Business & Economy

Apple completely redesigns iMac, puts its own M1 chip into iPad Pro

(Correction: Replaces “laptops” with “desktops” in 2nd graf)

San Francisco, Apr 20 (EFE).- Apple on Tuesday held its first big hardware event of 2021, the highlights of which included the complete redesign of the high-end iMac, making it lighter and featuring seven different colors, and integrating the tech giant’s own M1 chip into its iPad Pro.

The new iMac unveiled at the Spring Loaded event is one of the most complete and expensive desktops in the company’s product lines and now has an elegant aluminum finish that is available in red, blue, orange, yellow, green, violet and silver and is only 11.5 millimeters (0.45 inch) thick.

The 24-inch screen with 4.5 K resolution – a reduction in total volume of 50 percent compared with earlier models – has been redesigned to provide improved camera resolution of 1080 pixels, including the ability to operate well in reduced luminosity environments.

The iMac comes equipped with a cord, keyboard, mouse and “trackpad” redesigned to mesh with other models.

The price of the newly designed computer starts at $1,299 ($1,499 for the versions with more advanced features) and will be made available via the Internet for pre-orders starting on April 30.

The iPad Pro, meanwhile, features the incorporation of Apple’s own M1 silicon chip launched last year by the Cupertino, California, firm to supplant the Intel chips used over the past 15 years in its computers.

The firm says that the iPad Pro will provide 50 percent more general processing power and 40 percent better graphics, a storage capacity that is up to twice as fast and the ability to run off its internal battery for a full day.

The new tablet comes in two models – one with an 11-inch screen and the other with a 12.9-inch screen, the latter screen being equipped with 10,000 Mini LEDs that the company has dubbed the Liquid Retina XDR Display, a feature that provides more dramatic contrast and higher maximum brightness.

The new iPad Pro – which comes in silver or “space gray” – has the same revolutionary M1 chip as the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air that the firm showcased last fall.

The device is the first iPad to have 5G connectivity, and features an ultra-wide angle front-facing “Center Stage” 12 megapixel camera, which moves automatically during a videoconference so that the faces of participants always remain in their respective screens.

The price of the new iPad Pro starts at $799 for the 11-inch model and $1,099 for the 12.9-inch model, with additional features adding to the price.

Both versions will become available for pre-order online on April 30 and will go on sale on retail store shelves in late May.

In addition to the iMac and iPad, Apple took advantage of the occasion to reveal a new and long-awaited product, the AirTag tracker, a small circular device with a chip that can be attached to keys, purses, briefcases or other belongings so that they can be located easily and quickly if they are lost or misplaced.

Designed to compete with the popular Tile, a device already on the market that has very similar characteristics, the AirTag uses the U1 chip, costs $29 and will go on sale on April 30.

Besides hardware, the company also announced a change in its popular podcast app, which from now on will offer users the option to subscribe to their favorite programs so that they don’t have to listen to advertisements and so that they can access special content.

Each subscription’s cost will depend on what the podcast creators elect to charge, and they – in turn – will have to pay $19.99 per year to Apple to be able to offer this option to users.

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