Apple's "It's Been Way Too Long" Event

Apple's second media event of the fall is expected to feature new iPads, OS X Yosemite, and perhaps new Macs. Fast Company's Harry McCracken will provide live coverage of the news from Apple headquarters in Cupertino starting at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on Thursday, October 16, 2014.

Here's what Apple announced today.

Hardware

iMac Retina with 5K display, ships today starting at $2499.

The iPad Air 2 is introduced, and it now comes in gold.

- It will cost $499/$599/$699.

- The $599 and $699 models have double previous storage.

iPad Air is now $399, iPad Mini 2 is $299.

Original non-retina iPad Mini is now $249.

Mac Mini ships today for $499.

Software

Apple Pay goes live on Monday.

Yosemite is available today, for free.

- iWork also gets an update today.

iOS 8.1 available on Monday.

3rd & 7 37yd

More reading material on products we're assuming will be announced on Thursday.
Initial iPad Air 2 Supplies May Be Limited, 27-Inch Retina Display iMac Launching by End of 2014
Just about a day before Apple's October 16 media event, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a new report, saying that he expects...

by Harry McCracken 10/15/2014 3:21:23 PM
Here's where Apple will be livestreaming video from today's event.
It’s been way too long.
AppleJoin us here at apple.com/live on October 16 at 10 a.m. PDT to watch our special event live.

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 1:40:59 PM
I'm at Apple, where the path to the event leads through the campus on a way it usually doesn't.

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 4:11:39 PM
Journalists hanging out before the show.

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 4:12:22 PM
Harry, how would you compare the scale/tone of this event to the Apple Watch event you just attended? Far more subdued I'd expect?

by Mark Wilson 10/16/2014 4:16:06 PM
I agree, Harry. Especially with the new speeds of modern Wi-Fi chips in iPads/iPhones, if you have a quick internet connection, the bottleneck to browsing has become the processing power again.

by Mark Wilson 10/16/2014 4:39:53 PM
17 minutes to showtime. We're still in line outside.

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 4:43:38 PM
Going in...

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 4:45:54 PM
Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 4:46:59 PM
Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 4:48:59 PM
I'm in and sitting (behind David Pogue of Yahoo Tech), and if you can read this, I have connectivity.

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 4:50:27 PM
This is a radically smaller venue than the Flint Center, where last month's event was held. Pretty cozy.

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 4:51:44 PM
@HarryMcCracken: 10-4!

by Alice Truong 10/16/2014 4:52:09 PM
I think the secret of choosing a seat at these events isn't to sit up close as it is to sit behind a short person.

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 4:53:04 PM
At least if your goal is to snap some photographs.

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 4:53:21 PM
Harry, the world needs to know: What music is playing in the room right now?

by Mark Wilson 10/16/2014 4:54:04 PM
Just about everybody is seated. Laptops out. Fingers poised to liveblog.

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 4:54:56 PM
As usual, an upbeat piece of pop music which I can't identify is playing. (You might be able to do a better job.)

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 4:55:43 PM
They're telling us to switch our electronic devices to silent mode.

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 4:56:23 PM
I assumed that "Way Too Long" was a joking reference to the fact that this is the second event in a little over a month.

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 4:56:59 PM
Schiller now talking Macs. 30th anniversary. Sales up 18% this year, while the rest of the industry is shrinking. Quoting Joanna Stern review of MacBook Air.

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 6:04:35 PM
Schiller says we've never seen a level of detail in a desktop display like this, 5120 x 2880 resolution, the world's highest-resolution display. "The Retina 5K Display."

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 6:06:42 PM
(My TRS-80 in 1978 was 128-by-48.)

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 6:06:57 PM
7X more pixels than HD TV, 67% more than 4K TV.

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 6:07:18 PM
Retina iMac is 7mm thick. Schiller explaining the customer controller which Apple designed.

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 6:07:43 PM
A child born today will never see a pixel or hear a computer.

by BenedictEvans via twitter 10/16/2014 6:08:30 PM
Uses less energy than the previous non-Retina model.

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 6:08:47 PM
We're seeing a video with Dan Riccio, an Apple engineer, praising and explaining the technology. Bob Mansfield used to do that in videos.

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 6:09:54 PM
I last bought a desktop computer in early 2007, and may never buy another. But this does look cool.

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 6:10:31 PM
A photographer is explaining how the screen lets him see exactly what he shot. (Sorry for the blurry picture.)

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 6:11:51 PM
Schiller going over specs: 3.5-GHz Intel processor upgradable to 4-GHz, fast Radeon graphics, Thunderbolt 2 connectors, and a great environmental checklist.

by Harry McCracken edited by Miles Kohrman 10/16/2014 6:13:24 PM
The Retina iMac.

by Joel Arbaje edited by Miles Kohrman 10/16/2014 6:14:12 PM
A couple mentions of oxide thin film transistors making this 5K Retina display possible. Here's some background on that technology, which uses less power and has higher refresh rates than existing displays.

by Noah Robischon 10/16/2014 6:14:49 PM
Retina iMac starts at $2499, less than you might pay for a 4K display with no computer, Schiller says.

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Miles Kohrman 10/16/2014 6:15:01 PM
There's also a new Mac Mini. Now starts at $499. The first Mac for many people, Schiller says. Both it and Retina iMac ship today.

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Miles Kohrman 10/16/2014 6:15:53 PM
"For that we throw in an entire computer." Order now and we'll give you two!

by David Lidsky 10/16/2014 6:16:23 PM
Tim Cook is recapping the whole product line.

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 6:17:41 PM
"This is our vision of personal technology. And we are just getting started."

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 6:18:53 PM
He's thanking the Apple team and inviting us to look at the new products across the hallway.We can be among the first to buy stuff with Apple Pay!

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 6:19:57 PM
"Only Apple" is Cook's go-to summation. See:
Daring Fireball: Only Apple

by David Lidsky edited by Miles Kohrman 10/16/2014 6:20:11 PM
Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Miles Kohrman 10/16/2014 6:20:21 PM
Thanks, everyone, this was fun. I'll post some pics from the demo area shortly.

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 6:21:07 PM
Thank you, Harry. Good stuff

by David Lidsky edited by Miles Kohrman 10/16/2014 6:21:34 PM
What do you think of the new GOLD iPad?

by Noah Robischon 10/16/2014 6:21:40 PM
No laptops today?

by questioninguser edited by Miles Kohrman 10/16/2014 6:22:59 PM

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