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ROUNDUP: Apple Unveils IPad Air 2(dpa-AFX International Compact Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) CUPERTINO (dpa-AFX) - Apple Inc. (AAPL) on Thursday unveiled the next iteration of its tablets-- iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, with both sporting Touch ID fingerprint sensor found on the iPhone, as the company aims to tap the holiday spending season. The tech giant also launched an updated version of iMac computer, which now boasts of a 5K resolution. At a company held event in California, Apple revealed iPad Air 2, which is now thinner and lighter and comes with the Touch ID fingerprint sensor. The tech giant also revealed the third-generation iPad mini. The Touch ID fingerprint sensor allows users to unlock the device and make purchases in the App Store with a touch of a finger without entering a password. "The new iPad Air 2 is packed with amazing new innovations, weighs less than a pound, and at just 6.1 mm is the thinnest tablet in the world," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. The prices for the new devices starts at $399 for a 16 GB iPad Mini model and $499 for a 16GB iPad Air model. The iPad Air 2 is powered by a second generation 64-bit A8X processor chip, which delivers a 40 percent improvement in CPU performance and 2.5 times the graphics performance of iPad Air. The tablet gives 10 hours of battery life. The iPad mini 3 has been upgraded to include Touch ID sensor. Both iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 now comes in gold, silver and space grey colors. Pre-orders for iPad Air 2 and Mini 3 starts Friday, October 17, and will ship later next week. Apple expects the new iPad series to boost the company's revenues during the big holiday spending season. Meanwhile, sales of iPads have slowed down as customers are holding on to tablets much longer than they do with their smartphones. Although, the iPad remains the best selling tablet in the market, analysts' have expressed doubts on shipments and sales. Research firm Gartner Inc. (IT) said tablet sales growth is slowing in 2014 as new hardware buyers turn to alternative devices and existing users extend the lifetime of their tablets. Gartner expects tablet sales worldwide to reach 229 million units in 2014, an 11 percent increase from 2013. In 2013, tablet sales grew 55 percent. "Some tablet users are not replacing a tablet with a tablet, they are favoring hybrid or two-in-one devices, increasing its share of the ultramobile premium market to 22 percent in 2014, and 32 percent by 2018," said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. Apple also launched the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display. The new iMac with Retina 5K display begins shipping today with a 3.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.9 GHz, AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics and a 1TB Fusion Drive for a suggested retail price of $2,499. The company also has made its latest computer operating system Yosemite available for free from today. Apple also said Apple Pay, its new mobile payment technology which allows users to securely pay for goods and services in stores or apps with just the touch of a finger, will be available in the U.S. starting from Monday, October 20. AAPL is currently trading at $96.62, down $0.92 or 0.94%, on the Nasdaq. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX |