Apple Unveils Most Powerful Mac Computer Yet

Apple unveiled a slew of new products on Tuesday, including a lightweight iPad Air and an iPad Mini featuring a high-definition display. But the real star of the show may have been the Mac Pro, which boasts some very impressive hardware.

It's been rumored for weeks that Apple's October 22 press event would feature a number of new and updated products. And the Cupertino, California-based firm didn't disappoint.

Apple Unveils Ultra-Thin, Ultra-Light 'iPad Air'

One of the most exciting new products is the iPad Air, which Apple says is 20 per cent thinner and 28 per cent lighter than the fourth-generation iPad.

The iPad Air, which Apple vice president Phil Schiller says is "screaming fast," will go on sale November 1, 2013. A 16GB and WiFi-only version will cost $499, while a 16GB 4G LTE iPad Air will go for $629. (Source: cnn.com)

Apple also unveiled a new iPad Mini featuring a high-definition display. You may recall that one of the major criticisms of the original iPad Mini was that its display didn't stack up to the Retina screen built into the standard iPad.

This time the more disappointing issue may be the price: the new iPad Mini will cost $399 -- $70 more than its predecessor.

'Mac Pro' Features Fastest CPU Ever Built Into a Mac Computer

But most of the attention was drawn to Apple's new Mac Pro, a compact desktop computer that features some remarkable hardware and performance.

The Mac Pro includes a 3.7GHz Intel Xeon processor, 12GB RAM, a 256GB PCIe solid-state drive, and AMD FirePro graphics card. Apple is also also offering six Thunderbolt 2 ports which are capable of powering three super-HD 4K displays.

Apple says the Mac Pro will also be 70 per cent more energy-efficient and substantially quieter than any previous Mac desktop. (Source: cnet.com)

Unsurprisingly, the device looks very sleek. It's no bigger than your average computer speaker, meaning it won't take up much room in your home or office.

It's also not particularly surprising that the Mac Pro will be expensive -- really expensive. In fact, Apple says the device will retail for $2,999 when it goes on sale sometime this December.