– iPad Air is out (on Sep 1, 2013 in stores and online). Features – A7 64 bit processor along with the M7 co-processor with faster processing and graphics with an eye towards battery saving, only 1 lb heavy and about 20% thinner. Looks like a larger version of the mini footprint with its slightly square edges. No fingerprint touch id 
in this version. Comes in silver and space gray. Expanded LTE coverage. Larger pixels for the back camera. Faster WiFi with Mimo/dual antennae (lookout Amazon Fire which has had this technology for sometime).
– iPad Mini is out at the end of November. Powerful, new A7 processor and Retina display are the major things that stand out. Also, it has all the other features of the iPad Air in a mini footprint. Basically, packs the same power as the iPad Air in a convenient mini (now with Retina) package. This model will truly rock! Might finally move to the mini after this release.
– Macbook Pro lineup is upgraded with the latest Intel chips namely Haswell and Crystalwell architectures and Iris as well as Iris Pro graphics. Slight price reduction as well.
– Mac Pro is coming in December. Mini drum shaped, polished aluminum casing and quite a design I must say. Pure power and runs cool. For the professional with multi-core CPUs/GPUs. More on this in a separate article.
– OS X Mavericks is out today and is FREE. I was quite happy to hear that. And so are Apple apps – KeyNote, Numbers and Pages (yes) for new purchasers of Apple devices. Mavericks features Maps, calendar with Geo location awareness, tagging, fantastic power saving features and more. Available as a free upgrade to even users of Snow Leopard. But do check the recommended hardware specs from Apple before downloading on the older machines. I will write a separate blog on the over 200 new features of Mavericks.
Overall, it was quite a satisfying event and Apple did give away a lot of free goodies. Looking forward to ordering my iPads (one of each please).
Looking forward to all the potential and a much greater audience for 64 bit code.
Gary Saggu
http://www.garysaggu.net
http://www.garysaggu.com
Gary Saggu has been coding since the 80’s. He has been programming in C, C++,C#, Java, Objective C and Swift for many years. He has an interest in tech startups, blockchain & big-data technologies. He is a certified Yoga instructor & a scuba diver.
