Apple iPad Air 2 and iMac event: What was announced and what wasn't

Apple iPad event live blog october 16
Here's what happened at Apple's latest event

The more that Apple's events try to add comedy, the fewer surprises it actually has to unveil. That was the case with this week's funny, but non-so-top-secret iPad and Mac event.

October now means new iPads and Macs as much as it guarantees Halloween every year. And it always makes room for the latest iOS update to fix launch bugs and a fresh coat of paint for OS X, at least it has over the last two years.

That's not to say that these updates aren't great. We especially liked the iMac Retina 5K and are charging up our iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to use Apple Pay next week.

Just in case you weren't able to boot up Safari to catch the live stream or follow our live blog, here's what you missed and didn't miss.

New iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3

It's called the iPad Air 2, but Apple got rid of the air between its tablet's display components for a thinner design that's 0.24 inches (6.1mm).

iPad Air 2 display

Mmmmmm... sandwich

Sandwiched glass, touch sensor and LCD layers make up this 9.7 inch screen and result in a sharper looking picture, even if it keeps that 2048 x 1536 resolution.

Apple's outer design is about subtraction, while its internals add a stepped-up A8X processor, Touch ID fingerprint sensor and new 8-megapixel camera if you're one of those people.

The subtle 7.9-inch iPad mini 3 upgrade shares just three of iPad Air 2's new specs: Touch ID, gold color option and 64GB replacing 32GB for the same price.

iOS 8.1 release date

A handful of existing iPhone and iPad customers are counting down the days until the iOS 8.1 release date, which we now know is October 20.

iOS 8

Bug fixes incoming

As we said in our iOS 8 review, we liked the new features of this operating system update, but its Wi-Fi and battery drain issues for a handful of customers were an unwelcome change.

Apple is promising that it listened to your "feedback" and will fix the bugs on Monday when iOS 8.1 becomes available to download.

Apple Pay launch

Everything from Disneyland to Starbucks plans to accept Apple's digital wallet, meaning you have twice as much reason to avoid leaving your iPhone 6 at home.

Apple Pay

Apple Pay in action

Apple Pay launches Monday in the US along with the iOS 8.1 update, and the company has enlisted 500 banks and three credit card firms: Visa, American Express and MasterCard.

Its Touch ID fingerprint verification could one day make this the most secure payment method vs swipe-based credit card machines that have recently been targeted by hackers.

iMac with Retina 5K and Mac Mini

Apple's redesigned all-in-one computer got even more brilliant with the iMac with Retina 5K Display announcement. It's 27 inches with 14.7 million pixels and 217 pixels per inch.

That's better than a 4K TV thanks to its 5120 x 2880 resolution, all for the fairly reasonable price of $2,499 (£1,999, AU$2,999). That's ideal for professionals.

Apple Pay

This super-thin computer puts your 4K TV to shame

Also introduced at the Apple event was Mac mini, which sits at the opposite end of the price spectrum at $499 (£399, AU$619).

All of a sudden that budget0conscious student stuck on Windows 8 who says they "can't afford to buy a Mac computer" has a cost-effective option.

Download OS X Yosemite right now

We knew all of the OS X 10.10 Yosemite features from WWDC and have been toying with the beta for several months. Now it's finally here on our Macs.

You can download the redesigned Apple operating system that sports a flatter iOS 7-like look and check out the cross-platform features that tie into iOS 8.

OS X Yosemite

Free and available right now

Phone calls and messages, even from Android users, are now relayed from your iPhone to your Mac thanks to Yosemite. It really breaks down the mobile-to-Mac wall.

Outside of the Apple Watch tease, that was it for the Apple iPad and Mac event highlights. But not everything we wanted to see was announced.

They're now possible surprises for next year and await you on Page 2.

Matt Swider