The Apple Special Event finally kicks off at 11 PM Japan time on October 30.
Rumors are swirling that this event will bring a bezel-less iPad Pro, and that the long-neglected Mac mini will get a new model.
The bezel-less iPad Pro has me very curious, and I'm looking forward to what's about to be announced.
Real-time updates have ended.
This article is a real-time write-up of what was announced at the event.
Watch the official streaming live here.
https://www.apple.com/apple-events/livestream/
(10/31: The official streaming broadcast has ended.)
MacBook Air
After a Mac promo video played, the MacBook Air introduction began.
A new MacBook Air arrives, and on top of that, it now packs a Retina Display.
In addition to the Retina Display, the screen surround is no longer aluminum bezel - it's now a black bezel like the MacBook Pro. The bezels are very thin, and the display stretches across nearly the entire face.
It also supports Touch ID and is equipped with the T2 security chip. This T2 chip handles HDD encryption, stereo sound processing, "Hey Siri," and more.
The newly introduced Track Pad also features a new Taptic Engine.
On the audio side, the audio and microphone capabilities have been beefed up. Volume is up 25%, and bass effect is doubled.
For external ports, it has two Thunderbolt Ports (USB-C). These ports can be used to connect a wide range of devices, including charging and 5K display output.
The CPU is an 8th generation Intel Dual Core CPU.
It supports up to 16GB of memory, and you can choose up to 1TB of storage.
For battery life, movie playback runs up to 13 hours.
The body is 15.6mm thick - 10% thinner than before. The body weight has also gotten lighter.
The body's aluminum is made from 100% recycled aluminum, so it's environmentally friendly too.
The price starts at 1,199 USD (about 134,800 yen pre-tax in Japan).
This MacBook Air is the most affordable Mac with a Retina Display.
Sales start today. (Shipping starts next week.)
Mac mini
A movie that felt like an SF film played, and the new Mac mini appeared.
As you can see, a new black Mac mini joins the lineup.
The new Mac mini comes with up to 6 cores, and packs a desktop-class Intel CPU rather than a mobile-oriented one. It has 5x the processing power of past Mac minis.
Memory can be expanded up to 64GB, and storage is SSD with up to 2TB available.
Like the new MacBook Air, the mini also includes a T2 security chip.
For performance, HEVC video encoding is 30x faster than before.
The ports are well-rounded too: two USB-A ports, four Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports, and 10Gb Ethernet.
It also runs more quietly.
The price starts at 799 USD (about 89,800 yen pre-tax in Japan).
It goes on sale today, with shipping starting next week.
This one's also made from 100% recycled aluminum, so it's environmentally friendly.
iPad Pro
The new iPad goes bezel-less and gets Face ID.
As you can see, it's display from top to bottom.
Like the iPhone XR, it packs a Liquid Retina display (LCD) and supports Apple Pencil.
Thanks to the larger screen, the body has gotten thinner compared to before, coming in at 5.9mm thick.
Face ID works whether the device is horizontal or vertical, and even with a keyboard attached - it doesn't matter.
The processor is the A12X Bionic.
Per-core performance is up 35%, and multi-core performance is up 90%.
It packs 10 billion transistors, with an 8-core CPU (4 performance cores + 4 efficiency cores) and a 7-core GPU.
Graphics performance has also doubled - which works out to 1,000x faster graphics than the original iPad.
The A12X has an improved storage controller, now able to control up to 1TB.
And the external port is moving over to USB-C.
This USB-C port lets you connect to all sorts of devices, and you can even charge an iPhone from the iPad Pro.
On top of that, the Apple Pencil snaps onto the body magnetically.
Like this, you can charge it while it's attached to the body.
It also comes with a 12MP camera, 10-hour battery life, and gigabit-class LTE.
The full-version Photoshop iPad app also runs like this. (Demo)
PC Photoshop files can be used as-is.
This full-version iPad Photoshop will arrive on the App Store in 2019.
Pricing starts at 799 USD, with 64GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB models.
The new iPad Pro goes on sale today, with shipping starting next week.
iOS 12.1
FaceTime gets beefed up to support up to 32-person group calls, and new emoji have been added.
Final thoughts
I was surprised to see USB-C on the iPad Pro. I'd thought the Lightning connector was going to stick around for a while yet.
USB-C means you can finally connect to a Mac over USB 3.0 - I think?
Anyway, my purchase of the new MacBook Air is now locked in.
I had a feeling the Air might disappear from the lineup, but I never expected it to come back this nice.
In Japan, pricing starts at 134,800 yen (pre-tax), so it's cheaper than the MacBook.
The powered-up Air comes recommended.
