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

I last bought a desktop computer eight years ago, and don't plan to buy another. But I'm still drooling over the idea of a retina iMac.
New iPads? Retina iMac? What to expect at Apple’s event tomorrow
Ars TechnicaApple will turn its attention from the iPhone to the other half of the company.

by Harry McCracken 10/15/2014 2:24:53 PM
Apple is very nearly ready to release Yosemite, which will presumably get its formal announcement at Thursday's event.
Apple Releases Sixth OS X Yosemite Public Beta
Apple today released the sixth Yosemite public beta for its beta testers, following the release of the fifth Yosemite public beta on Tuesday of last...

by Harry McCracken 10/15/2014 2:26:48 PM
The upcoming Apple product I'm most personally interested in may be one which apparently won't be announced this week--a big-screen iPad. Hope Apple custom-designs a keyboard cover for it.
Bloomberg claims a 12.9-inch iPad is coming next year
EngadgetThe rumor mill surrounding Apple is at full force right now. But while people are still waiting for the supposed bigger-screen iPhone (or iPhones) and a

by Harry McCracken 10/15/2014 2:36:25 PM
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 don't think anyone's expecting anything earth-shaking from this one, especially compared to the last one. It would be fun to be wrong!

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 4:26:55 PM
Breakfast...

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 4:27:14 PM
There's more of a formal line to get in than usual.

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 4:28:00 PM
I'm personally rooting for iPads with 2GB of RAM, which would make life in Safari a lot more pleasant.

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 4:36:08 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
"It's been way too long" Does that have any significant tie to the Mac turning 30 this year?

by Dave 10/16/2014 4:56:29 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
Though boy, could you imagine how well a 30th anniversary Mac would sell?

by Mark Wilson 10/16/2014 4:57:52 PM
Music is "I'm feeling right...we've worked it out..."

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 4:58:17 PM
Music is "Love Runs Out" by One Republic (thank you Shazam).

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 5:00:01 PM
What, no U2?

by Leah 10/16/2014 5:00:49 PM
Lights are dimming...

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 5:00:59 PM
And the livestream video has crashed five seconds in. Fantastic.

by David Lidsky edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 5:03:05 PM
We're seeing a video of people buying iPhones at the Apple Store and being happy.

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 5:03:10 PM
Tim Cook: "We have a few more things to share with you before we close out the year."

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 5:03:52 PM
Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 5:04:17 PM
Cook quoting Walt Mossberg saying iPhone 6 is best phone on the market. First month orders are the most ever "by a whole lot."

by Harry McCracken 10/16/2014 5:05:02 PM
This video (which just crashed for the third time) is a bit too self-congratulatory for my tastes.

by David Lidsky edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 5:05:16 PM
Tim Cook: "These phones are the best phones we have ever created." Also the bendiest.

by Alice Truong 10/16/2014 5:05:23 PM
iPhone 6 about to launch in China on all the major networks.

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 5:06:15 PM
Not to derail things from here in the cheap seats in NYC, but seriously, Apple can't get the streaming right after last month's epic fail? Especially when this event is so lo-fi when compared with last month's.

by David Lidsky 10/16/2014 5:07:20 PM
Cook is talking about Apple Pay. "We think it is going to be profound." Amex, Mastercard, Visa and major banks supporting it. 500 banks signed up in last month.

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 5:07:29 PM
We are here today to reveal what everyone already knows about.

by Bob 10/16/2014 5:07:38 PM
You can buy stuff--such as Beats headphones--inside Apple Pay.

Photo: Harry McCracken for Fast Company

by Harry McCracken edited by Anjali Mullany 10/16/2014 5:08:38 PM