Apple today released tvOS 12.1, the second update to the tvOS 12 operating system designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models. tvOS 12.1 comes just over a month after the release of tvOS 12.0.1 and six weeks after the September launch of tvOS 12.
tvOS 12.1 can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the Apple TV by going to System -> Software Update. Apple TV owners who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to tvOS 12.1 automatically.
It's not clear what new features or bug fixes are included in the tvOS 12.1 update. We didn't find any major new changes during the tvOS 12.1 beta testing period, and Apple doesn't provide release notes for tvOS releases, so there's not often a lot to go on.
If we discover what's new in tvOS 12.1, we'll update this post with additional information.
tvOS 12.1 follows the tvOS 12 update, which introduced support for higher-quality Dolby Atmos sound, zero sign-on, and new aerial screensavers created in collaboration with the International Space Station.
Apple today released macOS Mojave 10.14.1, the first major update to the macOS Mojave operating system available on Apple's Mac lineup. macOS Mojave 10.14.1 comes a little over a month after the release of the macOS Mojave update.
macOS Mojave 10.14.1 can be downloaded by going to the "Software Update" section of System Preferences, a new installation method that was introduced with the Mojave update.
The 10.14.1 update introduces support for Group FaceTime, a feature that was removed during the beta testing period. Group FaceTime, which lets you chat with up to 32 people at once, is also available in iOS 12.1.
macOS Mojave 10.14.1 brings more than 70 new emoji characters that are also available in iOS 12.1 and watchOS 5.1. There are new options for red hair, curly hair, no hair, and gray hair, along with characters to represent superheroes, cold face, party face, pleading face, and face with hearts.
There are a number of new animals and food items like kangaroo, parrot, lobster, mango, lettuce, and cupcake. Tweaks have been made to some existing emoji as well. The iPhone emoji, for example, has been updated to look like the iPhone X with no bezels or Home button.
Apple today introduced a long-awaited refreshed Mac mini, which has been reengineered to take advantage of the newest hardware available on the market.
The Mac mini features 4 and 6-core 8th-generation Intel processors, up to 64GB RAM, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, and up to 2TB of flash storage space.
The entry-level Mac mini with a 3.6GHz quad-core processor, 8GB RAM, Intel UHD Graphics 630, and a 128GB SSD is available for $799, which is $300 more expensive than the most affordable Mac mini was previously.
A middle-tier base model is available with a 3.0GHz 6-core processor, 8GB RAM, Intel UHD Graphics 630 and a 256GB SSD for $1,099.
Apple has added plenty of upgrade options aimed at pro level Mac mini users who want the fastest desktop-class machine in the smallest package.
A maxed out Mac mini with a 3.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i7 processor, Intel UHD Graphics 630, 64GB RAM, a 2TB SSD, and upgraded 10 Gigabit Ethernet is priced at a whopping $4,199.
Despite the high price tag, the upgrade options should make Mac mini customers who were awaiting more powerful features happy with this year's refresh. Prior to today, the Mac mini had not been updated since 2014.
Apple today announced a new MacBook Air with 8th-generation Intel chips, a Retina display, USB-C ports, and up to 16GB of RAM, a machine that, all in all, sounds a lot like the 12-inch MacBook.
Apple did not announce updates to its smaller notebook machine, but it did quietly remove the Rose Gold color as a purchase option. The 12-inch MacBook can now be purchased in Silver, Space Gray, and Gold, but not Rose Gold.
It's not clear why Apple has removed Rose Gold as a color option, but no other Macs are available in the pinker shade, suggesting the Rose Gold color is out at Apple. The MacBook Air, like the MacBook, can be purchased in Silver, Space Gray, and Gold.
Apple does not appear to have made any other changes to the 12-inch MacBook and its future is somewhat unclear with the addition of a powerful $1,199 MacBook Air with a Retina display.
The new 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models that Apple debuted today will ship with an 18W USB-C power adapter, an upgrade from the 12W USB-A power adapter that shipped with the previous-generation models.
Apple's 18W USB-C power adapter should charge new iPad Pro models faster, and it will also be able to be used for fast charging for Apple's newest iPhones when paired with a USB-C to Lightning cable.
Apple is including a 1m USB-C charge cable along with the 18W USB-C power adapter that comes with the iPad Pro, and while the cable is available for purchase separately, the 18W power adapter can't be bought as a standalone product just yet.
Rumors suggested that supply of the power adapter could be low at first, which may explain why it's not available for purchase separately from the iPad Pro. Apple is likely to offer the 18W adapter for sale in the near future, though.
Following today's Apple event in New York, the company has now opened up pre-orders for the second generation Apple Pencil, as well as numerous other accessories. You can order your new Apple Pencil right now for $129.00, and the accessory will ship on November 7. Free engravings are also available for Apple Pencil.
Secondly, the new Smart Keyboard Folio for iPad Pro is available for pre-order in two sizes: 11-inch at $179.00 and 12.9-inch at $199.00. There is only one Space Gray color for the Smart Keyboard Folio.
Keyboard language options include U.S. English, Arabic, British English, Chinese, Danish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portugese, Russian, Swiss, Traditional Chinese, and Spanish. These will also launch and start delivering on November 7.
Lastly, Apple rolled out a new set of Smart Folio cases for the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The 11-inch option comes in Charcoal Gray, Pink Sand, and White for $79.00, while the 12.9-inch version only comes in Charcoal Gray and White for $99.00.
The Smart Folio accessories are shipping faster, and orders made today will be delivered as soon as Thursday, November 1.
Apple's iPad and Mac-centric event that saw the launch of new iPad Pro models, a refreshed version of the MacBook Air, and a new Mac mini has officially wrapped up, and with the culmination of the event, Apple has posted the full video of the new product unveilings on its website.
For those who were avoiding news of the event because of being unable to watch the video due to work or school, the full event video will offer the chance to catch up on all of the announcements.
Apple will eventually publish the event video on its YouTube channel, but in the meantime, the company has shared several of the videos that were shown on stage, which we've included below.
iPad Pro
Mac mini
MacBook Air
Introductory Mac Video
We'll have plenty more coverage of all of the new iPad and Mac announcements today, including a video of everything that debuted, so make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors for all of the details you need to know.
Prior to today's event, iPad Pro rumors suggested Apple would remove the headphone jack from the updated tablet, and as it turns out, those rumors were accurate.
Apple's newly redesigned 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models do not feature a headphone jack, with the port now officially eliminated from all flagship iPhone and iPad models.
Apple's new tablets are just 5.9mm thick, a slim size that was likely enabled through the removal of the headphone jack. To allow customers to use 3.5mm headphones with their new tablets, Apple is selling a $9 USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack, which will plug in to the USB-C port on the bottom of the device.
The USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack is not included with an iPad Pro purchase and must be bought separately if you want to use 3.5mm headphones with the new tablet.
The headphone jack has been missing from the iPhone since the introduction of the iPhone 7, which upset many customers at the time of its removal. Since then, people have become accustomed to using Bluetooth headphones like the AirPods, which may be why Apple felt that it was also time to eliminate the port from its new iPads as well.
Apple's iPad Pro models feature its latest technology with edge-to-edge displays, Face ID, super fast A12X bionic chips, and USB-C connectivity rather than a Lightning port.
Tucked away in a press release, Apple revealed it is bringing AMD Radeon Pro Vega graphics to MacBook Pro for the first time. The company says these new graphic options deliver up to 60 percent faster graphics performance for the most demanding video editing, 3D design and rendering workloads.
The new configurations are set to be custom-order only from Apple's online and retail stores, with availability at Apple Authorized Resellers also expected, from Wednesday, November 14. Apple has yet to release pricing details.
Apple has also introduced a $9 USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter to allow standard 3.5mm headphones to be connected to the tablet, which no longer features a headphone jack.
Last week, Apple introduced a 0.3m USB-C version of the Apple Watch charger, which will work with the new iPad Pro models. The iPad Pro with USB-C is able to charge an Apple Watch or an iPhone over a USB-C cable.
Apple's online store is now listing a new Blackmagic eGPU "Pro", following several major product launches today.
The new Blackmagic eGPU Pro features a Radeon RX Vega 56 graphics processor with 8GB of HBM2 memory, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, four USB 3 ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, and a DisplayPort 1.4 port, allowing for 85W of power to charge a MacBook Pro at the same time.
Alongside the new iPad Pro, Apple also announced a new Apple Pencil available for $129 (preorders today, shipping November 7). The second-generation pencil magnetically attaches to the new iPad Pro for both pairing and wireless charging.
The biggest addition to the Pencil, aside from the new magnetic charging feature, is a double-tap gesture — a finger tap on the pencil itself while you hold it — that can do different things depending on the app. In Notes, for example, a double-tap changes the tool. In Photoshop for iPad, a double-tap zooms in or out of the image. Taps are customizable, though, for better personalization. Tap a locked iPad with the pencil, and it wakes up the device and opens right up into the Notes app.
There are no connectors or moving parts now, just the simple pencil itself. Apple also offers engraving through the Apple Store, to personalize it further (helpful for telling Pencils apart in a design studio).
Like the previous pencil, it works with no perceptible lag, is pressure sensitive for drawing and sketching, and is aware of tilt for shading.
The second-generation pencil is available for $129 with free engraving, and is compatible with the new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models. The first-generation pencil sticks around for $99, for owners of older, compatible iPads. (iPad Pro 12.9-inch 1st and 2nd generations, iPad Pro 10.5-inch, iPad Pro 9.7-inch, and the 6th generation iPad)
Apple today revealed the all-new iPad Pro, with an edge-to-edge LCD "Liquid Retina" display, slimmer bezels, no Home Button, Face ID, and a magnetic attachment support for the new Apple Pencil. The new 11-inch iPad Pro has the same footprint as the previous 10.5-inch iPad Pro, but now with a bigger display thanks to the slimmer bezels. The 12.9-inch version is actually smaller than the previous 12.9-inch model but with the same screen size.
Apple put the same Liquid Retina display in the iPad Pro as the one found in the iPhone XR, using rounded corners that follow the curves of the iPad Pro's unibody enclosure. Apple says the display is its brightest and most color accurate iPad display yet, with wide color support, True Tone, and anti-reflective coating that provides a natural and accurate viewing experience inside and outside.
Both models are 5.9mm thin -- "the thinnest iPad design ever" -- and the 12.9-inch version has seen a total 25 percent reduction in overall volume.
“The new iPad Pro is a huge step forward for powerful, creative, mobile computing; it has an all-new thinner design, speeds through projects with the super-fast A12X Bionic chip and unlocks with a glance using Face ID in any orientation — while you’re sitting or standing, with iPad Pro on your desk or lap, with the new Smart Keyboard Folio and new Apple Pencil,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.
“There has never been a mobile device anything like the new iPad Pro; it has a gorgeous edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display that curves into the corners, breakthrough performance that outperforms most laptops, Face ID, support for the new Smart Keyboard Folio and new Apple Pencil, advanced new cameras and sensors for the best AR experiences ever in any device, a high-speed USB-C connector, louder speakers, faster wireless and more, all packed into a thinner device that has all-day battery life and is 25 percent smaller in volume.”
Powering the iPad Pro is a new A12X Bionic chip, which Apple says is its smartest and most powerful tablet chip yet. A12X Bionic has eight total cores (four performance cores and four efficiency cores) that provide up to 35 percent faster single-core performance. There's also a seven-core GPU to deliver up to twice the graphics performance, fueling new AR experiences and console-quality graphics. During the keynote, Apple compared gaming performance on the new iPad Pros to that of the Xbox One S.
iPad Pro comes with Apple's next-generation Neural Engine for advanced machine learning in everything from photography, AR, and Face ID. This marks the first time that Face ID is available outside of an iPhone, and on iPad Pro it's designed to work while holding the tablet in any position or even while seated and attached to the new Smart Keyboard Folio.
Like on iPhone X and newer, Face ID uses the TrueDepth camera system to map and recognize your face and securely unlock iPad Pro, pay with Apple Pay, access secure apps, and more. You'll also now be able to create and interact with Animoji and Memoji on iPad Pro using the front-facing TrueDepth camera. Throughout all of these features and daily use cases, Apple says iPad Pro has a 10-hour battery life.
The tablets also have a new USB-C connector that is replacing the old Lightning connector, offering users the chance to charge an iPhone while on-the-go, transfer data between devices, and drive external displays up to 5K.
On the accessory side of things, the second generation Apple Pencil can magnetically attach to iPad Pro for pairing and wireless charging. The new Apple Pencil supports tap-based controls, so you can select a different brush tool in Photoshop, for example, by double tapping on Apple Pencil. Additionally, a new Smart Keyboard Folio protects the front and back of iPad Pro while providing a full-size keyboard
The 11-inch and 12.9-inch are available in Silver and Space Gray in 64GB, 256GB, 512GB, and a new 1TB option. 11-inch models start at $799 (Wi-Fi) and $949 (Wi-Fi + Cellular), while 12.9-inch models start at $999 (Wi-Fi) and $1,149 (Wi-Fi + Cellular). You can pre-order the new iPad Pro, Apple Pencil ($129), and Smart Keyboard Folio ($179 11-inch and $199 12.9-inch) today on Apple.com, and they will launch on Wednesday, November 7.
Apple is also launching a new Smart Folio for iPad Pro in a protective, polyurethane folio design that will be available in a variety of colors for $79 (11-inch) and $99 (12.9-inch).
Countries where the iPad Pro will be available at launch include: the U.S., Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE and U.K.
Later this year, the new iPad Pro models will be available in Colombia, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, India, Israel, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Macedonia, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Qatar, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.
Apple in New York today announced a new Retina Display-equipped MacBook Air, the first major update to the model in several years. The display is the centerpiece of the update, but it also gains a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports and retains its headphone jack, mirroring other 13-inch notebooks in Apple's lineup. It's available in gold, silver, and space gray.
Pricing starts at $1,199, with preorders beginning today and first deliveries on November 7.
The new Air features 50 percent smaller bezels, allowing for a reduced footprint while retaining the same screen size. The 13.3-inch display has four times the resolution of the previous model at 2560x1600. The screen supports 48 percent more color than before, and the FaceTime HD camera remains tucked away at the top.
It has an 8th-gen Intel Core i5, with Intel UHD Graphics and 2133 MHz system memory up to 16GB (8GB standard), with faster SSDs up to 1.5TB in capacity.
There's a new Touch ID fingerprint sensor at the top right of the keyboard, alongside the physical function keys. Apple's T2 Security Chip is included, brought over from the MacBook Pro and iMac Pro — it protects Touch ID data, while also ensuring that the boot process has not been tampered with. There's an onboard SSD controller with on-the-fly data encryption for the Air's flash storage. It also enables "Hey Siri" support.
It uses the same third-generation keyboard as Apple's recent MacBook Pro models, and the Force Touch trackpad is here as well. Better, louder speakers are here, with 25 percent more volume and twice the bass.
It takes up 17 percent less volume, and is ten percent thinner than before, just 0.61-inches at its thickest point (by the hinge). It weighs 2.75 pounds, a quarter pound lighter than before.
Finally, Apple made much of the environmental impact of both the MacBook Air and the new Mac Mini, with both machines made from a new, custom-designed aluminum alloy that uses 100 percent recycled aluminum. Apple says this alloy helps reduce the Air's carbon footprint by 50 percent, "making it the greenest Mac ever."
In addition to the new $1,199 MacBook Air, the old version sticks around, beginning at $999.
Apple announced a brand new Mac mini with a space gray finish at its "There's more in the making" media event held in Brooklyn, New York today.
The new space gray Mac mini comes with quad- and 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core processors with Turbo Boost Speeds up to 4.6GHz, making it 5 times faster than the previous generation, and up to 64GB of 2,666MHz RAM.
Storage wise, all Mac minis now have all-flash storage up to 2 TB that's 4 times faster than previous storage drives, while also coming with Intel UHD graphics, Apple's new T2 security chip, a Gigabit Ethernet, 4x Thunderbolt ports, HDMI, a headphone jack, and two USB-A ports, along with a 10Gb Ethernet option.
The new Mac mini can connect to high speed storage as well as 4K and 5K Thunderbolt displays, and can output video in three formats. There's also a brand new quiet thermal system with double the airflow installed.
The T2 chip features an SSD controller with on-the-fly data encryption, so everything stored on the SSD is automatically encrypted. The Secure Enclave in T2 ensures that software loaded during the boot process has not been tampered with. T2 also features HEVC video transcoding that’s up to 30 times faster, enabling pro users to work more quickly with higher resolution video throughout their workflow.
For the new space gray finish, every new Mac mini enclosure uses an Apple-designed aluminum alloy made from 100 percent recycled aluminum for the first time, which has the same strength, durability, and finish as the aluminum in all Apple products.
"Mac mini is loved by customers for its ability to be used in incredibly diverse environments — from casual desktop use, to live professional performances, to multiple Mac mini computers powering through video renderings and compiling software code, to racks of thousands in giant app build farms — anywhere a small-but-mighty Mac is needed to get the job done," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.
The Mac mini starts at $799 with the base level model offering 8GB of RAM, a 3.6GHz Intel quad-core Core i3 processor, and 128GB of storage. Orders for the new Mac mini start today, with availability from next week, November 7.
Apple's "There's more in the making" event at the Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, New York, begins at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (7:00 a.m. Pacific Time), and we're expecting to see a number of iPad and Mac announcements today.
Later today will also see the release of iOS 12.1, bringing Group FaceTime, new emoji, live Depth Control in camera previews, and Dual SIM support for Apple's latest iPhones. Additional updates in the form of macOS 10.14.1, watchOS 5.1, and tvOS 12.1 are likely also coming today.
Apple is providing a live video stream on its website and via the Apple Events app on Apple TV.
In addition to Apple's video stream, we will be updating this article with live blog coverage—no need to refresh—and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolds.
Highlights from the event and separate news stories regarding today's announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.
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Apple's online store is currently down in advance of the event. It should be accessible again shortly after the keynote.
Live blog in chronological order is after the jump.
File sharing service WeTransfer today announced a new version of its mobile app called Collect, billed as "the best way to organize ideas".
The file-sharing app has been redesigned to enable users to build ideas together in a visual way, allowing multiple people to add photos, videos, articles, notes, songs, and links to one unified place.
Users can save any type of media to boards, which can then be edited collaboratively and shared with others. The new app also features instructive illustrations that walk users through all of the app’s features for collecting, sharing, and collaborating.
Essentially, Collect offers the ability to quickly collect and share content in a visual way, while also allowing users to share a quick link to a single large file. Gordon Willoughby, CEO of WeTransfer, offered these comments:
"Collect by WeTransfer solidifies our evolution from a simple file-sharing service to a wider set of beautifully obvious digital tools that encourage creation and collaboration. Following our recent acquisition of Paper & Paste, this couldn't be a better time to introduce the Collect experience to a wider group of users and build on our commitment to creating products that make sharing ideas effortless."
Founded in 2009 and pitched as a file sharing service for the creative community, WeTransfer's products are now used by over 50 million people each month.
Collect by WeTransfer is a free download for iPhone and iPad, available on the App Store. [Direct Link]
Apple has taken down its online store ahead of today's event in New York, scheduled to begin 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Howard Gilman Opera House.
Apple's October event will focus on products not introduced at the iPhone-centric event in September. On that occasion, Apple failed to take down its sitemap XML leading up to the event, resulting in a raft of major leaks ahead of the keynote. That's not the case this time around.
We're still awaiting multiple product refreshes before the end of 2018, including updates to several Mac models and the iPad Pro, which are likely to see a debut at the event.
2018 iPad Pro models are expected to adopt an iPhone X-style design with no Home button, slimmer bezels, and a TrueDepth camera system that will enable Face ID for biometric authentication. We could also see a redesigned Apple Pencil with new gesture and swipe features.
Along with new iPad Pro models, we're also expecting refreshes to the MacBook line. Refreshed 12-inch MacBooks are said to be in the works, and according to rumors, Apple has developed a low-cost notebook with a Retina display that could be positioned as an updated MacBook Air.
The Mac mini, which has not been updated for 1,475 days, is expected to be refreshed for the first time since 2014. We don't know a lot about what to expect for the Mac mini update, but upgraded internals and faster processors are certain.
Apple typically streams the event live on its website and on Apple TV, but for those who are unable to watch, MacRumors will be providing full event coverage both on MacRumors.com and through our MacRumorsLive Twitter account.
Readers who can't follow the event live and are interested in avoiding all of the announcements until Apple's posts the full video online can bookmark this page, where we'll post a spoiler-free link once it's up.
