Apple 16 October 2014 Event - The Aftermath

Even with not much expectations on the 16 October 2014 Apple event (to be frank, I was actually only hoping for a new Mac Mini) I found it lacking with a Phil Schiller that seemed to be less than his usual enthusiastic self. 

First of all, I'm glad that Apple reintroduced the numbering system into their iPad product lines and all's well with yet a thinner body, Touch ID, new processor, better camera, etc. However, that's more a refresh than any major innovation. The Retina iPad Mini 3 was mentioned quickly with even less fanfare.

The new Retina 5K iMac sounds cool with such a nice screen but that's something beyond my reach so it garnered nothing more than a quick "wow" from me.

My heart almost dropped when I thought it was the end of the event but alas the refreshed Mac Mini was introduced quickly with a lower price point. I think I'm going to get one! Just like Phil Schiller said, a first Mac. 

Despite a refresh and a price "drop", I can't help feeling that it's not really a super bargain that Apple would want us to believe. There's no more quad core i7 and apparently, RAM is no longer user upgradeable. Well, there is better graphics, even for the base model (which essentially is a base Macbook Air and iMac). Sigh, so things are really not as rosy but I most likely will get the mid-range version. It is still the cheapest Mac around after all and that's all I can afford at the moment.