Apple has signed a multi-year deal with Major League Baseball that will give an iPad Pro to coaching staff — so that they can easily access performance data, weigh up possible pitcher-hitter matchups, analyze where a player is likely to hit the ball, and even look up videos from previous games.
“We’re not just replacing binders with tablets; we’re actually helping them do things that weren’t possible before,” said Apple SVP of marketing, Phil Schiller.
This week on The CultCast: Apple’s new iPhone SE is an insane value; the significant differences between the big and small iPad Pros; new rumors point to major MacBook Pro redesigns in June; future keynotes need more yak; and the cool features in the new tvOS 9.2 update.
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Once again, Apple has refreshed its iPhone and iPad line with some better (albeit smaller) iOS devices, the iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.
If you’re looking for all the details on these two new gadgets, or just want to know which is the right iPad or iPhone for you, be sure to grab this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, which also includes all the cool things you can do with iOS 9.3, a look at Cupertino’s new Apple Watch pivot, and a deeper dive on the keynote itself.
Here are this week’s top stories.
Apple has been clear about its belief that the super-charged iPad Pro is designed as a replacement for notebooks and desktops for a large number of users.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the company is giving buyers of the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro the option of picking up a subscription to Microsoft Office 365 as part of their pre-order.
Are you excited about Apple’s newly-announced 4-inch iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro? Well, the time for talking is through, and the time for pre-ordering is here!
Available to ship next Thursday, March 31st, the iPhone SE is available in 16GB and 64GB configurations. Prices start at $399, or $13.30 a month with carrier financing. The new iPad Pro, meanwhile, is available in 32GB, 128GB and — for the first time ever — 256GB configurations, with prices starting at $599.
Both devices are available in silver, gold, rose gold and space gray options.
Size isn’t the only thing that counts when you’re weighing your iPad Pro options.
Sure, it’s a major consideration. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro that Apple showed off earlier this week has the same dimensions of the less sprawling iPad Air 2, and it weighs just under a pound. That’s about two-thirds the weight of the original Pro, and people trading up from an iPad Air won’t need to look at new cases or bags to carry the thing around in.
But that’s all surface stuff, and the two iPad Pros have a lot of differences behind — and even inside — their screens.
With the iPad lineup now verging on unwieldy, it’s harder than ever to decide which Apple tablet to buy. Which iPad is best for you? That’s going to depend on your needs, desires and budget — but your iPad buyer’s guide can help!
Do you go for the massive appeal of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro or opt for the smaller-but-newer (and slightly gimped) 9.7-inch iPad Pro? Will a tiny iPad mini suit you, or should you opt for an iPad Air 2, which is still a very capable, thin tablet?
All good questions! We’re here to help you answer them with this handy iPad comparison, just in time for when the new iPad Pro goes on sale Thursday, March 24 (most likely at 12:01 a.m. Pacific, according to Apple Support).
If you didn’t have time to catch up pn Apple’s event on Monday, you can relive all the glory anytime you want, now that the company has posted the entire iPhone SE keynote on YouTube.
The 63 minute event contains everything from yak-friendly solar farms in China to all the details on the smaller iPad Pro that isn’t quite as fast as its bigger sibling. Apple’s recent event wasn’t as exciting as previous product unveiling, but it will probably be the last one ever hosted at the company’s Cupertino campus.
Watch the full event below:
Apple plans to ship 4 million of its freshly-announced 9.7-inch iPad Pro, suggesting that sales of the company’s brand new tablet are projected to be promising — although this is unlikely to be the device which turns around Apple’s slowing iPad business.
The new iPad Pro packs Apple’s fastest chip ever, but it turns out the tablet is actually slower than the 12.9-inch version.
Both iPad Pros use the A9x processor. However, when Phil Schiller was gushing about the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro’s “grunt” during Monday’s iPhone SE keynote, he didn’t mention that Apple underclocked the new processor and reduced its horsepower.
Apple’s iPhone SE keynote was one of the company’s shortest events ever. Apple struggled to cram enough interesting stuff to keep us awake during the 64-minute snoozefest that was just as much about recycling, renewable energy and protecting Chinese yaks as it was about the new 4-inch iPhone, a smaller iPad Pro and nylon Apple Watch bands.
We’ve boiled the event down to just the highlights so you can watch the entire keynote in a mere 90 seconds.
Enjoy:
Apple is always talking about how many professions increasingly rely on the iPad for work, and developers Onshape have just added another: Computer-Aided Design (CAD) modelers.
Onshape’s new app lets iPad Pro owners carry out the compute-intensive calculations and graphics for 3D solid modeling from their supercharged tablet, using their trusty Apple Pencil.
Small was the new big at Apple’s “Let us loop you in” keynote today. And while some felt the 64-minute unveiling was the most snooze-worthy event ever, Apple used it to unleash the most important iPad its made since the original tablet launched in 2010.
The new 9.7-inch iPad Pro is much more than just a smaller variant of the 12.9-inch super slate Apple came out with last year. It’s a machine built to target Apple’s next big customer pool: the 600 million people still using 5-year-old PCs.
“That’s just sad,” Apple VP Phil Schiller said onstage, describing the unfortunate souls toiling with aging Windows machines. And the new, right-sized iPad Pro is exactly what those people need.
The March 21 Apple event wrapped up earlier, and we have to say that for the most part, we saw that coming.
The company followed through on every rumor we heard that said it was going to put out smaller versions of its latest iPhones and iPads. It introduced new Apple Watch bands, including a Space Gray Milanese Loop, just like we’d heard. And it totally confirmed that the new versions of tvOS and OS 9 would be out today, which didn’t surprise us at all.
But we did manage to fit a gasp or two between all those yawns. Here’s everything that was actually surprising at today’s Apple event.
Whether you’re recycling your iPhone in order to upgrade to the latest iPhone SE, or you favor Apple products because they’re the best on the market, you can feel good about your choice thanks to Apple’s environmental and medical initiatives.
Cupertino’s favorite tech company dropped four gorgeous videos into its low-key keynote today that showcase Liam, a radical recycling robot, and ResearchKit, which is helping connect people and medical researchers in unprecedented numbers. These two videos, below, along with Apple’s historical 40 years in 40 seconds and the new iPad Pro, are as beautiful as you’d expect from the company that continues to make righteous choices while it makes loads of cash.
Evolution, not revolution, was the tone of today’s low-key Apple event. Smaller is better, says Apple, with two big product “reveals” that show off compact new devices with impressive internals.
While most of the announcements today have already been discussed and dissected, like the 4-inch iPhone SE, new Apple Watch bands and a smaller 9.7-inch iPad Pro, there were a couple of surprises.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Apple’s oddly low-key “Let us loop you in” event.
Here’s a chance to win big: Our new $1,000 Apple Store Giveaway means a chance to get pretty much any Apple product your heart desires. With a cool grand of Apple credit in your pocket, you can snag a new iPhone SE, a new 9.7-inch iPad Pro or take a huge chunk out of a new MacBook. Or, if you really wanted that Apple TV, it’ll buy a bag full of those.
Forget the iPad Air 3. Apple’s new 9.7-inch tablet will be a scaled-down version of its supercharged 12.9-inch iPad Pro — called (drumroll, please) the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.
The new, smaller iPad Pro features four-speaker audio, a rear flash, Apple Pencil support, a Smart Connector for an all-new 9.7-inch Smart Keyboard, Apple’s most advanced iPad camera yet, and some very, very cool True Tone technology for matching the ambient light wherever you are.
Oh, and a fancy new 256GB storage option.
The first big Apple media event of 2016 is finally here.
Months of rumors, speculation and anticipation have been leading up to Apple’s “Let us loop you in” event this morning, at which the company is expected to unveil a new 4-inch iPhone, a new iPad Pro model, and some Apple Watch hardware.
Tim Cook and the rest of the Apple crew are set to take the stage at 10 a.m. Pacific and Cult of Mac will be here to liveblog the festivities. Will there be a “one more thing” at the end to make this a truly unforgettable event? Come follow along with us below:
Monday, March 21, will be a big day for Apple, with possible reveals of a budget 4-inch iPhone SE, a 9.7-inch iPad Pro and maybe even some new Apple Watch bands ahead of the second iteration of Apple’s wrist computer.
Want to watch the Apple event live? Here’s how you do it on any of your Apple devices (and even a PC).
Note: Monday’s Apple event starts at 10 a.m. Pacific. Cult of Mac’s liveblog will start serving up color commentary an hour before that, so don’t be late!
This week on The CultCast: Will we see new Macs? Perhaps the elusive “One more thing”? Don’t miss our March 21 Apple event predictions and expectations. Plus: How Instagram is about to be ruined; reports of an Apple Car price and ship date surface; why pirates are excited for the AyeCar; and some new iPhone 7 leaks echo familiar rumors.
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Tim Cook will take to the stage to host another Apple keynote on Monday, but who cares?
It seems only a small percentage of Apple fans are interested in a 4-inch iPhone, and although the rumored iPad upgrade will be a big one, interest in tablets is falling like Jennifer Lawrence at big events. So that leaves… Apple Watch straps? Please!
Without a major unveiling, is Monday’s keynote really worth getting excited for? Or will it be another disappointment, with interest quickly turning to Eddy Cue’s colorful shirts and Craig Federighi’s impeccable hair instead?
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we battle it out over those very questions!
The new Apple Events apps for tvOS has finally arrived, giving Apple TV owners a way to watch the iPhone SE keynote from the comfort of their living room.
Apple’s ‘Loop you in’ event will be the company’s first keynote to stream on the new Apple TV, only unlike previous event channels, you’ll have to download it from the App Store to tune in.
New video of an alleged iPhone 7 case appears to show major changes destined for Apple’s next-gen smartphone.
If it is accurate, the case appears to confirm that Apple will kill the headphone jack and add stereo speakers to the bottom of the device, which should be revealed later this year.
The invites are out and the rumors are in. Apple’s first event of 2016 is going down March 21, when the company will loop fans in on some shiny new products coming soon to Apple Stores.
Apple is expected to introduce a new 4-inch iPhone aimed at budget customers and people who want to be able to hold their smartphone with one hand, but a new 9.7-inch iPad that’s every bit as impressive as the iPad Pro could steal the show (along with some other new goodies).
Here’s what to expect from Apple’s big event.