Apple's event at the company's headquarters unveiled the new iPad Air 2, the iPad mini 3, the 27-inch iMac with a goergous 5K Retina display, and also marked the official release of iOS 8.1, Apple Pay and Yosemite OS. The event started with the official announcement of Apple Pay, which launches on Monday with support from major retailers and all of the major US banks.

Apple Pay offers an easy way to pay using Touch ID on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in stores and within apps. Apple says Apple Pay doesn't collect any transaction information that can be tied back to a user and payment transactions are between the user, the merchant and the user's bank. Apple doesn't collect purchase history, so when you are shopping in a store or restaurant we don't know what you bought, where you bought it or how much you paid for it. Actual card numbers are not stored on the device, instead, a unique Device Account Number is created, encrypted and stored in the Secure Element of the device. The Device Account Number in the Secure Element is walled off from iOS and not backed up to iCloud.

Apple Pay supports credit and debit cards from the three payment networks, American Express, MasterCard and Visa, issued by the top US banks. In addition to American Express, Bank of America, Capital One Bank, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and others, who announced support in September, more than 500 new banks from across the country have signed on to Apple Pay. Users can make purchases in stores and within apps, with credit cards issued by many of the leading banks nationwide, which make up 83 percent of the credit card purchase volume in the US.

Apple Pay in stores is easy to use. Simply hold iPhone near the contactless reader while keeping a finger on Touch ID. Checkout is simple and can happen with a single touch - there's no need to manually fill out account forms or repeatedly type in shipping and billing information. Your actual card number is kept private and not shared with the online merchant. Online shopping within apps allows users to pay for physical goods and services including apparel, electronics, health and beauty products, tickets and more. Apps with the ability to use Apple Pay at launch include: Apple Store app, Chairish, Fancy, Groupon, HotelTonight, Houzz, Instacart, Lyft, OpenTable, Panera Bread, Spring, Staples, Target and Uber. Many more will support Apple Pay by the end of this year with popular apps such as Airbnb, Disney Store, Eventbrite, JackThreads, Levi's Stadium by VenueNext, Sephora, Starbucks, StubHub, Ticketmaster and Tickets.com, among others.

The iOS 8.1 is also dropping on Monday, brings support for Apple Pay and adds the Ability to access all your photos and video at their original resolution, with no downscaling.

Apple is also about to roll out "WatchKit" for app developers for the Apple Watch. That's coming next month, while the wearable device is shipping early next year.

Meanwhile, Apple Yosemite is available today. Yosemite delivers a fresh look and introduces Continuity features that make it easy to hand off activities between Mac and iOS devices and even make and receive iPhone calls from your Mac. Yosemite also includes a new Today view, a redesigned Spotlight and updated versions of Safari, Mail, Messages and iTunes.

Streamlined toolbars make more room for your content, and use translucency to reveal additional app content as you scroll. Other translucent elements, such as window sidebars give you a sense of what?s hidden behind the active window.

Continuity features inbclude Handoff, which automatically passes what you're doing from one device to another, like writing an email or surfing the web. Instant Hotspot makes using your iPhone?s hotspot as easy as connecting to a Wi-Fi network. AirDrop now works between Mac and iOS, so you can quickly share content across devices. All the SMS messages that previously only appeared on your iPhone now can automatically appear in Messages on your Mac and all your iOS devices. You can even make and receive iPhone calls on your Mac.

Yosemite also introduces new features, including:

• Today view in Notification Center, giving you quick access to widgets for Calendar, Weather, Stocks, Reminders, World Clock and social networks. You can also add widgets to customize your Today view;
• a new Spotlight, deliveringinformation right to your desktop from Wikipedia, Maps, Bing, App Store, iTunes Store, iBooks Store, top websites, news and movie showtimes;
• iCloud Drive, so you can store files of any type in iCloud, organize them any way you like, and access them from your Mac, iPhone, iPad or even a Windows PC;
• a new Safari that delivers the fastest performance, as well as the longest battery life for web browsing and Netflix HD video streaming on the Mac;
• an updated version of Mail, which includes Markup for quickly filling out and signing forms and PDFs right within Mail, plus Mail Drop, which makes it easy to send large attachments up to 5GB for free;
• enhanced Messages, so now you can add participants to your ongoing group conversations, see their locations on a map, quickly access attachments and even mute notifications;
• iTunes 12, which has a new look and makes it easier to switch between browsing your music library and discovering new music on the iTunes Store. A new Recents view makes it easy to access the media you just purchased or recently played; and
• Family Sharing, so family members can now browse and download each other?s iTunes, iBooks or Mac App Store purchases.

Yosemite also delivers platform technologies that make it easier for developers to create amazing new Mac apps. Swift is a next-generation programming language for iOS and OS X that?s fast, interactive and helps developers write safer and more reliable code. SpriteKit makes it easier for developers to incorporate motion, lighting and physics in games and when integrated with SceneKit, makes it simple to create games with animated 3D scenes and effects.

Yosemite supports all Macs introduced in 2009 or later, and some models introduced in 2007 and 2008. Continuity features require iOS 8.1. OS X Server 4.0 requires Yosemite and is available from the Mac App Store for $19.99 (US).

Going into hardware, Apple introduced iPad Air 2, the thinnest and most powerful iPad ever. Now just 6.1 mm thin and weighing less than a pound, iPad Air 2 features an improved Retina display and better cameras. Available in gold, silver and space gray, the new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 offer Touch ID so users can unlock their iPad with just the touch of a finger and make purchases within apps using Apple Pay.

The iPad Air 2 offers a unibody enclosure of anodized aluminum. The improved Retina display features a fully-laminated design along with a custom-designed anti-reflective coating that reduces glare.

iPad Air 2 is powered by the new Apple-designed A8X chip, which delivers a 40 percent improvement in CPU performance and 2.5 times the graphics performance of iPad Air, and still delivers the up to 10-hour battery life. Combined with Metal, the new graphics technology in iOS 8, the A8X chip promises to offer realistic visual effects comparable to gaming consoles. iPad Air 2 also includes the M8 motion coprocessor that gathers motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, compass and an all-new barometer which senses air pressure to provide relative elevation.

The iPad Air 2 also comes with improvements to the iSight and FaceTime HD cameras to enable better photos and videos, with an 8MP sensor and advanced optics in the iSight camera and new features including panoramic in Photos, time-lapse video, slo-mo and 1080p HD video. The FaceTime HD camera now captures over 80 percent more light than iPad Air?s camera, and features burst mode as well as HDR stills and video.

iPad Air 2 also delivers faster connectivity with 802.11ac Wi-Fi with Multiple-In-Multiple-Out (MIMO) technology for 2.8 times the Wi-Fi performance of iPad Air at data rates up to 866 Mbps. iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi + Cellular integrates even more LTE bands and comes with expanded LTE for up to 50 percent faster cellular connections, plus support for other fast cellular technology around the world (DC-HSDPA, HSPA+).

Touch ID gives iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 users a simple way to unlock iPad with just the touch of a finger, plus the ability to authenticate within apps to better protect logins and data. Touch ID can be used as a secure way to approve purchases from the App Store, iTunes Store or iBooks Store, and with Apple Pay, when paying for physical goods and services within apps.

The new iPads come with iOS 8.1 including Continuity features across iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite that enable all your Apple products to work together. Handoff lets you start an activity on one device and pass it to another, and when your iPhone is on the same Wi-Fi network, you can make and receive phone calls right from your iPad.

Apple has updated the iPad mini line to include iPad mini 3 with Touch ID and iPad mini with Retina display, now called iPad mini 2 starting at $299. Both iPads feature a Retina display, A7 chip, 5MP iSight camera, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless. iPad mini is also available at $249.

iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 come in three metallic finishes including gold, silver and space gray, and can be ordered online beginning Friday, October 17. Both iPads will be available starting later next week in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (Wi-Fi models only), Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau (Wi-Fi models only), Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Availability in Croatia, Greece, Puerto Rico, Russia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and elsewhere around the world, will continue through the end of October with additional global availability in the coming months.

iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi models will be available for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 64GB model and $699 (US) for the 128GB model. iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi + Cellular models will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 64GB model and $829 (US) for the 128GB model. iPad mini 3 with Wi-Fi models will be available for a suggested retail price of $399 (US) for the 16GB model, $499 (US) for the 64GB model and $599 (US) for the 128GB model. iPad mini 3 with Wi-Fi + Cellular models will be available for a suggested retail price of $529 (US) for the 16GB model, $629 (US) for the 64GB model and $729 (US) for the 128GB model.

iPad Air starts at $399 (US) for the 16GB with Wi-Fi model, iPad mini 2 starts at $299 (US) for the 16GB with Wi-Fi model, and iPad mini starts at $249 (US) for the 16GB with Wi-Fi model.

Apple said it has sold more iPads in the first four years than we sold of any product in its history -- 225 million iPads sold.

Apple also surprised the audience at its event with the announcement of the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display, featuring the world?s highest resolution display with a breathtaking 14.7 million pixels.

With a resolution of 5120 x 2880, iMac with Retina 5K display has four times more pixels than the standard 27-inch iMac and 67 percent more pixels than a 4K display.

Mac with Retina 5K display uses an oxide TFT-based panel to deliver display brightness from corner to corner. A single supercharged Apple-designed timing controller (TCON), with four times the bandwidth, drives all 14.7 million pixels. iMac with Retina 5K display also uses efficient LEDs and organic passivation to improve image quality and reduce display power consumption by 30 percent, even while driving four times more pixels at the same brightness. To improve the contrast ratio, iMac with Retina 5K display uses a new photo alignment process and a compensation film to deliver blacker blacks and more vibrant colors from any viewing angle. In addition, every iMac with Retina 5K display is calibrated using three spectroradiometers.

iMac with Retina 5K display is also more powerful on the inside. It comes with a 3.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.9 GHz, and for the first time can be configured with a 4 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 4.4 GHz. Every new iMac with Retina 5K display also comes with AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics and can be configured with AMD Radeon R9 M295X graphics, delivering up to 3.5 teraflops of computing power. The device comes standard with 8GB of memory and a 1TB Fusion Drive for the first time. The new iMac can also be configured with up to 32GB of memory, a 3TB Fusion Drive, or up to 1TB of super-fast, PCIe-based flash storage. In addition, iMac with Retina 5K display includes two Thunderbolt 2 ports.

iMac with Retina 5K display begins shipping today with a 3.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.9 GHz, AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics and a 1TB Fusion Drive for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US).

Apple also today updated Mac mini with the latest technologies and a new lower starting price. New integrated Intel HD Graphics 5000 and Intel Iris Graphics deliver up to 90 percent faster graphics performance than the previous generation. Mac mini now includes two Thunderbolt 2 ports, each delivering up to 20Gbps of bandwidth to each port, as well as next-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi that is up to three times faster when connected to an 802.11ac base station. Mac mini is still the world?s most energy efficient desktop consuming as few as 6 watts of power at idle.

Mac mini begins shipping today. It comes in three standard models: a 1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.7 GHz, 4GB of memory, Intel HD Graphics 5000 and a 500GB hard drive starting at a suggested retail price of $499 (US); a 2.6 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory, Intel Iris Graphics and a 1TB hard drive starting at suggested retail price of $699 (US); and a 2.8 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.3 GHz, 8GB of memory, Intel Iris Graphics and a 1TB Fusion Drive starting at a suggested retail price of $999 (US).

iMac 5K Retina Specs

• Display: 27-inch (diagonal) Retina display with IPS technology; 5120‑by‑2880 resolution with support for millions of colors
• Price: $2499
• Processor:
  • 3.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz)
  • Configurable to 4.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 4.4GHz).
• Memory:
  • 8GB (two 4GB) of 1600MHz DDR3 memory; four SO-DIMM slots, user accessible
• Configurable to 16GB or 32GB.
• Storage:
  • 1TB Fusion Drive
  • Configurable to 3TB Fusion Drive or 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of flash storage (SSD).
• Graphics:
  • AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics processor with 2GB of GDDR5 memory
  • Configurable to AMD Radeon R9 M295X with 4GB of GDDR5 memory.
• Video Support and Camera:
  • FaceTime HD camera
  • Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840 by 2160 pixels on an external display
  • Support for extended desktop and video mirroring modes
• Audio:
  • Stereo speakers
  • Dual microphones
  • Headphone port
  • Headphone/optical digital audio output (minijack)
  • Support for Apple iPhone headset with microphone
• Connections and Expansion:
  • Headphone SDXC card slot USB 3 Thunderbolt 2 Gigabit Ethernet
  • Headphone port
  • SDXC card slot
  • Four USB 3 ports (compatible with USB 2)
  • Two Thunderbolt 2 ports
  • Mini DisplayPort output
  • Support for DVI, VGA, and dual-link DVI (adapters sold separately)
  • 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
  • Kensington lock slot
• Input
  • Apple Wireless Keyboard
    • Full-size keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted ?T? arrangement)
  • Magic Mouse
    • Smooth, seamless Multi-Touch surface with support for simple gestures (scrolling and swiping). Click and double-click anywhere. Ambidextrous construction accommodates left- and right‑handed users.
  • Magic Trackpad
    • Glass Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control; supports inertial scrolling, pinch and expand, swipe, three-finger swipe, four‑finger swipe, tap, double-tap, rotate, screen zoom, scroll, click and drag, click drag and lock, secondary click A and B.
• Wireless:
  • Wi-Fi: 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
  • Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
• Size and Weight:
  • Height: 20.3 inches (51.6 cm)
  • Width: 25.6 inches (65.0 cm)
  • Stand depth: 8 inches (20.3 cm)
  • Weight: 21 pounds (9.54 kg)
• Operating System: OS X Yosemite