Today’s Apple event was a triumph for Tim Cook and the Apple team. Anyone who says that Apple has lost the plot must feel confounded. For once it wasn’t the new products that grabbed attention, amazing as they are. It was the decision to offer OS X, iLife and iWorks free to any buyer of an iPhone, iPad or Mac. This is a game changer for the industry. For the first time, Apple is offering products that do everything the mainstream user needs. There is no need to buy expensive additional software, no need to go outside the increasingly comprehensive Apple eco-system. This is a major development.
The new MacPro is a winner and will surely tempt many high-end users who have shunned the ageing Pro. The improvements to the MacBook Pro lineup are incremental and welcome. And the two new iPads, Air and Mini, bring everything the rumour sites hoped for with the sole exception of Touch ID. I’m sorry about that, but I think the advances, including the lightness and thinness of the Air and the retina display for the mini, will inject new life into the tablet market.
This is a big day for Apple.