From CNET: Apple is betting the same design changes that helped the iPhone X captivate fans last year will rejuvenate some of its lower-profile products.
The iPad Pro on Tuesday received a heavy makeover, drawing in iPhone X elements like a slimmer bezel and integration of the Face ID facial recognition system instead of Touch ID and the traditional home button. It also includes the "Liquid Retina" display, first seen in the iPhone XR.
The new MacBook Air got a few of the same tweaks, mainly the smaller bezels and body, as well as the sharper display. The Mac Mini got a new space gray finish and more horsepower.
The changes mark long overdue upgrades to product lines that have played important, but diminishing, roles in Apple's lineup given that iPhone sales generate the majority of the company's revenue. The changes to the iPad Pro mark the first significant design overhaul since that tablet originally launched in 2015. The MacBook Air hasn't had a major change in years, with only a chip upgrade last year.
Apple doesn't just want you to own one of its products -- the benefits and hooks really sink in when you go all in on its family of devices and services. With PC makers, led by Microsoft's Surface line, building sleeker and more attractive devices, Apple needed to step up.
"The new iPad and Macs include some very welcome changes that Apple owners will appreciate," said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights. "I don't think Apple did enough to pull people from their premium Windows PCs to the platform, though."
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