MacRumors

Today, Apple released a major update to Final Cut Pro X that was promised back in April. The initial launch of Final Cut Pro X was met with significant criticism due to a lack of many features found in earlier versions of the software. Apple responded to the concerns with promises of updates.

In April, Apple even revealed many features that could be expected in Final Cut Pro X in 2012. These included Multichannel Audio Editing Tools, Dual Viewers, MXF Plug-in Support and RED camera support.

That version update was released today and includes a number of long awaited features:

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Amongst the many new products Apple introduced today, they also announced a new storage option called Fusion Drive. Apple's website describes how the drive works:

With Fusion Drive in your iMac, disk-intensive tasks — from booting up to launching apps to importing photos — are faster and more efficient. That’s because frequently used items are kept at the ready on speedy flash storage, while infrequently accessed items go to the hard drive. The file transfers take place in the background, so you won’t even notice.

Some thought the drive might be Apple's implementation of a Hybrid drive which uses SSD as a caching system, but it appears that Apple's system is distinct. The MacObserver digs into some details and clarifies:

To be clear, this is not a caching concept, at least not in the current use of the word. Cache would imply that the data on the SSD is duplicated, and it's not. If you have a 1TB mechanical drive paired with the 128GB SSD, you have a 1.12 TB storage platform. This truly is the fusion of all the space on two separate disks.

Ars Technica compares it to an enterprise feature called Automated Tiered Storage.

In a caching solution, like Intel's, files live on the hard disk drive and are temporarily mirrored to the SSD cache as needed. In an enterprise auto-tiering situation, and with Fusion Drive, the data is actually moved from one tier to another, rather than only being temporarily cached there.

The Mac Observer reports that there are two separate drives that appear as one logical partition. As a result, if your Hard Drive fails, it could be replaced with a 3rd party drive and reconfigured as a Fusion Drive.

Meanwhile, they note that all writes take place on the SSD drive, and are later moved to the mechanical drive if needed, resulting in faster initial writes. The Fusion will be available for the new iMac and new Mac mini models announced today.

With Apple's introduction of the fourth-generation iPad today, some recent purchasers of the third-generation model may be feeling somewhat disappointed that their new devices have been supplanted by an unexpectedly short upgrade cycle. CNET reports, however, that those who purchased their iPads within the past 30 days may be able to exchange their devices for new models at their local Apple Stores.

The manager at the Stockton Street store in San Francisco explained that "this specific store" would allow purchasers of the third-generation iPad to exchange their device for the fourth-generation iPad if purchased within the last 30 days. She emphasized that, unless the recently-purchased iPad showed serious signs of wear-and-tear, the usual 14-day return policy would be waived.

"And what about other stores?" You'll have to call and find out. She explained, "We can't speak to other stores' policies -- this is something our store has decided to do."

The report suggests that the extended return window is not an official company policy and thus customers may find spotty adherence to it, but stores generally have some flexibility in allowing returns considering certain circumstances, and with any luck some recent iPad customers may find themselves able to upgrade to the latest model without penalty.

Following the introduction of the new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro at its media event, Apple invited attendees to spend some time with the machine. Overall, the early hands-on impressions are favorable, with the reduction in thickness and weight making a significant difference for professionals on the go, but the high price tag associated with the Retina display and solid-state storage mean that it likely won't quite be able to inherit the non-Retina model's popularity just yet.

Engadget:

For starters, it's wildly thin. No, not manilla envelope thin, but thin enough to slip into most briefcases and backpacks without the consumer even noticing. Outside of that, it's mostly a shrunken version of the 15-incher let loose over the summer. The unibody design is as tight as ever, with the fit and finish continuing to impress. In my estimation, this is Apple's most deliberate move yet to differentiate the 13-inch MacBook Pro from the 13-inch MacBook Air.

TechCrunch:

It’s clear that Apple wants this new version of its top-performer to take over as a product that redefines the laptop category, and judging by limited hands-on experience, there’s good reason to believe they’ll eventually get their wish, though not just yet. [..]

As for how it performed, it was very much like using the 15-inch rMBP, which is my main machine currently. In the hand, however, it feels significantly lighter, at about a pound lighter than the bigger model. That’s a big difference for a machine you carry around with you all day, and alone might sway some users, price considerations aside.

SlashGear:

Freshly announced today, and falling under our eager fingers straight after Apple’s San Jose launch event, the new notebook follows the successful route of its bigger brother. Gone is the optical drive, in comes the super-high-resolution screen, and wide open pop our wallets.

The screen size may be smaller – and lower resolution, too, at 2560 x 1600, though for an overall higher pixel density of 227ppi – but actually the 13-inch model is slightly thicker, at 0.75-inches. In contrast, the 15-inch Retina version is 0.71-inches thick. You don’t really notice the difference, however, and the advantage in weight, with near a full pound dropped, more than makes up for it.

The Verge:

The resolution settings for the display are just like the larger MacBook Pro — but the maximum allowed resolution is 1680 x 1050, unlike the 1920 x 1080 setting offered on the 15-inch model. Still, 1680 x 1050 is a tremendous option on a display of this size, though at the "best for Retina" setting the screen offers an effective 1280 x 800. If you've been using a 15-inch MacBook Pro for the screen size, the 13-inch just got a ton more attractive.

Apple introduced the long-rumored iPad mini today. At 7.9" in diagonal, the new smaller iPad is said to allow for one handed usage. Apple had the device on hand for reporters to have hands on demos with the device.

Overall, the impressions are positive with many focusing on the build quality and lightness of the device. While the device is smaller, others note that it's certainly not tiny. Here is a roundup of some of the early impressions:

TechCrunch:

The finish of the device is matte on the back, making for a very nice feeling in the hand. The weight is really the most impressive part, though – as with the iPhone 5, but to an even greater degree, the iPad mini feels almost weightless when compared to its predecessors. It’s so thin and light as to feel almost like a prop, rather than a functional device.

The Verge:

The display on the mini looks incredibly sharp, and even though the resolution is lower than the 3rd and 4th generation full-size iPad, it doesn't immediately seem like a 1024 x 768 display. The smaller, 7.9-inch surface area certainly helps squeeze the pixels.

Engadget:

It's still not "small," though. While a fully outstretched adult hand can generally grasp it without help from the other, you'll still want both for typing and using apps. It's still too big for your average pocket, and it's not going to save you a heck of a lot of room in your knapsack compared to the 9.7-incher.

Anandtech offers this hands on video:

As rumored, Apple announced the new iPad mini at today's media event. The device features a 7.9-inch display with a resolution of 1024x768 pixels, measures just 7.2 millimeters thin and weighs 0.68 pounds.

Internally, the iPad Mini has a dual-core A5 processor, a Facetime HD camera on the front and a 5-megapixel camera on the rear, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, and 4G LTE cellular connectivity in some models. Despite its smaller size, the iPad mini still offers up to 10 hours of battery life.

“iPad mini is every inch an iPad. With its gorgeous 7.9-inch display, iPad mini features the same number of pixels as the original iPad and iPad 2, so you can run more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPad mini is as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper, yet packs a fast A5 chip, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras and ultrafast wireless―all while delivering up to 10 hours of battery life.”

With the same resolution as the iPad 2, all existing iPad apps that work on the older iPad 2 will work on the iPad mini without any need for developers to make modifications to their existing apps.

The iPad mini starts at $329 for the 16 GB Wi-Fi model, with the 32 GB Wi-Fi model priced at $429 and the 64 GB Wi-Fi model coming in at $529. The models with cellular capability cost an additional $130. All models are available in the same black/slate and white/silver color schemes seen on the iPhone 5.

Pre-orders for the iPad mini will start on Friday, October 26 with the Wi-Fi models shipping on November 2 and the cellular models starting to ship two weeks later.

Apple has also introduced new polyurethane iPad mini Smart Covers in six different colors, priced at $39 each. Apple also now has a full suite of Lightning adapters to support USB camera connections, SD cards and VGA or HDMI connectivity.

Apple today updated its iMac lineup, dramatically reducing the thickness of the desktop machines and adding a brand new Fusion Drive that combines flash storage and a traditional disk-based hard drive to maximize both speed and capacity.

The iMac will come with both 21.5-inch and 27-inch displays, and includes a new fully laminated design to improve optical quality and a new anti-reflective coating.

Redesigned from the inside out, the new iMac packs high-performance technology into an aluminum and glass enclosure with up to 40 percent less volume than its predecessor and an edge that measures just 5 mm thin. Built with an unprecedented level of fit and finish, the new iMac delivers an amazing desktop experience in a gorgeous design. The new iMac also features a completely reengineered display that reduces reflection by 75 percent while maintaining brilliant color and contrast. In the new design, the cover glass is fully laminated to the LCD and an anti-reflective coating is applied using a high-precision plasma deposition process. Every iMac display is individually color calibrated using an advanced spectroradiometer.

The 21.5-inch iMac starts at $1,299 in the US, and includes a with a 2.7 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB hard drive. The 21.5" model should begin shipping in November.

The 27-inch iMac starts with a 2.9 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, 8 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB hard drive starting at $1,799 and shipping in December.

Apple today announced an update to its full-size iPad, upgrading its processor with a faster A6X chip and implementing the new Lightning connector that debuted with the iPhone 5. The new processor delivers up to two times the CPU and graphics performance of the prior chip, while maintaining 10 hours of battery life and the same design as the prior iPad.

The new iPad now supports many new international LTE carriers, as well.

The fourth-generation iPad comes in black and white with the same pricing and storage configurations as the third-generation iPad models, starting at $499 for the 16 GB Wi-Fi models and $629 for the 16 GB cellular models.

Pre-orders for the new iPad begin on Friday, October 26 through the Apple Online Store in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

The Wi-Fi configurations will begin shipping November 2, with the LTE configurations following two weeks later in the US, and then following in other countries.

Apple has released a new 13" MacBook Pro with Retina Display, an upgrade to Apple's most popular notebook. The new Retina model, like it's 15" brethren, strips out the optical drive to limit thickness and weight, while adding a new 2,560 x 1,600 pixel display. The new MacBook Pro is 20% thinner than its full-size brother and weighs 3.57 pounds.

The new MacBook Pro packs more than 4 million pixels into its 13-inch Retina display, nearly twice the number of pixels in an HD television. At 227 pixels per inch, the Retina display’s pixel density is so high the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels at a normal viewing distance, so images look sharp and text looks like it does on the printed page. With four times the pixels of the current 13-inch MacBook Pro, you can view and edit video in pixel-accurate 1080p and see a new level of detail in high resolution images. The 13-inch Retina display uses IPS technology for a 178-degree wide viewing angle, and has 75 percent less reflection and 28 percent higher contrast than the current generation.

Internally, the updated MacBook Pro will offer flash storage, Intel dual-core Ivy Bridge processors, and Intel HD Graphics 4000. It can be configured with up to 768 GB of flash storage. The 13-inch retina display MacBook Pro will start at $1,699 with a 128 GB flash drive and 8 GB of RAM. It begins shipping today.

The full-size MacBook Pro with optical drive remains available.

Apple updated its Mac mini line of desktop computers at its media event today.

The updated Mac mini models have new processors, including quad-core chips on the high end, as well as new build-to-order RAM options of up to 16 GB. Pricing remains the same as the prior generation Mac Mini models, starting at $599. There are two standard configuration and a server configuration:

- $599, 2.5 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, 4GB RAM, 500GB HD
- $799, 2.3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD
- $999, 2.3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, 4GB RAM, 2TB HD, Includes Mountain Lion Server

High-end Mac mini models can now also be configured with Apple's new Fusion Drive technology, which seamlessly integrates a traditional 1 TB hard drive with 128 GB of fast flash storage for both speed and capacity. System files and frequently used apps and data are automatically placed in flash storage to optimize speed, while other data is housed on the slower traditional hard drive.

The Mac mini was last updated in July of 2011, marking some 460 days since the last update and the new models are available starting today.

Apple is holding a media event today at the California Theatre in San Jose, California, where it is expected to introduce the iPad mini, a 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, a tweaked full-size iPad with Lightning connector, and updated Mac mini models. A release of the company's revamped iTunes software also likely and iMac updates are a possibility. The event is scheduled to kick off at 10:00 AM Pacific Time / 1:00 PM Eastern Time.

For the first time in two years, Apple will be providing a live video stream of a media event via its website for Mac and iOS users and Apple TV.

Live Video Stream of Apple's iPad Mini Media Event

In addition to Apple's video stream, we will be updating this article with coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the media event unfolds. Separate news stories regarding the event announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.

Apple's online stores around the world are currently down in advance of the event.

Recent News and Rumors

- 'iPad Mini' Name Confirmed by Smart Cover Part Descriptions
- 13-Inch Retina MacBook Pro Starts at 128 GB Flash Storage, Mac Mini Goes Quad-Core
- Four New Lightning Adapters, Higher-Power iPad Power Adapter Coming Today
- New Full-Sized iPad to Have Upgraded FaceTime Camera?

Live Transcript

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9to5Mac reports that it has received confirmation of a new set of Smart Covers launching today for Apple's "iPad mini". The accessories are described as "iPad Mini Smart Covers", all but confirming that Apple will use the "mini" designation as part of the device's official name.

Japanese blog Mac Otakara claimed in late August that Apple would use the long-standing "iPad mini" informal title as the official name of the device, and it appears that this is indeed the case. Others have, however, been advocating for alternative names, such as noted Apple pundit John Gruber having expressed his preference for "iPad Air".

The new iPad Mini Smart Covers are said to be available in red, dark gray, light gray, pink, green, and blue.

9to5Mac reports that it has received information on three models of the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro launching today. According to sources, the machines appear to use the same 2.5 GHz and 2.9 GHz processors found in the non-Retina models, and like the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro all of the 13-inch Retina models start at 8 GB of RAM.

Unlike the 15-inch lineup, however, the entry-level 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro will come with 128 GB of flash storage, with higher-end standard models moving up to 256 GB and 512 GB of storage. The 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro starts at 256 GB of storage.

- 2.5 GHz, 128GB of Flash storage, 8GB of RAM
- 2.5 GHz, 256 GB of Flash storage, 8GB of RAM
- 2.9 GHz, 512GB of Flash storage, 8GB of RAM

Pricing on the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is said to start at approximately $1699, a $500 premium over the non-Retina model. For that premium, users will receive a Retina display, 128 GB of flash storage instead of a 500 GB traditional hard drive, and a bump from 4 GB of RAM to 8 GB. The Retina version of course also comes in a thinner form factor that omits the optical drive and Ethernet and FireWire ports.

The site has also received details on the new Mac mini models coming out today, with the high-end models now moving to quad-core processors. As with the existing lineup, there are two standard configurations and a server configuration.

- 2.5 GHz dual-core, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard drive
- 2.3 GHz quad-core, 4GB RAM, 1TB Hard drive
- Server: 2.3 GHz quad-core 4GB of RAM, 2TB Hard drive

The new Mac mini models should retain the current pricing and gain build-to-order RAM options of up to 16 GB.