Apple’s upgrades: Here’s what’s worth your money - and not

SURPRISE: Apple quietly introduced new AirPods, iPads and iMacs this week, just days ahead of a splashy launch event at its headquarters on March 25.

Translation: You can probably hold onto your wallet.

Apple’s newest products are incremental. None of the changes dramatically reinvent the design or capabilities of the products. The biggest happy news is for people who’ve been holding out on buying an iPad Mini and iMac - they’re both getting a welcome speed boost. The updated AirPod headphones will offer better battery life, but disappoint on other fronts. • AirPods

The 2019 update (priced US$159 to US$199) doesn’t move the needle much on simplicity - or make them work for more people.

What’s good: The battery in the second-generation AirPods promise an hour more of talking time, thanks to a more-efficient processor. This is useful if the primary purpose of your AirPods is making calls, but probably won’t matter much for listening to music.

A nice to have: For US$40 more, you can now get AirPods in a case that charges wirelessly.

What’s missing: Apple is sticking with its one-size-fits-all design with its second-generation AirPods, but the reality is not all human ears are the same. Would it kill Apple to make small, medium and larger versions?

Also missing: noise-cancelling capabilities and colour options other than white. •iPads

Apple’s iPad lineup has never been larger or most confusing.

What’s good: A favourite reading device for many, the 7.9-inch iPad Mini is looking strong again. The new US$399 (RM1,676) Mini, last updated about two years ago, is now much faster, featuring the A12 processor also found in the iPhone XS and XR. The Mini also works with the Apple Pencil stylus, which you can use to doodle and take notes. The question is: Now that so many people have an iPhone XR or XS Max with a gigantic screen, does the Mini still hold much appeal?

Apple’s also bringing back the US$499 iPad Air as a faster, 10.5inch version of its basic US$329 iPad.

What’s missing: None of the new iPads adopted Face ID or the smaller-bezel design of last year’s new iPad Pro.

The US$400 price on Mini is also surprisingly high, given that the larger-screen basic iPad is just US$340 (RM1,428). — Washington Post.

(Clockwise from top left) A Thai forensic police officer using a virtual reality headset to search for victims in a simulated city in ruins at the police headquarters in Chon Buri province. • The audience reacts during a keynote session at the annual Game Developers Conference. • Google vice president and general manager Phil Harrison speaks while announcing a new video gaming streaming service named Stadia. • Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks on-stage during the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Google has set out to disrupt the world of video games with a Stadia platform aimed at putting its massive data centre power in game maker’s hands and letting people play blockbuster titles from any device they wish. • Head of the Infectiology department of the Croix-Rousse hospital Professor Tristan Ferry at the Croix-Rousse hospital, in Lyon, France. Phages are showing to be a possible alternative to antibiotics as a treatment against multi-drug-resistant bacteria. — AFP/Reuters photos

The updated AirPod headphones will offer better battery life, but disappoint on other fronts. — Apple photo

The Xiaomi Black Shark 2 gaming phone. — Photo courtesy of Black Shark