Apple unveils 'screaming fast iPad,' a slew of new Macs

Apple Inc. is refreshing its iPad lineup and slashing the price of its Mac computers ahead of the holiday shopping season, as it faces an eroding tablet market share and growing competition from rival gadget makers.

Apple unveiled a new, thinner, lighter tablet called the"i Pad Air" along with a slew of new Macs on Tuesday at an event in San Francisco. The iPad Air weighs just 1 pound (0.45 kilogram), compared with 1.4 pounds (0.64 kilogram) for the previous version. Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller called the tablet a "screaming fast iPad." He said it is eight times faster than the original iPad that came out in 2010.

An Apple employee demonstrates the new iPad Air, left and iPad mini in San Francisco. (AP Photo)

The iPad Air will go on sale November 1 and start at $499 for a model with 16 gigabytes of memory. Apple plans to phase out its third and fourth generation iPads while the iPad 2, which launched in 2011, continues selling at $399. A new iPad Mini, meanwhile, will be available later in November starting at $399 for a 16-gigabyte model.
The iPad's market share has been eroding compared with cheaper rivals running Google Inc.'s Android operating system. Research firm Gartner Inc. estimates that Android tablets will end 2013 with a 50% share of the worldwide market versus 49% for the iPad. Just two years ago, the iPad commanded a 65% market share compared to 30% for Android tablets.

Apple CEO Tim Cook introduces the new iPad Air in San Francisco. (AP Photo)

Apple sold 14.6 million iPads in the June quarter, down 14% from the same time last year. It was the first year-over-year decline in iPad sales. Nonetheless, Apple CEO Tim Cook touted that Apple has sold 170 million iPads since the tablets launched three years ago.
Apple also refreshed its computer lineup. A new, 13-inch (33-centimeter) MacBook Pro with Retina display is thinner and lighter, Schiller said, adding that the laptop has up to 9 hours of battery life, enough to "watch the entire trilogy of 'The Black Knight' on one charge." The notebook's new price is lower: $1,299, compared with $1,499 for the previous version.

Apple CEO Tim Cook introduces the new iPad Air in San Francisco. (AP Photo)

A larger MacBook Pro, with a 15-inch (38-centimeter) monitor and 256 gigabytes of storage starts at $1,999, compared with $2,199 for the previous version.
The Mac Pro, a high-end desktop computer aimed at what Apple calls "power users," will be available in December for $2,999.
The company also said that its latest computer operating system, Mavericks, is available free of charge.

Apple senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi announces the new OSX operating system during an Apple announcement at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California. (AFP Photo)

Apple also says nearly two-thirds of its mobile devices are running iOS7, the revised operating system it released in September. Twenty million people have listened to iTunes Radio about a month after its release.
Shares of Cupertino, California-based Apple slid $2.64 to $518.79 in afternoon trading following the event.

Philip W Schiller, the senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple Inc speaks about the Mac Pro on stage during an Apple event in San Francisco, California. (Reuters)

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