Apple just concluded its first major event of 2021 with a bunch of new products, services and upgrades. All of the announcements will be making their way to India at the same time as they become available globally.
Apple’s “Spring Loaded” event took place on April 20 from its UFO campus in Cupertino. Via the keynote, the company unveiled a subscription model for Apple Podcasts, a new colour variant of the iPhone 12, AirTags, Apple TV 4K, M1-powered iPad Pro and revamped iMacs.
All products can now be ordered via Apple’s online store, with deliveries slated for the end of May. Free contactless delivery will be included.
Apple Podcasts Subscriptions
Apple Podcasts Subscriptions is a new premium subscription service that will bring early access, exclusive content and ad-free listening to subscribers, curated by creators. It won’t arrive as a blanket subscription, but will instead offer listeners the option to subscribe to specific content creators, who will each determine their level of premium offering.
Purple iPhone 12 and 12 Mini
While a new iPhone SE was a no-show, Apple did add a new glossy purple colourway for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini. It has a glossy finish along with a matte frame that has a similar purple tint. Its price remains unchanged, starting at Rs 69,900 for the Mini and Rs 79,900 for the iPhone 12.
AirTag
Apple’s long-awaited AirTags finally made an appearance too. It’s a simple object tracker that can be attached to keys, bags, pets and other items and located via the Find My app.
These AirTags come in the size of a coin and are made up of polished stainless steel material with IP67 water and dust resistant rating. There is also a tiny built-in speaker that plays sound once you hit the ‘locate’ button on the app.
In India, a single AirTag is priced at Rs 3,190 and Rs 10,900 for a pack of four.
Apple TV 4K
The next-gen Apple TV 4K brings a revamped Siri remote with a five-way navigation clickpad which is also now touch-enabled. You also now get a mute as well as a power button. With Siri, you can control smart home devices, search for specific movies, check sports scores and much more. The Apple TV 4K 2021 is powered by the A12 Bionic chipset and now supports high frame rate HDR and Dolby Vision content.
The device is available in two storage options – 32GB and 64GB. The Apple TV runs on tvOS with Apple devices and services integration. The new colour balance process will automatically tailor colour balance on the Apple TV with its advanced sensors. However, this feature is only limited to some iPhone models. The Siri Remote is bundled with the Apple TV 4K 2021, but it can also be bought separately for Rs 5,800 as it is compatible with the older Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD.
The 32GB Apple TV 4K is priced at Rs 18,900 and 64GB at Rs 20,900.
iPad Pro with M1
Apple expanded its M1 chipset portfolio to also include the new iPad Pros. Along with extreme performance and 5G, the new models come with up to 2TB of storage, and a new Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C connector. The 12.9-inch model has a Liquid Retina XDR display, which is a first for the category. In tune with the current situation, there’s also a 12MP ultra-wide camera on the front which can automatically centre the user during video calls.
The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at Rs 71,900 for the Wi-Fi model and Rs 85,900 for the cellular model, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at Rs 99,900 for the Wi-Fi model and Rs 1,13,900 for the cellular model. Further Education discounts will also be available.
iMac
Apple also refreshed its AiO iMac with an entirely new design and M1 processors. It’s significantly smaller and lighter than its predecessor, weighing just 4.4 kg for the entire package. The display gets upgraded to a 4.5K Retina display with 500 nits of brightness and True Tone. For video calls, it gets a new 1080p camera, triple microphones and a six-speaker array. There’s also support for iOS apps.
The iMac with 7-core GPU starts at Rs 1,19,900 while the 8-core configuration starts at Rs 1,39,000. The package includes a Magic keyboard and Magic mouse.