Enjoy 2x performance, 2x storage and a new keyboard on the MacBook Air coming in at $999 and a new iPad Pro equipped with LiDAR scanner tech, trackpad and keyboard support

Yesterday, Apple announced the release of two new products — an updated MacBook Air and iPad Pro. Let’s take a closer look at the MacBook Air first. The new MacBook Air, Apple’s most popular laptop, is equipped with two times the performance with a faster CPU and graphics performance, two times the storage at 256GB for the baseline model and a new upgraded Magic keyboard for better stability and ease of use. MacBook Air comes with a beautiful Retina display, large trackpad, macOS Catalina, all-day battery life and is equipped with Touch ID for easy login and buying online. You can breeze through activities whether they are graphics-intensive like a video game and editing video online or daily productivity tasks.

As always the MacBook Air is appealing for its thin and light design — something Apple founder Steve Jobs first showcased brilliantly by placing the notebook computer in a manila envelope.

Key Features include:

• 2 times faster performance through 10th generation Intel Core processors up to 1.2GHz quad-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.8GHz

• 80 percent faster graphics performance via Intel Iris Plus Graphics

• 2 times the storage at 256 GB compared to prior models, offering upgrades to 2TB SSD

• Magic keyboard with more stable and comfortable scissors mechanism first used on the 16-inch MacBook Pro replaces old butterfly mechanism

• Built-in security and privacy via the Apple T2 Security Chip that protects data encryption, boot process software loading and Touch ID information

• Equipped with macOS Catalina including free software such as Pages, Numbers and Keynote

• 3-mic array design for better voice capture

• Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control

• Improved stereo speakers for immersive, wide stereo sound

• Voice Control lets users control their Mac entirely with their voice

• Thunderbolt 3 ports for data transfer, charging and video output in a single connector

• Support for up to a 6K external display

• Unibody wedge design from 100 percent recycled aluminum

• Available in 3 beautiful color finishes — gold, silver and space gray

• $999 for 13” base model

• 1 year of free Apple TV+ using the Apple TV app

Magic Keyboard with Scissor Mechanism

All of these upgrades are useful. By far, what we value the most is the improvement to the keyboard by switching it out to the Magic Keyboard. By replacing the butterfly mechanism, which at times could be unstable or lead to faulty individual key function in prior models, with the scissor mechanism already in use in the MacBook Pro, Apple now provides a more seamless and reliable typing experience consistently.

Continuity Support Through macOS Catalina, Retina Display, Security Features and Apple Services

In addition, the Continuity feature in macOS Catalina is a huge plus. If you start out working on an iPhone, you can copy and paste images, video and text straight from iPhone or iPad to a nearby MacBook Air. You also can even unlock your iMac with your Apple Watch. We love that you can make and receive phone calls without picking up your iPhone and also extend your workspace using an iPad and Sidecar.

Of course, the beautiful Retina display is very attractive and compelling to use for all graphics work. We also greatly appreciate the new Security features that help users stay better protected, particularly during the start up boot process by automatically checking software to verifying user Touch ID information for safe purchasing online and for preventing unauthorized access as well as the “on the fly” encryption capabilities.

Apple’s well thought out ecosystem is apparent in the seamless transition from any Apple device so that you can access Apple Services and more with all the latest versions of what you are doing available at your fingertips.

New iPad Pro with Lidar Scanner, Magic Keyboard and Trackpad Support

Now let’s take a look at the new iPad Pro.

Apple also launched a new iPad Pro yesterday equipped with a powerful A12Z Bionic chip, Ultra Wide camera, studio-quality mics, liquid Retina display and a breakthrough LiDAR Scanner. With its Retina display, the new LIDAR scanner that has amazing depth-sensing capabilities, professional cameras, performance and audio, and new motion sensors, the iPad Pro offers tremendous capabilities for augmented reality (AR).

Key Features include:

• Powerful A12Z Bionic chip faster than most Windows PC laptops with eight-core GPU and Neural Engine

• New 10MP Ultra Wide camera for larger perspectives

• Breakthrough LiDAR Scanner

• 12MP Wide camera for capturing stunning photos and 4K video

• Motion sensors

• Studio-quality mics for professional audio

• Liquid Retina display

• New Trackpad support

• Equipped with macOS Catalina including free software such as Pages, Numbers and Keynote

• Available in 3 beautiful color finishes — gold, silver and space gray

• $799 for 11” base model

• 1 year of free Apple TV+ using the Apple TV app

Pro Display, Pro Camera and Pro Audio

The beautiful Liquid Retina Pro Display available in both 11-inch and 12.9-inch sizes, with True Tone, high brightness and an anti-reflective coating, offers vivid detail and working in tandem with ProMotion technology, helps you scroll smoothly and enjoy the best viewing experience possible. The iPad Pro has Pro Cameras with a 12MP Wide camera for capturing stunning photos and 4K video and a new 10MP Ultra Wide camera that zooms out two times to capture a much wider field of view.

The iPad Pro also offers Pro Audio via five studio-quality microphones for clean audio, capturing little details and delivering an immersive sound experience at any orientation. Combined together, the Pro Display, Pro Camera and Pro Audio offer a strong mobile studio for creative professionals.

Breakthrough LiDAR Scanner

The breakthrough LiDAR Scanner with its powerful depth sensors and photon-level detection helps you scan and measure objects as far as 5 meters away, which works well for placing furniture for homes, for use in professional architecture and construction work, augmented reality and even as a mobile assessment tool for physical therapists and their patients.

Advanced Trackpad Support

One of the best upgrades to the new iPad Pro is Trackpad support available through iPadOS 13.4 for more precision during writing and selecting text and a more natural typing experience for the iPad. Designed to work well with apps you use everyday, the new Trackpad support makes it easier and faster to scroll through web pages in Safari, edit text in notes, view and organize email or scroll through your photo albums in Photos. This also improves the natural functionality of apps such as Pages, Numbers and Keynote, all of which have new templates and features. Trackpad support makes it easier to collaborate.

The new iPad Pro also can pair up with an Apple Pencil and the new Magic Keyboard that attaches magnetically to the iPad Pro and offers easy access to the Multi-Touch screen on display, with cantilevered hinges for easy adjustment for viewing. The Magic Keyboard features convenient USB-C pass-through charging.

Finally, in addition to the two large new updates, Apple also updated its Mac mini, which today functions often as desktop computer, a music and movie storage hub for the family, or as a code compile server for Xcode. The new $799 configuration comes with 256GB — double prior models. All Mac minis are made from 100 percent recycled aluminum.