And in this corner, weighing in at 4 whole ounces less than its predecessor, the new iPad Air!
In an 82-minute breathless chorus from the gee-whiz boys of its executive suite, Apple unveiled a smorgasbord of software and hardware upgrades, all of them upstaged by the one-pound tablet in the spotlight center stage.
"This is the lightest full-size tablet in the world," Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller told the crowd of media and analysts in downtown San Francisco. "It's amazingly thin and weighs only one pound, and holding it is a dramatically different experience. The iPad Air offers our new vision for mobile computing."
There were other headlines, including a second-generation and much more powerful iPad Mini featuring the crystal-clear Retina display that comes on the larger iPad, along with a slew of free software running on its new iOS7 operating system.
But it was the Air that stole the show and, later in a hands-on demo room, won the hearts of the crowd.
"Thinner, lighter, faster and free software," said analyst Avi Greengart with Current Analysis. "Losing those 4 ounces changes the way you relate to the iPad, and it's instantly noticeable."
The event, preceded for days with Apple's trademark whip-everyone-into-a-frenzy buzz, felt somewhat more subdued than previous launches, perhaps reflecting a disappointment from investors who have been hoping Apple would pull a brand-new category of product out of its hat.
Apple shares stayed mostly flat as Wall Street took in the news, and the crowd on hand was less forthcoming with applause than usual.
But while not earthshaking, Apple's latest software and hardware achievements were impressive, some analysts said, offering a host of new features to enrich the user experience, including updated and free tools like iWork, iLife and GarageBand.
And these goodies - along with dramatic upgrades to its MacBook Pro line of laptops and a much more powerful desktop PC, the Mac Pro - will arrive just in time for the all-important holiday shopping season.
As Gartner analyst Van Baker put it, despite the lack of fireworks that accompanied launches of the iPhone and early iPads, "this is all another step along the way in Apple's continuing improvements as it tries to keep ahead of its rivals."
Much of what was talked about on stage had already been announced at Apple's developers conference earlier this year. It was the new iPad and iPad Mini that seemed to catch everyone's fancy this time around.
Baker wondered whether a faster and more powerful iPad would "widen the gap between the hybrids and the tablet," suggesting that users will be drawn to a souped-up iPad that essentially does one thing, as opposed to other devices that seem to be part tablet, part laptop.
"People don't want a device that tries to do more than one thing," he said. "They want a device, like the tablet, that's optimized for what it's supposed to be."
Much of the event was filled with the usual corporate crowing. Chief executive Tim Cook kicked things off by praising the company's recent iPhone launch and iOS update, and sharing the company's vision for its Mac line of personal computers.
He then boasted that the iPad has surpassed 170 million sales since its 2010 introduction, and now accounts for more than 80 percent of tablet usage, though far less than 80 percent of tablet sales.
He added: "This is just the beginning for iPad."
With Apple's share of the global tablet market continuing to shrink, the next two months could be crucial for the tech giant. Will holiday shoppers embrace the new iPad Mini, with its greater speed and sharper display? Will digital warriors buy the iPad Air to harness the workplace tools included for free in Apple's new beefed-up wisp of a tablet?
Analyst Greengart said that while Apple didn't announce any new paradigm-shifting products, the software and hardware advances unveiled Tuesday were more than enough:
"While financial analysts may still say ‘But where's the magic?' Apple says, ‘The magic is here.' "
New from Apple
- IPad Air: A fifth-generation tablet weighing 1 pound; runs the powerful 64-bit A7X processor in the new iPhone 5S, and starts at $499 (Apple will continue to sell the iPad 2 starting at $399).
- IPad Mini: second generation features the Retina display already offered on full-size iPads and some Mac products, and runs on the new 64-bit processor; starts at $399, a bump up from the previous iPad Mini's price of $329.
- Mavericks: Apple's new operating system helps extend battery life and provides a more efficient memory that helps it run faster; provided for free and available immediately for download on Macs dating back to 2007.
- MacBook Pro: Update
d 13-inch and 15-inch models will be beefed up with new Intel chips, and both feature a $200 price cut, starting at $1,299 and $1,999, respectively; available immediately.
- Mac Pro: Updated desktop model was previewed at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June; features new generation Intel Xeon processor with 4, 6, 8 or 12 cores and the fastest memory ever in a Mac.
- Software offerings: Improved iMovie, iPhoto, GarageBand and the iLife and iWork suites, which received updates to match Apple's new mobile and PC operating systems; offered free with the purchase of any new Apple device, and previous owners can update their software for free.
