SingTel will offer the much-anticipated iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi + Cellular and iPad mini 3 with Wi-Fi + Cellular from today, 24 October 2014.
Click on the image to enlarge. For complete details on pricing and availability, please visit www.singtel.com/ipadupdates.
The new iPads will be offered with a range of new 4G Mobile Broadband data plans that feature SingTel’s premium WiFi service.
Following last month’s big launch of the iPhone 6, Tim Cook has just introduced the new iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3 ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Apple also unveiled a new 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display (from S$3,388), updated the Mac mini and made OS X Yosemite available today as a free upgrade.
The new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 are available in three metallic finishes: gold, silver and space grey.
This is the second big launch for Apple close on the heels of the iPhone 6 launch last month.
The iPad Air 2 is only 6.1mm thin and weighs less than 450g, featuring improved Retina display for enhanced contrast and richer, more vibrant colours, and better cameras for taking stunning photos and videos.
The new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 offer Touch ID so users can unlock their iPad with the touch of a finger.
Local prices for the new iPads are as follows.
Apple introduces iPad mini (S$448 – S$878), Fourth Generation iPad (S$658 – S$1,088), iMac and Mac mini (S$1,088 – S$2,788), as well as 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display (S$2,388 – S$2,788) at San Jose, California. All prices include GST.
Philip Schiller introduces the iPad mini in San Jose, California. Schiller is Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing.
As rumoured, Apple has introduced the iPad mini, with a 7.9-inch (1024 x 768 pixels) non-Retina display and 7.2mm thick.
The new iPad mini with its bigger brother, the Fourth Generation iPad.
It is a quarter thinner than the Fourth Generation iPad and thinner than a pencil, according to Apple CEO, Tim Cook.
The Fourth Generation iPad is an update that includes a new A6X CPU, a 720p FaceTime HD camera, additional LTE carrier support and faster Wi-Fi.
Externally, the only difference is the 9-pin Lightning connector which replaces the old 30-pin jack.
The Wi-Fi only version of the two tablets will be available in 34 countries from 2 November and can be pre-ordered in 26 countries from 26 October. Singapore is in both lists.
The Wi-Fi + Cellular versions will only start shipping “a couple of weeks after the Wi-Fi models”, according to Apple.
Many expected the iPad mini to be priced to compete with 7-inch tablets such as Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD and Google’s Nexus 7, both of which start at US$199.
Apple’s new iMac is super thin at the edges – only 5mm on all edges.
However, the iPad mini will start at US$329 instead.
Apple has also updated its Mac mini and iMacs (21.5 and 27-inch).
The later is particularly stunning with its razor-thin all-in-one form factor that has excited the tech community.
It comes with a new storage option called Fusion Drive – which combines 128GB of flash with a standard 1TB or 3TB hard drive.
The Mac mini is available today, while the 21.5-inch iMac and 27-inch iMac will be available in November and December respectively through the Apple Online Store.
Philip Schiller – Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing – also unveiled a new 13-inch MacBook Pro that is 20 percent thinner than its predecessor and weighs nearly half a kilogram lighter.
New 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display.
Starting at S$2,388, the new notebook has a 2.5GHz Intel processor, a high-resolution Retina display with more than 4 million pixels, and a solid-state flash drive instead of a spinning hard disk.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro is available from today through the Apple Online Store.
In the other big tech event for this week, Microsoft is releasing its Windows 8 cross-platform operating system for General Availability this Friday on 26 October.
Here’s a selection of interesting tech events happening this week (21-27 October 2012). It is not an exhaustive list and represents only a sampling of events that gives a taste of the tech pulse in Singapore.
What are some of the more interesting tech events happening in Singapore?
This week sees the culmination of weeks of anticipation building up to the General Availability of Windows 8. CNET reports that Microsoft is holding a special event in New York City on the eve to as a pre-launch celebration. This is also being held in other major cities as well.
Event listing on tech4tea.com
You can see this selection of events in the right sidebar on every page.
Event organisers can submit your events for listing to johntan@tech4tea.com – but there are no promises that your event will be featured.
Asus is showcasing its Windows 8 lineup while Samsung is setting up a “Samsung Experience Corner” in the Challenger store in Funan DigitaLife Mall.
In parallel is similar levels of excitement with Apple holding a special event with the usual cryptic message. This time the invite reads “We’ve got a little more to show you”, which everyone sees as pointing to the launch of the 7.85-inch iPad Mini.
For Rounding off an exciting week is a public holiday for countries in the region for Muslims – Hari Raya Haji. Take the chance to check out the new range of Loewe televisions launched by Atlas Sound & Vision in Singapore.
The invite says “We’ve got a little more to show you” – everybody’s expecting the 7.85-inch version of the iPad.
We’ll find out at 1am Singapore time on 24 October (Wednesday).
Venue: San Jose
Another major PC maker showcases its lineup of Windows 8 desktops, laptops and tablets.
Venue: Calrke Quay
Atlas Sound & Vision is launching a new range of Loewe Televisions in Singapore.
Venue: Palais Renaissance
Touch, feel and play with Samsung products, especially its latest Windows 8 devices.
Venue: Challenger @ Funan
Microsoft is holding launch events in 15 cities around the world prior to the General Availability of Windows 8 on the next day.
Venue: Singapore, New York etc.
General Availability of Windows 8, marking the official release of much anticipated new operating system from Microsoft
“Selamat Hari Raya Haji” to Muslims celebrating this religious festival.
Nubox to re-launch Nubox@Funan DigitaLife Mall, with store opening promotions. It will also hold the finals of the Nubox Super Size Challenge at the store.
