Hey everyone! In case you missed their press event in San Francisco yesterday, Apple announced a ton of new products and updates. There's a lot to cover - in fact, there were so many things discussed in the nearly two-hour-long keynote that we couldn't possibly fit it all into our monthly video!
Instead, we'll be taking a slightly different approach this month and talk about everything that was announced on Tuesday right here on our blog. We'll break down the features and benefits of each new product across several posts over the next few weeks. We'll also share our favorite new features in Mavericks, and offer some tips on how to get the most out of the latest version of OS X.
There's a lot of ground to cover, so for today's post, we'll give you a quick run-down of everything that was announced yesterday.
OS X Mavericks:
Apple is continuing their yearly OS X update cycle with OS X Mavericks. While it's not a complete overhaul like iOS 7, Mavericks does include several new features, as well as a ton of under-the-hood improvements that will help you get the most out of your Mac's hardware. Best of all, OS X Mavericks is absolutely free to anyone who has a Mac that was purchased in the last 5 years and is running OS X 10.6 or later. OS X Mavericks is available right now from the Mac App Store.
We have a few blog posts planned that will cover some of the more interesting and beneficial improvements in OS X Mavericks, so stay tuned for those. If you're unsure of whether your Mac is compatible or need some assistance in making the upgrade to Mavericks, send us an email at helpme@foojee.com and we'll be happy to help!
Updated iWork & iLife:
All of the apps in the iLife and iWork suites were completely redesigned for both OS X and iOS. Each app offers new features, such as Drummer for GarageBand, which automatically offers a drum track that plays along with you and adapts to your style, and the ability to create photo books in iPhoto for iOS.
Along with brand new versions of iWork for OS X and iOS, iWork for iCloud was updated as well, including live version tracking and collaboration - two people can work on the same document from their web browser (even on a PC!) simultaneously, and see the changes update in real-time.
Best of all, the new iLife and iWork suites are free with the purchase of a new Mac or iOS device. If you've already purchased any of the iLife or iWork apps from the App Store, you'll also be able to update to the new versions at no cost. Each app is $14.99 each for the OS X version and $4.99 each for the iOS version.
The new Mac Pro and updated MacBook Pros:
The specs of long-awaited redesign of the Mac Pro were finally revealed, and it is a beast. At more than twice the performance and a fraction the size and energy consumption of the current generation Mac Pro, yet as quiet as a Mac mini, we expect the new Mac Pro will be a hit among professionals and power users. It starts at $2999 and will be available in December.
In addition, the 13" and 15" MacBook Pros with Retina Displays were also updated, and the 13" in particular is even thinner and lighter than before. The new MacBook Pros feature faster, more energy-efficient processors and graphics, allowing for up to 9 hours of battery life on the 13" model. Better yet, they're even more affordable than last year's model - the 13" MacBook Pro starts at just $1299, and the 15" version starts at $1999. They are in stores now.
iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display:
The full-size iPad received an iPad mini-inspired redesign, and is even thinner and lighter than before, weighing only one pound. It also features even faster performance, thanks to the new A7 chip from the iPhone 5s, as well as improved wireless connectivity by leveraging double wi-fi antennas and MIMO technology. The iPad Air starts at $499 and will be available November 1.
The iPad mini also got bumped up to a Retina Display and an A7 processor, allowing for quadruple the CPU performance and up to 8x the graphics performance compared to the previous generation iPad mini. It's still the same design we know and love, just much more powerful. The new iPad mini with Retina Display starts at $399 and will be available in late November.
The weeks ahead:
As you can see, we're really excited about all the new software and hardware that was announced yesterday, and we hope you are too. Over the next few weeks, we'll go more in-depth with some of these new products and offer advice on how to get the most out of them. If you have any questions about how to upgrade or need recommendations for your next product purchase, please let us know by sending an email to helpme@foojee.com.