This week in Tech and Social Media

It's been quite a week in technology and social media, here are the highlights. 1. Apple sent out invitations for it's 9th September event. The new iPhone, possibly to be named iPhone 6, is a guarantee and there may even be a wearable unveiling. However, it's unlikely that a wearable (probably a watch) will go on sale straight away with some sources claiming it won't be this side of Christmas.

2. Amazon purchased the video game streaming site Twitch for $1 Billion (£600 million). This came after talks between Twitch and Google didn't end in a sale and I don't think anybody was quite expecting Amazon to go for the company. It really shows how Amazon are starting to branch out from e-commerce though and is certainly a good buy - Twitch has an amazingly engaged audience with the average viewer watching for 1 hour 45 mins each day.

3. Instagram launched a new app called Hyperlapse. As you'd expect from Instagram it's a really nice and simple app to use and it essentially allows users to take good quality time lapses which are also image stabilised. There's some great examples here: http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/28/6075803/25-of-the-most-amazing-hyperlapse-videos-weve-seen-so-far

Round-up of Apple Announcements

On Tuesday this week Apple made a series of product updates and new announcements at their event in San Francisco. Here's a quick roundup of the important things they announced. 1. Mac Pro

We already knew most of the technical details of Apple's new Mac Pro desktop but what we didn't know was the price or a time-frame for release. We got these answers on Tuesday. The revolutionary new desktop will be available in December and will start at £2,500 for a 3.7GHz Quad-Core with 12GB RAM. The standard 6-Core is priced at £3,299.

2. iPad Mini Retina

This is the one that a lot of people have been waiting for. From the

moment the first iPad Mini was announced this time last year everybody has been waiting for it to be fitted with a Retina display. The new iPad Mini is coming towards the end of November and is priced from £319 up to £659 for a 128GB with Wi-Fi and Cellular. The iPad Mini with Retina Display also features Apple's new A7 and M7 chips which give massively improved speed and graphics.

3. OS X Mavericks

This one got a great round of applause from the audience and all of those watching online. Apple announced that their new desktop operating system - OS X

Mavericks - would be available completely free to all Mac users no matter what version they're currently on. They also had a massive dig at Microsoft who are charging around $100 for their latest operating system. OS X Mavericks comes with a range of updates including much better multiple display support, iBooks, Maps and a lot more.

4. iLife and iWork Updates

Again, this is something that we knew a little bit abou

t from Apple's developer event (WWDC) back in June this year. We did learn though that all of iWork and iLife apps have been refreshed with new graphics and UIs. We also saw a little bit more of iWork for iCloud which is Apple's answer to the fantastic Google Docs. It was also announced that all of these apps would be available for free with all new Macs and iOS devices - saving you a small fortune.

5. iPad Air

This was primarily an iPad event and so of course the regular iPad had to have an update. Not only did itget updated hardware but it got a new name - iPad Air. As I'm sure you guessed it's lighter, thinner and faster than the previous version, mostly thanks to the new A7 chip. There's a also a smaller bezel - 40% smaller in fact - around the screen, which makes a huge difference when compared to older version of the iPad.

What did you like or not like from Apple's announcements? Leave your comments below.

iPad Event set for 22nd October-314

On Tuesday this week Apple sent out invitations to the media for an event on 22nd October in San Francisco. It's highly likely that a new iPad and iPad Mini will be launched along with a possible announcement on OS X Maverics, and who knows what else.

As the wording on the invitations suggest there'll also be an update to the iPad's smart cover too - perhaps an integrated keyboard or something much more innovative and interesting.

Windows 8.1 Launches

Earlier this week Microsoft released a feature-rich update to their latest desktop (and tablet) operating system - Windows 8.1. It's available now to all Windows 8 users from the 'Store' app. Some of the improved features include greater SkyDrive integration, much better search, and there's now a native Facebook App.

Microsoft buy Nokia's Mobile Division

The computing giant Microsoft has today purchased the mobile business of the one time mobile giant Nokia for around £4.6 billion. The deal also includes Nokia maps and a large collection of design and manufacturing patents. The deal will be completed by mid 2014 with the majority of Nokia employees remaining in Finland.