Reactions to Apple’s Spring Loaded April 2021 Event
Another spring, another iPad Event from Apple. This year, we got a few more announcements than a new iPad. Some of them are pretty exciting. Others may leave you scratching your head.
While we miss Steve Jobs revealing new Apple products in front of a live audience, Tim Cook and the rest of the Apple presenters had a lot of new announcements today.
Purple iPhone 12
The event started out with a new iPhone 12 color. Not a new iPhone - just a new color. Purple! I don’t recall a previous time when Apple simply released a new color for a product midway through it’s lifecycle - except maybe Product (RED)?
It’s honestly a cool-looking color. Almost makes me want to put a blacklight up to it and see if it glows. Not bad with the purple and black combination with the bezels.
This makes me think that Apple is trying to squeeze some more juice out of a 6-month old product before they release the newest batch of iPhones later this fall. Maybe this trend will continue if they’re able to get enough sales out of this experiment.
It’s available for the standard iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini - but not on the iPhone 12 Pro.
New Apple TV 4K with Redesigned Siri Remote
Next up was a new Apple TV 4K with an upgraded A12 Bionic chip that is capable of high framerate HDR. This allows 60fps video and gaming in HDR.
For the people that need this, and have a TV capable of this output, these are good features to have if you don’t already have an Apple TV. If you do already have one, I can’t say it’s enough to upgrade.
Personally, I have an LG OLED TV with a built-in Apple TV app, so I don’t really need the separate hardware - or at least can’t justify the price tag.
They did include one great under-the-radar feature - color calibration. Using the camera on your phone, you old it up to your TV screen and let it run a test to color calibrate the output on its own. This is a tremendous feature - especially if they bring this to other devices in the future. Previously, color calibration tools to correct monitors cost hundreds of dollars. This would be a great feature for photographers and cinematographers - as well as movie buffs - if they expand this feature.
A new aluminum Siri Remote was also revealed, with an updated button configuration.
New Colorful 24” M1 iMac
Perhaps the biggest news to come out of the event was the arrival of the newly redesigned M1 iMacs. Featured in 7 different bright colors, they may remind you of the old-school clamshell Macbooks from years ago. If you ask me, this was on purpose.
Already getting criticism for the white bezels, keeping the lower chin, and removing the Apple logo, there have been some polarizing reviews that have come out. Certainly, however, people will be happy to hear that Apple’s System-on-a-Chip M1 will be powering the desktop computer.
One glaring issue is the limitation of 8GB of RAM. We’re not sure yet if a higher configuration is possible, but for many, this will be too low for a desktop machine.
If you ask me, Apple is positioning this iMac as an entry-level, lower-tier computer - which it’s been compared to the iMac Pro and Mac Pro - but now with a more obvious visual difference. The colors, the bezels, the chin, and the lower specs are on purpose when the eventual return of the iMac Pro comes out, hopefully correcting these issues and further separating it from this lower-tier model. Previously, the only visual difference has been a darker color between the iMac and the iMac Pro.
Another omission is a screen size that replaces the 27” model. This new iMac is only available in a 24” version, meeting in the middle between the previous 21.5” and 27” models. Don’t worry though - the old models are still available if you want them - but without Apple’s own chip.
One much-needed addition is the upgraded camera. Finally, we’re getting a 1080p camera - upgraded from the old 720p camera. It’s perfect timing too, as just about everyone has been using Zoom over the past year in quarantine. In my opinion, it’s a little too late, and you wonder if they should’ve included a 4K camera (or perhaps they’re saving that for the iMac Pro).
Other features include two USB4 ports, 6 upgraded speakers, and color matching peripherals.
Apple AirTags
There have been rumors about AirTags for what seems like years now. It’s gotten to the point where I wondered if they would go the same way AirPower went: never to see the light of day.
Well, today was the day we got to see them. I must say, they definitely nailed it with the software. On your phone, you will be guided with an arrow to the exact location of where your AirTag is and how far away it is as you walk around. This is way better than just seeing a map with the general location indicated.
Pricing is probably fair for the AirTags at $29 apiece or $99 for a 4-pack. Personally, I’ll pick up the 4-pack when they release on Friday. I’m always losing my car keys, and this will be a great timesaver.
Something that I noticed which is a bit of a disappointment is the size of the AirTags. They’re a bit too bulky to put on something like an Apple TV Siri Remote, or a digital camera, for example. They also don’t “stick” onto devices, but rather hang from a tag. This is great for a keyring or putting in a bag, but not so much for other devices you may want to use this on.
I love that you can engrave each AirTag with a different emoji or number so that each AirTag is identifiable. Oh, and you’ll be happy to know the engraving is free.
I can see the next generation being smaller, thinner, and offered in different colors, so if you don’t want white, you may want to hold off.
M1 Mini LED iPad Pro
An Apple Spring event wouldn’t be right without a new iPad announced. This year, we got a welcome upgrade with the M1 chip - the first device that gets the M1 that doesn’t run macOS. You can expect to see Apple’s chips across their full range of devices by the end of the year. I’m excited to see the benchmarks come out in the weeks to come.
A feature many people will love is called Center Stage. Using the new 12mp ultra-wide front-facing camera, the iPad can now track and zoom in and out on a person during FaceTime calls, keeping them in the center of the frame. We’ll see how this performs in the real world, but the presentation made it look like a great addition.
The most exciting part of the new iPad for me is the switch to Mini LED. We’ve heard great things about this new technology, offering fantastic contrast ratios like OLED offers, but without the risk of burn-in. Hopefully, we will be seeing increased use of OLED in the months and years ahead in other devices.
Apple has added 5G and WiFi 6 support for those who want, or have access, to it. They’ve also include LiDAR and Thunderbolt on the new iPad Pros.
Other Announcements
Aside from the big new product announcements, Tim Cook mentioned some new things with Apple Card. They are adding Spouse/Partner support, as well as support for children ages 13+. What’s more interesting is not only can the rest of your family use your Apple Card - they can also build credit as well. This can truly be a financial game changer, and I’m personally glad to see this happening.
Apple is also coming out with a paid Podcast service to compete with Spotify’s own paid service. Personally, I’m not a fan of this cash grab, but with the few people that will actually subscribe, hopefully those funds can go towards helping fund some of the Podcast creators out there.
What We Didn’t Get
No mention of the heavily rumored AR/VR Headset
No mention of the Apple Car
No upgraded M1X or M2 chip
No iMac Pro
No Craig Federighi 🙁
Expect to see or hear about some of these later this year. The next Apple Event will be WWDC in June, starting on the 7th. See you then!
You can watch the entire event here:
