Apple has added 5G connectivity to its low-cost iPhone SE and iPad Air and introduced a high-performance chip for its new Mac Studio, a desktop aimed at creative professionals.
Apple slightly hiked the price on the iPhone SE to $799. The new phone starts shipping on 18 March.
The iPhone SE comes with an A15 Bionic chip, which Apple says is the fastest among the competition, a 4.7-inch retina display and a home button with Touch ID.
"This is important for our existing users who want a smaller iPhone at a great value," Apple boss Tim Cook said.
The Tech giant also announced a new chip called M1 Ultra to enhance performance for Mac desktops. The M1 Ultra is made by connecting two M1 Max chips and is eight times faster than M1 chips.
To house the new chip, Apple unveiled a desktop Mac Studio and a new monitor called Studio Display that can be paired with any Mac, including Macbook Air and Macbook Pro models.
Apple will offer two versions of the Mac Studio, one with the M1 Max chip and the other utilizing the M1 Ultra chip.
Mac Studio with M1 Ultra is 80 percent faster than its fastest MacBook Pro.
Mac Studio pricing starts at $3,599 for the version with the M1 Max chip and $7,099 for the M1 Ultra loaded computer. Studio Display is priced at $2,999.
Shares hit the high for the day near US$163 at the beginning of the presentation and then dropped to around US$159 shortly after it ended and were down slightly for the day.
During the presentation, Cook made no mention of the conflict in Ukraine. Apple said on March 1 it had paused all product sales in Russia in response to the Russian invasion. The Russian state media, RT News and Sputnik News are no longer available for download from the Apple Store outside Russia.
New IPad Air and iPhone colours
The new iPad Air gets its first refresh in two years with a new design, 5G connectivity and a faster M1 chipset, popular in MacBooks. The starting price is $1,049.00 for a 64GB model—$1,299 with cellular—and it will be available starting 18 March.
The new iPad Air also features a 12-megapixel front camera.
Apple also announced new iPhone 13 models in two new finishes, including alpine green.
The company which has been broadening its services and other products also said its Apple TV+ product would begin showing Major League Baseball games on Friday nights in the US.
5G capabilities have been a big part of Apple's focus for the high end of its flagship product as customers look for powerful devices with better connectivity, with the iPhone 13 showing off custom 5G antennas and radio components for faster speeds.
Now, Apple's cheaper SE model is getting a 5G update, which may entice cost-conscious consumers to get new phones. 5G service is spotty in many areas around the world, but the capability gives buyers some "future-proof" protection for when the service becomes stronger.
