Apple’s Big October Event News and Opinions

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We’ll be posting the news as it rolls in. While we do we want to know what YOU think! Do you like what you see coming from Cupertino this fall? Are you disappointed? Did Apple nail it or miss an opportunity? Do their prices make sense? We want to know what you think in the comments.Screenshot 2013 10 22 12 48 46

And here we go…

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Recapping the new iPhones and iOS 7. (Whatever… get on with it. Seriously… what’s with quoting everyone??)

Okay, 1 Billion songs on iTunes Radio heard since it launched a month ago? That’s impressive.

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“Our competitors are confused… Trying to turn computers into tablet and tablets into computers”

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Time for OS X Mavericks.

Used code to increased hardware functionality.

Efficiency. Install Mavericks on a MBA and get 1 hour of extra battery life. 1.5 hours of watching movies. Just by adding the new OS.

Compressed memory. Mavericks can compress inactive parts of memory and can, as a result, fit 6GB or information into 4GB of RAM.

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Graphics. Mavericks adjusts graphic processing use depending on what task is being performmed.

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Enhancements such as being able to reply to a message in the notification without opening it.

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Brought Maps to the Mac as well as…

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Bringing iBooks to the Mac… finally.

Mavericks looks like a great update that will make computing on a Mac even better. (And I already love it.)

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Calendar is location aware. Will include map in the appointment and will actually “look” at previous appointment and calculate the time it will take to get from one to the other.

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Mavericks is…. FREE!!!

Bold, awesome move Apple.

And available today.

MacBook

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Reviewing the MacBook air update from last summer.

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MacBook Pro updates

13″ MBP:

Now just 3.46 pounds
just .71 inches
Intel Haswell Dual Core
Intel Iris Graphics
Now gets up to 9 hours of battery life.
Faster flash- 60% faster
802.11 AC
Thunderbolt 2- Twice as fast
Runs Mavericks

Last one started at $1499
New one starts at just $1299
4GB RAM
128 GB RAM

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15″ MacBook Pro

News processor and Iris Pro Graphics
Up to 8 hours of battery
Faster Flash
Faster WiFi
Thunderbolt 2

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Last ten started as $2199

New starts at $1999

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Impressive!!

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Now… MacPro

It is “The future of the Pro Desktop”

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Super fast

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All flash storage

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And it is expandable.

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Move the computer and the IO lights up!

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$2999 and available in December.

Apps

iLife is updated for iOS and is 64 bit!

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Updated for the Mac too… Mavericks.

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iPhoto Books now for iPad.

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iMovie refined and brings effects to the process on iOS.

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iMovie Theater organizes and shares your movies over iCloud.

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Garage Band gets a huge update.

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iLife is free with any Mac purchase.

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iWork is fully updated and is fully compatible across all Apple products.

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The new Keynote is running the demonstration today.

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iWork for iCloud adding collaboration.

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Great apps and the best team in college basketball. (Just saying’.)

OK, Mike here hopping in to help out Dan who had to bounce!

Best of all – iWork is now FREE with any new Mac or iOS device.

iPad – The Moment we have all been waiting for!

Apple has just sold its 170 millionth iPad. Wow. With 475,000 iPad-specific apps. And more ‘real world’ usage than any other tablet.

Tim Cook views this as ‘just the beginning’ for iPad – Phil is back to talk about the next generation of iPad.

iPad Air

Bezel is is 43% thinner.

Device is 7.5mm thick – 20% thinner than iPad 4.

Weight drops from 1.4 lbs to under 1 pound!

Hardware-wise the new iPad Air has the new A7 processor and M7 coprocessor.

Also improved cameras front and back, dual microphones.

Pricing:

$499 16GB base model, $629 with LTE. Seems like they have decided not to change pricing structure. Big mistake, I think.

Apple is going to continue to offer the iPad 2 …and STILL at $399. Wait – WHAT? They are offering a product 3 GENERATIONS OLD without a price drop?

Availability is November 1st.

Next, iPad Mini – let’s see where they go with the second generation.

Of course – Retina Screen, same resolution as iPad Air.

Also a new A7 processor, FaceTime HD, MIMO, and more – BIG DEAL! It is clear where they

$399 for 16GB WiFi, with LTE at $529. Available ‘later in November’

iPad Mini drops to … $299.

Here is the lineup:

And there is a new Smart Cover ($39) and a full-cover iPad Case ($79)

And with a new commercial video, we are done – thanks to all who stopped by!

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.

33 Comments on "Apple’s Big October Event News and Opinions"

  1. And Mavericks is free … pretty awesome!

  2. Ugh…pricing looks awful on the new mini. I am really disappointed that they couldn’t get the new mini to the old mini prices. $529 is a lot for 16gb with LTE when a Nexus 7 is $349 for 32gb with LTE.

    • Totally agree – I am definitely disappointed with pricing across the board. Willing to bet that every memory bump is $100 as well – meaning my desired iPad Air 32GB LTE is still $729. Ugh.

      That said – when you look at the iPad Mini2, you are essentially getting an iPad Air stuffed in a Mini body: same resolution, same processor, etc. I’m sure there are distinctions, but it at least allows them to say ‘develop apps for THESE two, the others are ‘legacy’.

      • Still, the price difference between the iPad mini and the competition is just staggering at this point.
        To put it in perspective: a $280 difference between the N7 and the iPad mini LTE 32GB means that you can effectively pay for a year of 4G service on the N7 with the savings over buying the iPad mini.
        That’s not small.

        Sent from my iPad

        • Oh – I was not attempting to justify it at all … my editorial this morning pretty much stated that I think Apple is out of touch, and that they need to fix their broken pricing model to get back in line.

          The iPad 2 should have been $249 and iPad Mini $199, new iPad Mini $329, and iPad Air is fine at $499 (better at $399). They should have dropped LTE to $100 surcharge and memory bumps to $60 – 75 per step. Then people would have been drawn to LTE and higher memory, and Apple would have still made more profit.

          I admit that after the spec-bump and price-decrease of the Macbook Pros I was hopeful for price-sanity for iPads. Hope.Dashed.

          • Agreed…I don’t know what the pricing strategy is but I don’t get it.
            Sent from my iPad

            • While I agree that the pricing is disappointing keep in mind for that $280 difference you also get a device that has significantly higher screen resolution and is significantly faster. For me the resolution issue is HUGE and makes the N7 a no-go. It isn’t like it’s like for like at that price differential.

    • If you think pricing is terrible on the iPad mini, take a look at the non-Retina MacBook Pro! Yeesh!

  3. T-Mobile is offering 200 MB/mo free. Pretty amazing considering how AT&T is charging $15 for 250 MB/mo.

  4. Michael Roselius | October 22, 2013 at 4:35 pm |

    Amazing that you all expect Apple quality at Android pricing. The devices aren’t comparable, and Apple continues to say every time they are asked, that they are not interested in competing w/ low end devices. It’s the same nonsense w/ the 5c. The 5c is a less expensive phone, but not a cheap phone. None of these devices are designed to compete with any other device on price. Period. The others are lower priced because the can’t compete with Apple on features, design, quality, or ecosystem. Those are aspects of all Apple devices that you can’t put a hard dollar price on – but they are valid reasons for spending more for one of their devices.
    Sure I will spend more for a mini compared to an N7 – but I won’t be buying a plastic bodied device with a menu of software that many times is second in line for updates etc. Heck even Google updates the IOS7 versions of their apps before their Android versions.
    If you shop on price alone, Apple will lose every time – but they have always lost that battle. And they acknowledge that it’s a battle they don’t want to win. If you expand your purchase criteria – suddenly Apple looks like a very attractive option.

    • OK – I think we basically agree on the merits of iOS devices.

      But here is one for you – please explain to me WHY ‘industry standard’ memory chips designed and manufactured by Samsung can be sold for $40 when included in EVERY other device … but the same thing costs $100 in an Apple device.

      Please explain what makes that identical memory chip 250% more valuable?

      This is not ecosystem or design or quality … it is obscene price gouging.

      • “Gouging” is a bit extreme of a term in this situation. Apple does not have a monopoly on tablet or smartphone technology, and every potential customer has the option to choose a different path to the *same* end (not identical, obviously, but similar). While not an entirely accurate analogy, why does Mercedes or BMW get to charge so much more for a car than Ford or Chevrolet? They are selling a vehicle with an engine, wheels, doors etc. that is designed to get a person from point A to point B. I don’t think people would consider BMW or Mercedes to be price “gouging.”

        If you don’t think that the price differential is justified by terms like “build quality”, “design”, or “performance”, you are more than welcome to go Android or WP8. Sorry, but slinging around terms like that seems a bit whiny to me. And I am using the term “whiny” as an extreme as well 😉

        • My example was very specific – and everyone is side-stepping it. I am NOT talking about ANYTHING that can be accounted for with “build quality”, “design”, or “performance”. And specific to what I am talking about – citing Mercedes, etc makes no sense. But let me try to use them as an example to see if you get my example.

          Let’s say that Blaupunkt came out with a new car audio system model XYZ123, and it was revealed that they made these in a plant in Chattanooga, TN and were selling this to both Ford and BMW who were building them into cars in plants also in Chattanooga TN (thus eliminating variable costs, which is appropriate since all tablets are built by a few makers in China).

          Let’s say that Blaupunkt is selling the module for $50 to the car makers. So you go to the dealership, and rather than the normal bundling, you can get just the XYZ123 added at each dealer to certain car models. Let’s say the basic Ford costs $15k and the BMW $25k. Everyone is fine with that price differential … because one is a Ford and the other is a BMW.

          But the price of adding the XYZ123 to the Ford is $1000 … but at BMW you will have to pay $2500 to add that same exact module.

          That is EXACTLY what Apple is doing – and on the same scale.

          Now further imagine that due to scale – it was discovered that BMW would sell 2x the number of XYZ123s as Ford – BMW is only paying $25 per unit while Ford is paying $50.

          Again … that is what is happening, and it has nothing to do with Apple vs Samsung or Amazon. They are buying stuff off a shelf – with Apple paying less – and Apple charges 250% more for the same item.

          As Dan said – no one has to buy. And the data I show illustrates that with each model of iPad fewer and fewer people ARE buying. Sure they sell millions and make more money than anyone else … but the iPad sales are clearly waning (not disputable), and I would argue that exorbitant pricing is largely to blame.

          • Michael Roselius | October 23, 2013 at 8:30 am |

            There is no question that $100 extra for a bump in memory is over-priced. Not really defendable except to say that (a) Apple has never been price competitive on things like memory upgrades for devices – the rip here is that it’s not user upgradable (b) That seems to be the “standard” price – which is to say that the Surface, Nexus 10 etc have the same pricing structure. The Nexus 7 stands out as having a more reasonable price difference between 16/32.
            I would also say to hold off on declaring the iPad line as dying due to pricing. I suspect that there are many out there (me included) who have been expecting a refresh and have been holding off on a purchase / replacement until they see what this new generation looks like. I saw the recent Asymco article about the steep decline in iPad sales – and am surprised by that – but wonder again how much of that is due to those waiting for the refresh.
            Apple will never be the lowest price option out there – but they are as upfront about that at BMW is. And being high priced doesn’t make them evil.

            • Hey – thanks for noting the Surface and Nexus 10 … I got so focused on the iPad Mini in relation to the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire series that I forgot about those!

              Of course, since nobody buys them they might not be good comparison points … 😀

              I am not writing off iPad – I think that they will see great success with this refresh. I am just wondering what the math of ‘market penetration vs. profit margin’ looks like as Apple made their decisions for pricing. I am not so cynical to assume that they just arrogantly said ‘eff them, they’ll buy what we tell them for however much we charge’. I just worry that they are so in fear of losing profit margin that they are letting their ‘we don’t chase market share’ stance become a blind mantra that becomes self-fulfilling.

          • The problem is that merely having the same parts does not mean that the end product is the same. To change analogies, just because I am using the same ingredients, kitchen implements and cookware to make coq au vin that, say, Gordon Ramsay uses does not mean that my dish ought to taste the same or has the same value as Mr. Ramsay’s.

            Admittedly, this analogy is a stretch, but I think there is a kernel of truth in it. Apple products are simply better made than Android products, as a whole.

            • Fortunately Doug Miller noted in another comment that really only the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire have the cheaper memory, and we know those are not profit driven devices. The Nexus 10, MS Surface etc have $100 memory increments … So my argument is moot 🙂

          • I’ve got news for you – that kind of thing DOES happen in the auto industry so your example is not a great one.

  5. Mike- but no one is being forced to but what Apple is offering. They are in business and can charge what they want to charge. People can choose to buy it. People can choose not to. If not enough people are willing to buy their inflated priced products they will be forced to adjust their prices. But people do buy them and they do in numbers.

    • Oh – I totally get that … I have made it clear that I would be buying an iPad Air LTE 32GB, because I assumed the pricing would hold. That hasn’t changed … sure I would have loved for them to change their pricing structure so I could get 128GB LTE for the same money, but I didn’t ever assume I would.

      My point in general is that when Apple introduced the iPad it was seen as competitively priced. The capabilities compared to pricing held very well through the iPad 2 and until the 3. By the time the iPad 3 came out it was no longer at the same price to performance ratio, because the competition began to appear. And with the iPad Mini and iPad 4 the situation changed even moreso.

      At this point the Kindle Fire HDX is MUCH faster than the iPad Mini, is better at playing games, has a better screen for movies, better audio, and so on. And yet as of today you are still paying $30 more for that 16GB iPad Mini than I paid for the Kindle Fire HDX.

      We can debate whether or not the base pricing makes sense – and I am actually fine with that … but when you get to the point when you can buy TWO Kindle Fire HDX 64GB LTE for the price of ONE Retina iPad Mini 64GB LTE … then we are in crazy land.

    • Mitchell Oke | October 22, 2013 at 7:40 pm |

      Considering Apple upped the price on the iPhone 5S over the 5, I’m not surprised the Mini got a price bump in addition to its (significantly) improved specifications.

      Still, it’s getting harder and harder to justify to myself the extra cost of Apple devices, even with their often better build quality.

      I bought a 32GB iPhone 5S and I’m very happy with it, but it was AU$999. My HTC One 32GB outright can be had for around AU$700 these days, with its quad core processor, amazing 1080p display and very good build quality. If there was a fast, compact 4-4.3inch Android device similar in size to the iPhone 5S that didn’t have sub-par specifications and battery life, I’d likely have given it serious consideration.

      • Michael Roselius | October 23, 2013 at 8:36 am |

        But Mitchell, are you really buying on specs like processor, screen and battery life? How much does the eco-system play into your decision? How much does prior investment matter? I’m sure that since my original iPhone purchase, I have maybe close to $500 invested in software purchases – that lock-in is hard to walk away from – assuming I could find alternatives to all the apps I use regularly on my iPhone.
        I know there are a large number of users who chose their next phone based on which one has the largest screen, or highest megapixel camera – but for folks like you and I – the “real” geeks – there is more that goes into that choice.

        • But most of us ‘real geeks’ have sampled from all ecosystems – you simply MUST if you are going to claim any sort of unbiased opinion without it being laughable.

          That said, I have been trying to use the Kindle Fire HDX as a ‘productivity solution’ this week … and what has struck me is that Android tablet apps are AT LEAST a year behind iOS. Facebook, WordPress, and on and on … and there are simply no equivalents to Pages, Numbers, Garageband, Keynote, iPhoto, iMovies … and on and on.

          Wait … did I just highlight ~$75 worth of apps that new iPad users get FOR FREE that are better than ANYTHING comparable on any other tablet platform? Yes, yes I did …

          • A. lol
            B. I just set up Pages on my Mac and my iPad… the new version is freaking amazing… and the way they integrate via iCloud… I had stopped using Pages most of the time but expect that will now change.

        • Mitchell Oke | October 23, 2013 at 1:57 pm |

          Most definitely not, these days I really don’t care all that much about the raw specs. I’m my experience with many iOS and Android devices, it takes a lot more of everything (processor, RAM and battery) to achieve the smoothness and longevity of a comparitively low-specced iOS device.

          My HTC One is pretty much perfect, and I used it for over 6 months without missing iOS at all. Excellent performance without and lag, decent battery life and all the apps that I require day-to-day. In fact, I actually miss a fair few features from the HTC One since switching back to iOS with the 5S.

          The reason for my switch back iOS was based on form-factor and a little bit due to the camera. If the HTC One Mini was a bit smaller and had the beefier specs required to make Android smooth and a better camera, things may be different.

          • And I have a good friend who hates his HTC One – he’s on his 3rd one because of battery problems and freeze ups! Funny how experiences can vary like that!

  6. We can and have debated the merits of iOS versus Android. What it boils down to is this….is the same hardware(essentially arm based chips) in a more durable, but still semi delicate case worth the premium Apple demands? Better quality will only get you so far. While Apple still has the tablet computing mind share, the competition is getting closer and iterating faster than Apple.

    Many I know don’t care about Apples nice materials. I have had a non technical person tell me the Kindle Fire HD was better than the iPad solely based on price.

    I really question the merit of selling design that is now two hardware generations old in the iPad 2 AND selling it at 399.

    All that said, Apple is going to sell a lot.

  7. I’m not going to lie. I would LOVE a Retina iPad Mini!

    • I was pulled a bit after how much tech they poured into the new Mini … but reading previews on the iPad Air has solidified my choice! Those who got significant time with the Air say it feels more like holding a Mini than the iPad 4, and then you have this big screen and great performance. Sure I might think the pricing model needs fixing … but that only relates to the general market penetration, not whether *I* am getting one 🙂

      • Agreed Mike. The air is one of those rare cases where it pulls the advantages of both products and combines them without compromise. Thin light AND the larger screen. I’m excited. My only “regret” is that I love using my Orbino case with the mini.

        • Michael Roselius | October 23, 2013 at 8:40 am |

          One of the really interesting things to me is that, now that the dust has cleared, there is a significant amount of product overlap in Apple offerings – more than there has been in a long time.
          The specs of the iPad Mini and Air are very comparable. If you compare the MB Air to the 13″ MB Pro – from a size perspective anyway – they are much closer as well.
          It used to be if you wanted small and light, you had a clear choice – and if horsepower was more important, you had a clear choice. With these latest releases, the menu and options has really expanded and overlaps quite a bit.

        • I know – I love the IK Multimedia ‘iKlip Stand’ that I reviewed, but cannot imagine it will fit the slightly thicker new Mini. Shame.

    • I wanted a new mini due to the fact that they finally upped the resolution (a well-documented complaint of mine), but the new iPad Air seems so nice now that it will be so much lighter that I’m more likely to go that way (I’m currently using an iPad 3). Also note, that I had (and got rid of an N7 due to the poor resolution), and I have a Surface Pro that I use for running Windows apps (critical to my work), but my main personal go-to is the iPad.

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