest Intel Haswell chip with integrated Iris graphics. Up to 9-hours battery life. Faster, PCIe-connected SSD performance (no more internal SATA connection), faster WiFi (802.11AC), faster Thunderbolt 2 connector for external peripherals. Pricing starts at $1299, (dual-core CPU, 4 GB memory, 128 GB SSD). Available today.
- Updated 15-inch MacBook Pro: powered by Intel Crystalwell chip with Iris Pro graphics. Up to 8-hours battery life. Same SSD, WiFi and Thunderbolt 2 as 13-inch MacBook Pro. Pricing starts at $1999 (quad-core CPU, 8 GB memory, 256 GB SSD). Available today.
- New Mac Pro: 4-, 6-, 8- or 12-core CPU, super-fast internal bus. Up to 64 GB memory, user-accessible. Dual-workstation GPUs. Up to 1 TB internal SSD storage. Expansion through Thunderbolt 2 connectors. GPUs will drive up to three 4K displays. Assembled in the US. Price starts at $2999 (12 GB memory, 256 GB SSD, dual high-end video cards). Available before 12/31/2013.
- iLife: Updated versions of iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand for both Mac and iPad, iPhone. All 64-bit apps for the 64-bit Haswell, Crystalwell chips in Macs as well as the 64-bit A7 chip in iPhone 5S and new iPads. All FREE with the purchase of a new Mac or iOS device. Available today.
- iWork: Pages (word processor), Numbers (spreadsheet), Keynote (presentations) all updated for 64-bit chips and OS platforms, both Mac and iOS. Adds collaboration through iWork for iCloud. All FREE with the purchase of a new Mac or iOS device. Available today.
- Updated iPad: 170 million iPads sold to date. 475,000 iPad apps available. New, 5th-generation iPad is called iPad Air. 9.7-inches diagonal display (same as 4th-generation iPad), thinner bezel. Device is 7.5 mm thick (20% thinner), 1 pound (down from 1.4 pounds), uses the new 64-bit A7 chip with M7 motion coprocessor (same as iPhone 5S). CPU and GPU performance are double 4th-generation iPad. CPU is 8x faster than 1st-generation iPad, GPU performance is 72x 1st-generation iPad. Faster WiFi (MiMo 802.11N, not AC), 5 MP camera, 1080p display, dual microphones, 10-hour battery life. No fingerprint reader. Available in silver/white and space-grey/black. Pricing starts at $499 for 16 GB, WiFi-only model. LTE models are $129 more for same memory capacity. iPad2 remains for sale at reduced $399 starting price. iPad Air ships November 1.
- iPad mini: New, 2nd-generation iPad mini gets a Retina display, A7 chip (4x faster CPU than previous generation, 8x faster GPU). Faster Wifi (MiMo 802.11N, not AC). No fingerprint reader. Comes in silver/white and space-grey/black. Price starts at $399 for 16 GB, WiFi only model. LTE models are $129 more for same memory capacity. Available later in November. First-generation iPad Mini remains at a $100-reduced starting price.
- New covers and cases available for both new iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display.
Not mentioned: MacBook Pro without Retina display, Apple TV, iWatch, iTV.
A Random Stroll 