Apple Media Event - October 30, 2018

If you thought Apple had nothing more to announce after last month’s media event, think again! Today’s event (held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York) was bigger (much bigger) than last month’s event.

Today, Apple announced the all-new MacBook Air, Mac mini, iPad and more. The details are found below.

Tim Cook takes the stage to a roaring NY crowd

• “Good morning! It is so great to be in New York!”

• “Apple’s focus has always been to provide tools to unleash your creativity”

MacBook Air

• 51% of Mac users are new to Mac (76% in China)

• 100 million Mac users

• “Great care has been taken with macOS Mojave to bring the best features to users”

• Today, Apple announces the successor to the MacBook Air… the new MacBook Air (with Retina display)

• Note: no more USB Type A ports

• Laura Grove takes the stage

• No more aluminum bezel… the screen goes almost to the edge

• Features a 13.3” display with 4 million pixels (2560x1600) and 48% more colors

• The new MacBook Air now has Touch ID (yay!) and Apple’s T2 security chip

• The new MacBook Air features a new 3rd-generation butterfly keyboard and new Force Touch Trackpad

• Audio is 25% louder and 2 times more base with a 3-mic array

• Features 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports that supports up to a 5K display and eGPUs

• Inside: up to 8th generation Intel Core i5 and 16 GB memory

• Battery: “all-day battery life” (up to 12 hours of wireless web browsing or 13 hours of iTunes playback)

• Features 17% less volume that previous MacBook Air and 15.6 mm thin (10% thinner) and weighs 2.75 pounds (.25 pound lighter than previous MacBook Air)

• The chassis is now be constructed of 100% recycled aluminum (reducing carbon footprint by 50%)

• Availability in 3 colors: Silver, Space Gray and Gold

• Price: starting at $1,199, is available for order today and is available November 7

• Note: the previous model MacBook Air is still available for purchase in limited configurations

Mac mini

• Tom Boger takes the stage

• Features a new Space Gray finish (specifically chosen for the pro users)

• Every Mac mini starts with 4 cores of processing power (upgradable to 6 cores)

• New Mac mini is up to 5 times faster than previous models

• Memory: up to 64 GB available (2666 Mhz SODIMM)

• All Mac mini models are SSD (up to 2 TB)

• Al Mac mini models feature the new T2 security chip

• New thermal cooling system to keep the system cool under heavy load

• 4 Thunderbolt 3, HDMI and 2 USB Type A ports

• Entry Config: 8 GB memory, Intel Core i3 and 128 GB SSD for $799, is available for order today and is available November 7

• New chassis is made from 100% recycled aluminum

Today at Apple

• Angela takes the stage

• Today at Apple is a retail program who brings knowledge to millions of Apple users

• Since the creation of Today at Apple, more than 18,000 sessions have been held

• 60 newly designed sessions announced today including AR and Siri Shortcuts (launching in 2019)

• All retail locations now operate on renewable energy

• “Our commitment is to humanize technology”

iPad

• “A magical piece of glass that turns into anything that you want it to be”

• Apple has sold over 400 million iPads

• Apple sold more iPads in the last year than any other computer maker has sold computers

• “Today, we’re announcing an all-new iPad Pro that will push the limits even further”

• John Turvis takes the stage

• The new iPad Pro is all about the (edge-to-edge) display and features a liquid Retina display

• New iPad Pro features an 11” display in the same chassis size with 250,000 more pixels (a 12.9” is also available)

• The new iPad Pro is 5.9 mm thin (achieving 25% less volume)

• Face ID is now standard on iPad Pro

• No more Home button

• New iPad Pro is powered by the all-new A12X Bionic chip (7nm technology) with more than 10 billion transistors and an 8-Core CPU (up to 90% faster than last year’s iPad Pro model)

• Context: this iPad Pro is faster than 92% of mainstream PC laptops available today

• Graphics performance is now 1,000 times faster than the original iPad

• Up to 1 TB storage capacity available

• USB-C is the connector of choice (yay!) (which also supports charing OUT)

• New Apple Pencil features magnetic connection and pairing, also charging wirelessly

• New Smart Keyboard Folio

• Audio output (woofers and tweeters) are now available in all 4 corners for true 360 degree rotation

• 11” base model starts at $799, is available to order today and available in stores on November 7

• 12.9” base model starts at $999, is available to order today and available in stores on November 7

One More Thing…

• iOS 12.1 is available today for download with Group FaceTime, dual-SIM support for iPhone XS and XR, over 70 new emoji and much more

To view the video from today’s event, click here.

Maui, Hawaii in 4K [Drone]

The island of Maui is one of the most beautiful places on earth! After a recent visit there in September 2018 (along with my DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone), I came home with nearly 2 hours of gorgeous aerial footage of this remarkable island.

So what does one do with all that amazing footage? Share it with the world, of course! So, without further delay, I present to you… Maui, from 400 feet (give or take).

Animoji Performs "Bohemian Rhapsody"

The new iPhone X packs a serious punch when it comes to technology!! And with all great technology comes fun, right? If you can't have fun with tech, then you're doing something wrong (is it ok if I coin that phrase?).

When Apple introduced Animoji (animated emoji) on Stage at WWDC earlier this year, I immediately knew that I had to use this technology to create a music video for Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". That song screams for Anomoji to perform in their place, right?

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you "Bohemian Rhapsody", performed by Animoji!

How did I make it? It required a little bit of creativity, Apple's new iPhone X and Final Cut Pro.