As the countdown to 10AM began, the Apple logo on that backdrop began to animate, morphing into the many, many wonderfully creative versions of the logo that appeared on invitations to the event. That held everyone’s attention while effectively upping the ante. What would we see? What would they show? What would be upgraded?
The non-stop flight from Hong Kong to JFK is 16 hours and 30min, which was plenty of time to consider things. I remember looking at my 2017 iPad Pro, a device I was perfectly happy with and loved very, very much, wondering how on earth Apple was going to improve on it. Yes, a faster chip every year, and I’d read the rumors about thinner bezels and Face ID, all of which came true. But what else could they do?
Then Tim Cook appeared on-stage, and the crowd went wild. I went pretty wild too. I’m a fan of Steve Jobs and how he started Apple, his genius and all that, but there’s something about Tim – he just looks like a great guy; a level-headed, caring, responsible leader who is equal parts nice guy and strong, capable leader, fiercely protecting users’ privacy, even if it meant going toe-to-toe with the FBI. (And people I’ve met, who’ve met him, say it’s all true, and he really is a great guy.) And there he was, walking around on stage, waving at the crowd, which was SO loud, his first few sentences couldn’t be heard.
I have to admit, the initial product announcements didn’t really grab my attention as much. New Mac Mini!! Yay! New MacBook Air! Woot! I could see why people were excited, and I was excited for them, but these products weren’t for me. So I continued my sketch reportage of the event, attempting to capture the speakers and the main points they made. And then Tim said “iPad Pros” and I felt like a teenager screaming at some pop star. But I’m a Bass 2, so I can’t really scream and was more “yeaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!” in an Asian Barry White kinda way.
I don’t recall all the details of the Keynote, so I’m glad I sketched it and captured bits of key points. 12 billion transistors on the new A12X Bionic Chip! Wow!!! 8 core processing! Woooah!!! What the hell can 12 billion transistors do? I’m gadgety, but not really techie in a numbers kinda way, so I can’t really tell you. Make things go super fast! Like 92% faster than computers out there today, and from reviews I’ve read since, yes, it seems everyone confirms that the new iPad Pros are blazing fast.
What got me was how beautiful they had made the new iPad Pros. I mean, Apple videos are always pretty seductive, but boy, had they outdone themselves…this was sexy in an all-new way….the smaller bezels, the curved corners at the edges of the screen, the flat buttons and how crazy thin this thing is!!! After the keynote ended with Lana del Rey serenading us with a couple of songs, most of the masses headed over to the adjacent building for a hands-on look at everything that had just been announced.
Our little group headed over after the crowds and lines eased up a bit. Apple staff welcomed us like it was an iPhone launch. Cheery and pumped, they got us to wait our turn before releasing us into the main hall. We were met by another cavernous space, with gorgeously ornate vaulted ceilings, glittering with mosaics in gold, but I admit – I was just making a beeline for the iPad Pros, especially the 12.9” version. And omg….it was just as sexy in person as the video made it out to be!
And the Apple Pencil 2.0!!! Oh man…completely redesigned. Shorter… lighter! A matte finish, which feels so much better than gloss slickness. And the way it snaps on the top, which pairs, docks and charges the device automatically, so you never have to worry about topping it up – yes!!! Spot on, Apple designers!!!
For the remainder of the time, we walked about, checked things out, took photos, video and selfies.
