Joe Rossignol (Apple, Hacker News):
Apple today updated its MacBook Air lineup with faster processors and graphics, a scissor switch Magic Keyboard, a lower starting price of $999, and more.
The new MacBook Air features Intel's latest 10th-generation Core processors, including up to a 1.2GHz quad-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.8GHz, resulting in up to two times faster performance compared to the previous generation. And with Intel Iris Plus Graphics, the new MacBook Air delivers up to 80 percent faster graphics performance.
A 256 GB SSD for $999 is a big improvement.
In retrospect, I kind of wish I had waited for this instead of buying a 16-inch MacBook Pro. I love the speed and the larger display, but the oversized trackpad and the Touch Bar annoy me on a daily basis.
Previously:
Update (2020-11-27): See also:
Keyboard Mac MacBook Air MacBook Pro macOS 10.15 Catalina Touch Bar Trackpad
Mitchel Broussard (Apple, Hacker News):
Apple today introduced a new iPad Pro with a faster A12Z Bionic chip, a new Magic Keyboard accessory with a built-in trackpad, an Ultra Wide camera, a LiDAR Scanner, and more. In Apple’s description of the new tablet, it calls it “faster and more powerful than most Windows PC laptops.”
[…]
The new LiDAR Scanner measures the distance to surrounding objects up to 5 meters away, and enables advanced experiences with augmented reality on the iPad Pro. Apple said this means that ARKit apps on the new iPad Pro will get improved motion capture and people occlusion, leading to AR experiences “never before possible.”
Lastly, Apple is adding trackpad support to iPadOS 13.4 and the new Magic Keyboard. This new accessory attaches magnetically to iPad Pro and includes a floating design that works well on both a lap or a desk. The Magic Keyboard features cantilevered hinges for smooth adjustments of the viewing angle up to 130 degrees, including a full-size keyboard with backlit keys and a scissor mechanism that delivers 1mm travel.
The cursor and trackpad support look great, though I’m not tempted at all to use this instead of a Mac.
The keyboard for the iPad Pro costs more ($349) than the regular iPad itself ($329), but there are also Logitech ones.
See also Federico Viticci (tweet), Ben Lovejoy, Craig Federighi’s demo.
Previously:
Update (2020-11-27): Markus Müller-Simhofer:
When the physical Escape key returned with the 16” MBP I was sure it would follow on iPad. Sadly it's still missing. When stuck in a mode (e.g. accidental drag operation) it’s such a relieve that you can press it and no harm is done.
See also:
Augmented Reality iOS iOS 13 iPad iPad Pro iPadOS iPadOS 13 Keyboard LiDAR Scanner Magic Keyboard for iPad Trackpad
