Everything Apple Announced at Today's Educational Event in Under Three Minutes

Apple held its first event of 2018 this morning in Chicago, Illinois, at the Lane Tech College Prep High School. The event's unusual location was due to the fact that it focused on education, marking Apple's first education-oriented event since 2012.

The main draw of the event was a new low-cost iPad with Apple Pencil support, but Apple also announced several other education-focused initiatives for teachers and students. The full event spanned over an hour, but we've recapped everything that's worth knowing in the three minute video below.


Apple didn't live stream the event this morning, but after it was finished, the company shared a full video, so if you want to watch it from start to finish, you can do so on Apple's Events website or through the Events app on the Apple TV.

There were also a few other unannounced surprises that popped up on Apple's site after the event, like new iPhone and iPad cases, new Apple Watch bands, and a Space Gray Magic Keyboard, Trackpad, and Mouse, which were previously exclusive to the iMac Pro.

As with all Apple events, MacRumors provided a live blog and extensive coverage, all of which is listed below so you can catch up if you missed anything:

Hardware

Software

We'll be sharing additional details on the new iPad with Apple Pencil support throughout this week and next, so make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors. For more details about the new iPad, make sure to check out our iPad roundup, which will be updated later today.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
airpods color prototypes

Apple Tested AirPods in Bright Colors

Saturday December 27, 2025 6:06 am PST by
Apple reportedly tested a version of the first-generation AirPods with bright, iPhone 5c-like colored charging cases. The images, shared by the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami," claim to show first-generation AirPods prototypes with pink and yellow exterior casings. The interior of the charging case and the earbuds themselves remain white. They seem close to some...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With a Rough iPhone Fold Mockup

Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
top stories 2025 12 27

Top Stories: iPhone Fold Mockup, Where's the New Apple TV?, and More

Saturday December 27, 2025 6:00 am PST by
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from MacRumors! News in the Apple world has unsurprisingly been relatively slow over the past week, but Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone managed to make its way back into the news, while we also shared updates on current and future Apple TV news. iOS 26.3 will be bringing some new features, particularly for users in the EU, so we'll look for additional...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Wednesday December 24, 2025 8:40 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
maxresdefault

10 Mac Apps Worth Trying in 2026

Wednesday December 24, 2025 9:27 am PST by
2026 is almost upon us, and a new year is a good time to try out some new apps. We've rounded up 10 excellent Mac apps that are worth checking out. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Alt-Tab (Free) - Alt-Tab brings a Windows-style alt + tab thumbnail preview option to the Mac. You can see a full window preview of open apps and app windows. One Thing (Free) -...

Top Rated Comments

ThomasJL Avatar
101 months ago
No Mac Pro (which hasn’t seen an update since 2013) and no Mac Mini (which hasn’t seen an update since 2014). No iPhone SE (which hasn’t seen any update outside of a storage bump since 2016). No standalone display and no AirPort because those departments were shut down (by the richest company in the world).

But hey, we have new watch bands! That’s more important than all of the products mentioned above. Thanks, Tim! :rolleyes:
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pl1984 Avatar
101 months ago
Boring! People really need to stop hyping these events. At least Apple had the decency to avoid live streaming it.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
usersince86 Avatar
101 months ago
Less than impressed with pricing...

$249 for schools and $299 for "regular" users would make more sense.

Pencil $49 for schools and $69 for all others.

IMHO.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Darth.Titan Avatar
101 months ago
Just stopped by this thread to see the predominately negative opinions and unrealistic expectations for an education event.

Was not disappointed. :rolleyes:
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
9081094 Avatar
101 months ago
The whole event could've taken 3 minutes, too.

It was too long not really to announce anything much. It's not that this stuff isn't cool, it's more like Apple should have been very clear that they weren't going to talk about anything that was not school-related.

As it were, they already let slip that they had more accessories coming (cases, watch bands, etc) and this made people think they were FINALLY going to release the AirPower and the Qi case for the AirPods.
Even the new watchbands are YAWN. Seriously what’s coming out of a company the size of Apple these last 6 years?

Apple is bigger than Google and for Google it isn’t even its core business. It seems google is razor focused and Apple has lost the way. Apple is hyping future products like the airpad and by the time it sees finally daylight, most competitors already have better, cheaper comparable products.

It’s time a good visionary leader with more passion for tech than profits shows the way.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
101 months ago
The new iPad is missing a smart connector. Such a glaringly obvious omission. Students more than most users will need a keyboard. Not being able to use the Smart Keyboard is so strange, specially after teachers asked for non Bluetooth keyboards to avoid pairing problems and Apple has already deployed a low cost, simple solution. It’s inexplicable how they left that out.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)