Apple to Unveil New iPads, Retina iMacs, and OS X Yosemite on October 16

[iceburg02]

I can't wait to upgrade my iPad Air on pre-order day using the Apple Store app on my iPhone 6 Plus.

you have some very specific (and somewhat unusual) ambitions

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

if the iPad gets any two of these things then I'll probbably buy one.

Touch ID
A8X
2GB of Ram
4K Retina display
8 megapixel camera

I think you'll be getting one...

TouchID is pretty much a given, as is the 8MP camera. I'd love Aple to go above and beyond and do 4GB RAM.

 

[Rogifan]

When have they had better?/Within a few months we'll likely end up with:

iPhone 6 and 6+; hands down the greatest iPhones ever
Apple Watch; a whole new product category
Apple Pay; a revolutionary new payment mode
iPad Pro
Refreshed iPad Air and iPad Mini
MacBook Air with Retina Display
iMac with Retina Display

I can't recall a time where Apple has had a better product lineup.

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What's an iPod?

I doubt we'll see retina MBAs this year. I think MBA will be the last Apple product to go retina.

 

[Cougarcat]

What bugs are you referring to?

I ask because I downloaded the GM Candidate and made the bold/risky decision to use it as my main OS and overwrite Mavericks.

It's been incredibly stable in my day to day use and I haven't yet noticed any bugs, I'm really liking it.

Some people have reported here that in the "fan" view of files in the dock, file names don't have anti aliasing. This works fine for me, but I hsve noticed that if you have reduced transparency enabled, volume overlays have black corners.

 

[myname70]

Will the new Air2 have camera flashlight? ....

 

[Rootus]

All I care about is the Retina iPad Mini. Give it touch ID and A8, and I'll pick one up. I'm just as happy with Android as I am with iOS, so I'd also be happy to see a Nexus 8 with the same screen dimensions as the iPad Mini. I have a current N7 and I don't care much for the screen size & proportions

 

[lockerc18]

I doubt we'll see retina MBAs this year. I think MBA will be the last Apple product to go retina.

Why is a Retina MBA even needed? There's already a Retina MBP in the same size (13 inches) and at essentially the same price. The spec differences between the two are really not all that huge, either. You can configure a rMBP to be just about the same as a rMBA would be.

This is a confusing part of Apple's product line. Sure, there are brand reasons for getting the Air over the Pro, and vice versa. But what's the difference, really?

 

[MyopicPaideia]

Why is a Retina MBA even needed? There's already a Retina MBP in the same size (13 inches) and at essentially the same price. The spec differences between the two are really not all that huge, either. You can configure a rMBP to be just about the same as a rMBA would be.

This is a confusing part of Apple's product line. Sure, there are brand reasons for getting the Air over the Pro, and vice versa. But what's the difference, really?

You're right and that is why they are going to rethink the form factor with a new design.

 

[SONiC5]

I really hope they improved the color gamut on the iPad mini. I'd get one, assuming it has Touch ID as well. I'm still using an iPad 1.

 

[rudychidiac]

I hope they introduce a new iPod Touch, I don't think they should kill the iPod just like that

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

I almost can't wait. I would prefer the nMac pro which i'm planning, but I can't wait too see a 5k imac.

 

[theluggage]

Sure, there are brand reasons for getting the Air over the Pro, and vice versa. But what's the difference, really?

Well, ignoring the Retina display itself, and Thunderbolt 2 support (we'll assume that the rumoured retina Air will have both) and the differences in base RAM and SSD (which will probably change), the distinctions likely to remain are:

• Two Thunderbolt ports *and* HDMI port, dual external displays.
• Considerably faster processors (currently 2.6GHz vs. 1.4GHz).
• Slightly better GPU (currently, Iris vs HD5000).

...plus, if and when a 12/13" Retina Air appears and all the MacBooks get bumped to Broadwell, expect a general re-shuffling of price points, base model specs and options.

 

[JDHiro]

Why is a Retina MBA even needed? There's already a Retina MBP in the same size (13 inches) and at essentially the same price. The spec differences between the two are really not all that huge, either. You can configure a rMBP to be just about the same as a rMBA would be.

This is a confusing part of Apple's product line. Sure, there are brand reasons for getting the Air over the Pro, and vice versa. But what's the difference, really?

Well, there is a significant processor difference between the devices. I think your average consumer would rather have the extra $300 and thinner form factor over the more powerful processor. Although the line is blurring, it still seems like there is enough room for differentiation here.

Or hey, they can just move the 13" to Air only and bring back a 17" rMBP. That's my vote!

 

[tom123]

iPod?

'What's an iPod?'

good one!

 

[lockerc18]

Well, there is a significant processor difference between the devices. I think your average consumer would rather have the extra $300 and thinner form factor over the more powerful processor. Although the line is blurring, it still seems like there is enough room for differentiation here.

Or hey, they can just move the 13" to Air only and bring back a 17" rMBP. That's my vote!

At the low end of the Air, or the high end of the Pro, I agree. It's the middle ground that overlaps and causes confusion in the product lines.

We have 3 Airs in our family, and they are a true delight to use. I also have a 15 inch rMBP fully spec'd out, and I just plain love that, too. But if I were to buy a new system for some reason, I'd give very serious consideration to the 13 inch rMBP spec'd very closely to the top end of the Air line instead of buying the Air.

 

[houssein31]

is it possible to see rounded edge screens like on the iPhone6? Because that would be great!

 

[sviato]

Why make a 12" MacBook Air and not just revamp the 13"?

 

[AppleP59]

Really, really hoping for new iPod touches! My birthday is a few days after the 16th, it'd be a great self present!

My Birthday IS the 16th

Get a room.

So many birthdays.
I'm going to get one for my probation officer.

 

[rGiskard]

If Xcode, Preview, TextEdit and iCloud Drive were released as Apps for iOS, you'd pretty much be 99% there as far as a "full fledged" OS goes.

I can't take any OS seriously that doesn't let me access and manage my own files. It's also crucial to have access to OS files for tweaking and backups.

App-based file management can work in certain ways, like managing photos. But if one is multitasking or working on a "project", it will have files of many different types. Accessing all the files of a project from individual apps would be nightmare.

Thankfully Apple understands this and shows all intentions of keeping iOS and OS X seperate but equal in importance.

 

[BSben]

So many birthdays.
I'm going to get one for my probation officer.

I am sure probation officers already have the latest gear from their other 'clients', I think you will have to 'get' him something a bit more upmarket.

 

[rGiskard]

a.) Some recent TN monitors have been receiving remarkably good reviews. b.) Apple may tell itself that studio users would be better served with Mac Pros,

Nah, Apple take display quality seriously (with the Retina iPad Mini being the sole exception that proves the rule ). If they drop IPS it will be for a superior technology.

I'll say it again: we're all gonna be pleasantly surprised at the price of the 5K iMac, as in, it won't actually cost 5K!

 

[rGiskard]

You're right on soldered RAM across the line buy I doubt Apple will solder the SSD too, while there are a possibility the next Mac *mini* to be ssd only Apple will use its propertary pcie ssd (hard to clone yet).

You're right, a proprietary connector is more likely.

Notwithstanding the impact of the arrival of 5K display I doubt this resolution to come to the Mac (except the Mac Pro using 3rd party monitor), my reasoning it's Apple didn't go to 3K on the iPhone 6+, despite most flagship android devices offering 3k, instead they go conservative and offered HD and still retina display, the same it's for the iMac 27 there is no need to go to 5K now, the hardware to support 5k (double pixels as 4K)demsnfs an extensive thermal redesign on the iMac, add the this the cost of an optimal 5K capable iMac could rise quickly 3000$, then now quality 4K panels are now available at the same cost the las year 3K panel, plus Haswell i7-4771 combined with nVidia GTX 980m plenty capable to deal with 4K still fit the TDP of the current iMac, so actually Apple could launch an 4K optimal iMac with the same cost as the current models, and this 4k iMac still could be named retina iMac and still be capable to handle another external 4K display.
About the mini, Apple needs to kill it and replace with another much smaller system (based on Broadwell-M) and another beefier *mini Mac Pro* based either on Haswell-E or Haswell-E and having optional discrete gpu options (nVidia, AMD).

Well the difference with the iMacs is that Apple can include one or two Retina models at crazy high prices. They serve as beta models and the early adopters are beta testers. I'm exaggerating, but if it's like the Retina MacBooks there will be a lot of niggling issues for the first revision.

A limited release of an expensive Retina iMac also gives developers time to hone support, so when the prices fall to regular consumer iMac levels, everything is set to go full speed ahead.

The *one more thing* maybe an Apple NAS appliance loaded with a custom osx server running on ARM a7 or a8 chips and loaded with 2 or more spinners, since the timecapsule it's the less successful device from Apple since user requiring home or soho NAS discarded it to solutions from Synology WD etc.

Interesting idea. I could see Apple wanting to lower the price of a SOHO server, which right now is just a "server" Mac Mini. There is the IBM collaboration, so I'd think a business server solution to work with iDevices is an area open for innovation. Such a server could be adapted for home use as well, maybe with a lower end version. We'll see...

 

[dfs]

IPS. Countless studios depend on iMacs - it would be a disaster if Apple went with TN.

I predict many will be surprised at how "low" the price is on Retina iMacs. Of course by the third revision the price will be back to current pricing, which is also about the time it will take to refine the new design.

Then riddle me this, Giskard. If any manufacturer on the planet is building an IPS monitor at the kind of low price-point you have in mind, how come we haven't heard of it? Apple isn't going to make a display itself, it's going to have to go to some supplier. and no company in the world has demonstrated the capacity at making an inexpensive iPS monitor (Apple asking $3500 for the Sharp model they offer as a MacPro add-on, although you can buy the same unit from Amazon for $3000). If a 27-in 4k iMac is going to be announced in less than two weeks, presumably it will be on the market no later than Dec. 1, in order to take advantage of the seasonal buying surge, and you are asking Apple to make a technological leap forward over the next couple of months which is in all probability impossible. And if it were possible, wouldn't the rumor mills be working overtime already?

On the other hand, if Apple sticks to TN technology it can probably bring in an iMac at a price not dramatically higher than the present model. A highly likely supplier would be Samsung, whose U28D590D, a well-received TN monitor has been on the market since June. Its current list price of $600 (which I believe was originally $700). If Apple made it worth their while, it would presumably be no great feat for Samsung to produce a revised version at 27" (if Apple went to a 28" iMac they'd have to do a lot of factory retooling to manufacture larger cases and a cascading series of resulting design changes, which might be quite expensive).

So, given the current industrial realities, I think we come down to one of two possible alternatives: a super-high-end IPS model at a price point, as I originally said, north of five grand, sold in addition the current model, or b.) a TN replacement iMac sold at essentially the same price as the current one.

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This might be a straw in the wind: http://www.cnet.com/news/intel-to-deliver-cheaper-4k-monitors-thanks-to-samsung-partnership/

 

[zedsdead]

My predictions:

(1) OS X Yomsemite final preview

Desktop Refresh:
(2) iMac - refresh plus retina model on high end
(3) Mac Mini - possible redesign
(4) Mac Pro - update to Haswell
(5) 5k Thunderbolt Display

(6) iPad Air 2 - 2gh ram, Touch ID, NFC, thinner, gold
(7) iOS 8.1 - possible screen splitting for iPad

No Apple TV or iPods.

iWork is getting an update, but not sure it'll be highlighted in the Keynote or not.

Photos may appear as a beta.

 

[phoenixsan]

You, my friend.....

There are lots of possibilities, I will make a list for you:

1. NVida isnt what it is cracked up to be. most of the whining about NVida comes from people wanting CUDA support but CUDA is a dying technology.
2. By going to AMD they have the potential to leverage the same drivers used in the new Mac Pro. this is significant and frankly the quality of the drivers for the Mac Pro is very good.
3. AMD has a history of doing much better compute wise when dealling with 64 bit floating point. In general AMD has the better compute environment.
4. Most likely Apple would be using a new AMD GPU so we would be getting good performance at low power.
5. AMD has a history of very good capability with respect to fast I/O ports. They should be able to do the latest standards pretty easy.
6. AMD has been very vocal, loud even, about a willingness to do custom work. Mac Pro is one example but I could see them doing even more for Apple right down to custom silicon. NVidia has been just the opposite in this regard. The question then becomes what would Apple want on a custom GPU die. Hard to say for sure but video decoders come to mind. We can't dismiss custom camera processors either.

Well lots of theories above! The one thng I know for sure is that much of the whining about AMD is baseless. In the end the big selling point would likely be Mac Pro driver compatibility. Imagine an iMac with two GPUs set up in a fashion similar to the Mac Pro. Lower performance GPUs for sure, due to thermal issues, but still offering some of the same performance advantages.


Given all of that people need to remember they are reacting to rumors here, we really don't know what will be in the new IMac.

nailed it. And make me think deeper and wish to keep my mouth closed more time......