Video summary

October Event 2018 — Apple

Main summary

Key takeaways

Technology

Tech/Product Summary (Apple October Event 2018)

Mac ecosystem & macOS Mojave (creative focus)

  • Mac satisfaction & adoption
    • Mac is repeatedly rated #1 for customer satisfaction.
    • Continues to attract new buyers, claimed 50%+ new to Mac globally and 76% in China.
  • macOS Mojave release
    • Positioned as the “best version” of macOS, featuring:
      • Gallery view for easier file browsing
      • Dark Mode for focus
      • Stacks to reduce desktop clutter
      • A redesigned, personalized Mac App Store
    • Overall emphasis: Mojave adds capabilities inspired by Pro users, but makes them broadly accessible.

New MacBook Air (Retina) — redesign + security + performance

Speaker: Laura Lagrovy (VP Hardware Engineering)

Key announced features

  • All-new Retina display (13.3”)
    • Display borders 50% narrower (aluminum bezel removed)
    • 4x resolution (over 4 million pixels) for sharper text and images
    • 48% more color for more lifelike visuals
    • FaceTime camera stays at the top
  • Touch ID integrated into the keyboard
    • Enables unlock, Apple Pay, and third-party app support (example: 1Password)
  • T2 Security Chip
    • Secure Enclave protects Touch ID data
    • Secure boot integrity blocks tampered software during boot
    • SSD controller with automatic on-the-fly encryption
    • Additional controllers for system management, audio, and always-on “Hey Siri” support
  • Keyboard & trackpad
    • New keyboard with 4x stability vs the previous generation
    • Backlit keys with individual LEDs
    • Force Touch trackpad with 20% more surface area, pressure sensing, and haptic feedback
  • Audio improvements
    • 25% louder
    • 2x more bass
    • Wide stereo
    • 3-microphone array for clearer Group FaceTime and improved Siri recognition
  • Connectivity
    • Two Thunderbolt 3 ports
    • Supports 5K displays and eGPUs (claimed up to 17x graphics acceleration)
  • Performance & configurations
    • 8th-gen dual-core CPU
    • Up to 16 GB faster memory (double previous Air)
    • SSD up to 1.5 TB and 60% faster
  • Battery & portability
    • Up to 12 hours web browsing
    • Up to 13 hours iTunes movie playback
    • Physical reduction: 17% less volume, 15.6 mm thick (10% thinner), 2.75 lb (about quarter pound lighter)
  • Environmental materials / sustainability
    • 100% recycled aluminum enclosure (custom alloy made from excess aluminum shavings)
    • Claimed near 50% carbon footprint reduction
    • Increased post-consumer recycled plastic in components

Video recap included: iPad-style highlights (Retina display, A/V, T2 security, Touch ID, Force Touch, Thunderbolt 3, and recycled aluminum).

Pricing (transcript)

  • Starting at $1199 (example config mentioned: 8 GB, 1.6-core i5 with Turbo up to 3.6, 128 GB storage)
  • Orders: “starting today”
  • Availability: “next week”

New Mac mini (Biggest update ever) — desktop power, scaling targets

Speaker: Tom Boger (Head of Mac Product Marketing)

Key announced features

  • Processing
    • Entry: 4 cores; also available: 6-core
    • Uses higher-power 8th-gen CPUs (desktop-class) with faster graphics
    • Claimed performance: up to 5x faster than previous Mac mini
  • Memory
    • Up to 32 GB, configurable up to 64 GB
    • Faster SO-DIMMs
  • Storage
    • All-flash SSD up to 2 TB
    • SSD speeds claimed up to 4x faster
  • T2 Security Chip
    • Accelerated HEVC video encode (claimed 30x faster)
  • Thermal design
    • New thermal system with double airflow, still “super quiet”
  • Connectivity
    • Gigabit Ethernet
    • 4x Thunderbolt 3 ports
    • HDMI
    • 2x USB-A
    • Optional: 10 Gb Ethernet for fast networking
  • Creative/technical use cases emphasized
    • Live performance rigs (e.g., MainStage)
    • Live interactive art performances (example: California Institute of the Arts)
    • Multi-device encoding workflows (Compressor)
    • Film production workflows (example: Paramount’s Rocket Man)
    • Developer scaling: build farms and large clusters
      • Example: “MacStadium” with ~8000 Mac minis powering app development (mentions Candy Crush, Shopify)
  • Environmental
    • 100% recycled aluminum enclosure
    • Increased post-consumer recycled plastic; claimed near 50% carbon footprint reduction

Pricing (transcript)

  • Entry config: $799 (example: 8 GB, 3.6 GHz quad-core, 128 GB SSD)
  • Configurable up to 64 GB, up to 2 TB SSD, 10 Gb Ethernet
  • Orders: “starting today”
  • Availability: “next week”

Today at Apple (retail creativity platform) — sessions, curriculum, AR/Siri Shortcuts

Speaker: Angela (retail program lead)

What’s emphasized

  • Today at Apple expands creativity beyond core device education
    • Example categories: photography, music, gaming, app development
    • Curriculum referenced: Everyone Can Code and Everyone Can Create
  • Scale & geography
    • Sessions held in all 505 retail locations
    • Global examples: Macau photo walks, Seoul music labs (GarageBand with Florence and the Machine), Europe coding week sessions (Swift on iPad, Xcode on Mac)
    • Claimed scale since launch: 18,000 sessions per week, attended by millions
  • Apple Store app upgrade
    • Find sessions via Sessions tab
    • Recommendations based on products owned
    • Highlights signature programs (Music Labs, Kids Hour, Photo Walks)
  • New session formats announced
    • 60 newly redesigned sessions
    • Expanded video/music/design and more walks/labs across categories
    • AR and Siri Shortcuts examples:
      • Small Screen Magic (Zach King) using Clips
      • Fun Family Portraits using Live Photos, filters, and Apple Pencil
      • Drawing Treehouses design lab with Foster + Partners
      • Pro series for Mac: Color and Mood (Final Cut Pro), Advanced Beat Making (Logic Pro)
  • Retail/Environmental
    • Store renovations and forums in 70+ stores per year (example: Covent Garden reopens; mentions livestream)
    • Retail locations run on 100% renewable energy

New iPad Pro (2018) — Liquid Retina all-screen, Face ID, A12X, Pencil/USB‑C, pro apps

Speaker: John Ternus (VP Hardware Engineering)

Key announced features

  • Liquid Retina display
    • “All-screen” LCD edge-to-edge design with rounded corners
    • iPhone X-like rounding tech (pixel masking / anti-aliasing)
    • Includes Wide Color, True Tone, ProMotion, and Apple Pencil support
  • Sizes & portability
    • Keeps the 10.5” footprint feel, increased to 11”
    • Also offers 12.9” with major thinness/volume reductions
    • Claimed thickness: 5.9 mm (12.9” nearly 15% thinner)
    • Claimed volume reduction: 25% less volume
  • Face ID
    • Powered by an optimized TrueDepth Camera System
    • Works in portrait and landscape; compatible with keyboard attachment
    • No Home button; gesture navigation adopts iPhone X-style interactions (Control Center, Dock, App Switcher, Split View, Slide Over, etc.)
  • Performance: A12X Bionic
    • Built on 7 nm
    • CPU: 8 cores (4 performance + 4 efficiency) with multithreaded workloads
    • Single-core: up 35%
    • Multicore: up to 90% faster
    • GPU: 7-core, claimed up to 2x performance (graphics up to 1000x faster vs first-gen iPad)
    • Neural Engine: 5 trillion operations/sec for ML tasks
    • Storage controller: up to 1 TB
  • Connectivity upgrades
    • Switch to USB‑C (replaces Lightning)
    • Supports accessories/docks/cameras and external displays up to 5K
    • Charging over USB‑C (can charge iPhone while on the go)
  • Apple Pencil (2nd gen)
    • Magnetic attachment, wireless charging, auto-pairing
    • Tap to wake and launch Notes
    • Double-tap to switch tools/modes (customizable in apps)
  • Smart Keyboard Folio
    • Thin and light; magnetic attach
    • No pairing, charging, or batteries
    • Protective with two viewing angles
  • AR improvements
    • Calibrated cameras/sensors for realistic AR graphics, lighting, and object tracking
    • ARKit 2 adds improved surface detection and persistent experiences
  • Audio
    • 4-speaker system with woofer/tweeter pairs in each corner
    • Wide stereo output
  • Cellular
    • Gigabit-class LTE + eSIM (cellular models)

Developers & app ecosystem (Shaan Pruden)

  • Claim: over a million apps designed for iPad.
  • Examples of showcased capabilities:
    • AutoCAD (desktop engine) on iPad for editing huge models (hundreds of thousands of objects)
    • Assassin’s Creed Rebellion on iPad
    • djay Pro improvements with A12X + Core ML for real-time beat matching
    • Gaming: NBA 2K Mobile
      • Includes claims around graphical fidelity, animation systems (motion matching/inverse kinematics), 60 fps, and high detail rendering
  • Adobe partnership (Jamie Myrold / Chantel)
    • Photoshop on iPad using a “real Photoshop engine” with touch + Apple Pencil precision
    • Demo: editing a PSD with layer stack adjustments and responsive zooming
    • Project Aero: AR design tool converting Photoshop content into immersive experiences
    • App Store availability stated as 2019 for Photoshop and Project Aero

Pricing & availability (transcript)

  • 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799
  • 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $999
  • LTE configurations also available
  • Orders: “today”
  • Arriving: “next week” (mentioned as the 7th)
  • 10.5-inch Pro continues to be available alongside older models

iOS 12 update note

Speaker: Tim (wrap-up section)

  • iOS 12 adoption claim: 60% of iOS devices already running iOS 12 within the first month.
  • iOS 12.1 includes:
    • Group FaceTime up to 32 friends simultaneously
    • Dual-SIM support using eSIM for iPhone XS/XR
    • 70+ new emojis

Main speakers / sources (from subtitles)

  • Tim Cook (hosting; multiple transitions and wrap-up)
  • Laura Lagrovy (VP Hardware Engineering) — MacBook Air
  • Tom Boger (Head of Mac Product Marketing) — Mac mini
  • Angela (Today at Apple lead) — retail sessions & programming
  • John Ternus (VP Hardware Engineering) — iPad Pro hardware
  • Shaan Pruden (Senior Director, Worldwide Developer Relations) — iPad developer ecosystem
  • Jamie Myrold (Adobe VP of Design) — Photoshop on iPad / Project Aero context
  • Chantel (Adobe demo participant) — Photoshop on iPad demonstration
  • Greg Thomas (2K Games) — NBA 2K Mobile demo
  • Lana Del Rey (musical performance)

Original video