The latest sign that the coronavirus outbreak is disrupting the tech industry may be Apple, known for its high-profile product launches, showing off its new flagship device in a virtual demo to reporters on Wednesday.
The Cupertino, California-based company, which currently has employees working from home, has announced updates to its iPad and MacBook Air product lines. Updates include faster processors, improved cameras and new keyboards. The launch comes as an outbreak of the coronavirus slows Apple’s momentum. Like many other companies, Apple warns that coronaviruses could hurt their revenues.
Apple sold fewer than 500,000 iPhones in China in February, according to government data, one of its biggest markets. That’s down more than 60 percent from the same month last year. Apple told reporters by phone that in the current environment, Apple is doing its best to deliver orders to customers as soon as possible. The Apple Store website has been updated to promote the new iPad Pro – a reminder to customers that all Apple retail stores outside Greater China are closed due to the spread of the virus.
The company’s new iPad Pro, which has 11 inches (A1329) and 12.9 inches (A1469) and looks similar to previous models, but features a new Liquid Retina display, a more powerful processor and a new ultra-wide camera. It is also equipped with a LIDAR scanner for camera depth sensing and support for augmented reality.
LIDAR stands for light detection and ranging, and the pulses it emits cause the object to bounce back and return to the sensor, telling it how far it is. It has long been used in self-driving car technology, and NASA is using LIDAR to develop a landing system. Apple says it has sold 500m iPads so far and has been the best-selling tablet in a decade. The new iPad will go on sale from Wednesday and ship next week.
