Last week Thursday, Apple held an event in California. They had some big news for Apple lovers. The new editions for the iPad and iPad Mini were revealed –and they’re getting a facelift. Also, they announced that their new Apple Pay system was set to launch this past Monday October 20th. We have a little more information for you on the event and the outcome of the Apple Pay launch.
The iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini Stats and Features
Both come iPads with TouchID fingerprint sensors (which can also be used to make purchases online with Apple Pay). They also both are available in gold as well as the silver and dark gray versions
iPad Air 2 is much thinner than the previous edition. Coming in at 6.1 millimeters thick, it’s 18% thinner to be exact. It has an improved retina display and a camera that takes panoramic photos up to 43 megapixels. The price starts at $499 for the 16-gigabyte, WiFi-only version. The 64-gig is $599 and the 128-gig version is $699. Also, for an additional $130 on any of those options, you can get a version with cellular data connectivity. Apple revealed that they would be cutting prices for older iPad versions.
Additionally, Apple announced a new 27-inch iMac desktop computer for $2,499.
Software:
Apple’s new operating system, OS X Yosemite, became available for free download in the App Store last Thursday. The system has undergone a design update. The interface for Macs now looks much more like that you would see on the iPhone and iPad. Yosemite comes with a “spotlight” function that can search both the Mac and the Web.
The new iCloud Drive will sync all Mac folders across every Mac, iPhone or Windows PC that a single user owns. Also, the “continuity” function that we’ve talked about previously will ensure that you can pick up on one where you left off on another device. This updated iOS system brings back the camera roll and will also support Apple Pay that rolled out this past Monday.
So, whatever came of the Apple Pay launch?
It went off with a few hitches. It’s a launch like any other, so there are still a few kinks to work out. Some people had issues adding cards that were supposed to work. Others had issues using Apple Pay in some of the retailers that were set to accept it. A flop? Certainly not. Those who were able to successfully use the system said it was extremely easy and convenient. Some retailers and credit card companies are still working out a few bumps, but overall it looks fairly promising. The banks need to do a little more prep work, the retailers who are accepting it should understand the technology a little better, and we should be good to go. I guess we’ll stay tuned for the next few weeks to see if my optimism was warranted or not.
Has anyone here used Apple Pay yet? Thoughts? Success or failure?
