From Apple Cards to all new iMacs and iPads, Apple crammed its 2021 Spring Loaded event with tons of news. Don’t worry if you don’t have time to watch through every last announcement. We’ve rounded up everything that Apple announced during the Spring Loaded event here for you.
New iPhone 12 and 12 mini Color
Purple is the newest color option for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini. The new purple iPhones will be available on April 30, with pre-orders starting on April 23. Note that the inner parts of these models are still the same.
Apple Card
In the new Apple event, the company also announced an update to Apple Card. It is worth mentioning that the old Apple Cards were only available for individual users. But now, Apple will allow partners and spouses to share and merge their credit limits into one account with Apple Card Family. This will allow kids over the age of 13 to share an Apple Card with their family and give parents control over limits.
Apple Podcasts
This is good news for any Podcast lover because Apple just announced its new Podcast app. With a redesigned interface, now it is easier for users to find and share podcasts. Podcast subscriptions are also available, allowing Podcast users to subscribe and pay for their favorite shows. Apple will launch it next month and the subscriptions will be available across 170 countries.
Apple AirTags
After months of waiting, AirTags are finally official. These new tags can be personalized and can be attached to almost anything. Plus, you track them via the Find My app. Meanwhile, the iPhone 12 will better locate the lost item than other iPhones. This is due to a newly added feature called Precision Finding exclusive to the iPhone 12 lineup.
To help you find the missing items, your iPhone will provide you visual, audio, and haptic feedback, leading you right to the lost AirTag. The AirTags are $29 each or $99 for a pack of four. Preorders will start on April 23, with shipments starting on April 30.
New Apple TV 4K with A12 Bionic Processor and New Remote
The new Apple TV 4K with an A12 Bionic processor is also announced during the Spring Loaded event. Plus, these updated Apple TVs can also play HDR content thanks to the AirPlay, which supports high-frame-rate for watching iPhone 12 videos recorded in Dolby Vision HDR now.
Another cool feature is that users can use their iPhone’s camera to scan your TV’s color balance. Then, they can give that data to the new Apple TV. This means you should see a much-improved picture quality and colors without having to tune the TV yourself.
Most importantly, the Apple TV remote has a completely new design now. The Siri button is now on the side of the housing. And, there is a new iPod-like circle for scrubbing in a video. Preorders of the new remote will go live on April 30, with the 32GB model priced at $179. Additionally, shipments will start in the second half of May.
New 2021 iPad Pro with Apple Silicon
This year, Apple is refreshing its 2020 high-end tablet lineup with the new 12.9-inch and 11-inch iPad Pros. This update adds the same M1 processor which Apple uses in its M1 Mac lineup to the iPad. In fact, this is the first time that an iPad Pro shares the same processor with a Mac. Below are the best features of the new M1 iPad Pro:
- Mini LED Display. Apple updated the 2021 iPad Pro’s display with the Mini LED technology and called it Liquid Retina XDR display. The new screen has 1000 nits of brightness (1600 nits at peak performance) and a 1,000,000:1 color contrast ratio.
- Improved Performance. Apple said the M1 processor will make the new 2021 iPad Pro 50% faster than its previous models. Meanwhile, the graphics performance will receive a 40% boost over last year’s iPad Pro.
- 2TB Configuration. A new 2TB configuration is available now, allowing you to keep up to 60,000 RAW photos on your iPad Pro. Besides, the USB-C also gains Thunderbolt 4 support, giving it 4X more bandwidth for better external monitors and external storage support.
- New Camera Features. The new iPad Pro’s cameras received an update to the LiDar scanner for AR apps and image processing thanks to the M1 processor. Also, there is an ultra-wide camera called “Center Stage” added to the front-facing cameras. This will zoom in and out on the subject and follow you around the room when using video calls.
The new iPad Pro M1 (2021) will be available to preorder starting April 30 with shipments starting in the second half of May. While the 11-inch iPad Pro will start at $799, the 12.9-inch model will feature the new Mini LED display and starts at $1,099.
New iMac with Apple Silicon and New Colors
The iMac lineup received the biggest redesign that we have never seen in years. Not only does the outside of the new iMac look different with new colors, but the inside is also equipped with the M1 processor now. This new design allows the iMac to have much smaller and quieter fans.
The new iMac comes with a new 24-inch 4.5K Retina display and a 1080p FaceTime camera. There’s also a three- microphone array, making it easier to hear and block out any background noise. Plus, the 2021 iMac speakers also get an update, with improved sound from a six-speaker system that brings spatial audio to the Mac for the first time. Even though the new iMac design doesn’t have room for an Ethernet connection, Apple offers a new magnetic connector to help you with that issue.
Besides that, Apple also announced a new Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, that will come with the new iMac. This is the first time Touch ID is available on any Macs outside of the MacBook lineup. The new M1 iMac will be available to preorder on April 30. And, shipment will start in the second half of May. 2021 iMac pricing starts at $1,299 for four main color options and $1,499 for additional colors and features.
Let us know what announcement do you like most or any questions about Apple’s Spring Loaded event in the comments!
