Apple Announces Thinner iPad Air 2, Retina Display iMacs, Mac Mini, and Releases OS X Yosemite

At an event held in Cupertino, California Apple announced new versions of their iPad, iMac, and Mac Mini devices as well as the release of the latest version of their operating system OS X Yosemite. The new iPad Air 2 is thinner and more powerful than previous versions with a slim 6.1mm profile and second generation 64-bit A8X chip. Apple has also given the iPad Air 2 the Touch ID fingerprint scanner first introduced on the iPhone 5S, and a range of new camera features including time-lapse and slow-motion effects.

The iPad Mini also saw moderate upgrades with the introduction of the iPad Mini 3 featuring Touch ID. Both the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3 will have built-in support for Apple’s new Apple Pay payment system. The iPad Air 2 will start at $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi-only model, and the iPad Mini 3 will start at $399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model.

Apple also announced their new 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display. With a resolution of 5120 x 2880 the new iMac has the highest resolution display available according to Apple. The iMac is available with up to a 4.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, and an AMD Radeon R9 M290X. The iMac with Retina 5K display starts at $2499.

Apple also announced updates to the Mac Mini, giving it fourth-generation Intel Core processors in a variety of speeds for different price points. The $499 introductory model features a 1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.7 GHz, 4GB of memory, Intel HD Graphics 5000 and a 500GB hard drive.

Apple OS X Yosemite, which was announced in June during the WWDC was also released as part of the event. Yosemite features a number of improvements to help better integrate a Mac computer with other Apple devices. One key feature is that a Mac can now be used to make and receive calls or text messages when paired with an iPhone. Yosemite is available starting today as a free upgrade through the App Store.