TORONTO – Less than a month after releasing a slew of new products, including the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the stage is set for Apple to unveil more new products. But this time it’s the iPad that’s getting a facelift.
Apple’s iPad event – set to kick off at 1 p.m. ET Thursday – won’t be quite as flashy as the tech giant’s last event, which gave the first glimpse at the company’s long-rumoured Apple Watch. But Apple is set to reveal modest updates to its iPad and Mac lineup.
READ MORE: Apple expected to unveil new iPad at Oct. 16 event
But, in keeping with its usual practice, Apple Inc. isn’t saying what’s on the agenda. A cryptic invitation sent last Wednesday to reporters and analysts simply said: “It’s been way too long.”
What we do know is tablet sales have declined in the last year and, with iPhone sales being the company’s dominate revenue stream, Apple is eager to strengthen other areas of its business. This means we could see some stand out features coming to the iPad.
Here’s what to expect from Apple’s iPad event:
iPad Air
A new, thinner, iPad Air is rumoured to be announced Thursday – but consumers aren’t likely to see drastic changes.
The biggest rumour surrounding the iPad Air is the addition of Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor, first introduced on the iPhone 5S, which allows users to unlock their device and pay through iTunes using their fingerprint.
READ MORE: 5 things you need to know about Apple’s iPhone event
Other changes may include subtle design changes and the addition of the company’s new A8 processor, which will make the device more powerful. All signs point to Apple offering the iPad in its popular Gold colour option for the first time too.
There have been some rumours that Apple is working on a large 12.9-inch iPad – but it’s unlikely that we will see the device debut just yet.
iMac with Retina Display
Apple’s all-in-one desktop computer is due for an upgrade.
According to multiple reports, the new iMacs will likely include a high-resolution retina display. If true, this will be the first time Apple puts a retina display in its desktop computer line. The higher-resolution screens were offered in both the iPad and the MacBook Pro line in 2012.
OS X Yosemite
Apple already gave users a first look at its new desktop operating system OS X Yosemite during its World Wide Developers Conference in June, but Apple will announce an official release date for the operating system Thursday.
Named after Yosemite National Park in California, the operating system has been redesigned to look more like Apple’s mobile OS with translucent windows and more simplistic app icons.
But the majority of the changes to OS X have to do with how Mac handles users’ files.
Apple has expanded its iCloud storage service so that users can store files of any type, not just those designed for iCloud. The service is also being rolled out to Windows PCs for the first time.
A new feature called Handoff will also allow users to start an activity on one device and send it off to another to finish – for example, users can start an email on their Mac and send it to their iPad to finish.
Apple will be live streaming the event on it’s website starting at 1 p.m. ET. Global News tech reporter Nicole Bogart will have live coverage of the event.
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