![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Apple announces new Macs and iPads
Courtesy of Apple
The iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 are now available in gold color. The iPad Air 2 has an improved camera, and both devices have Touch ID sensors.
Apple Inc. announced the iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, an iMac with a Retina 5K display and a new Mac mini on Oct. 16. The Cupertino-based company also released OS X Yosemite, a new version of its Mac operating system, for download.
Both the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 include a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which can unlock the device and authorize transactions with the iTunes Store and apps that support Apple’s new payment service, Apple Pay.
The WiFi-only iPad Air 2 has a thickness of 0.24 inches and a weight of 0.96 pounds, a reduction from the 0.29 inch thickness and one pound weight of the iPad Air. The iPad Air 2 has several other improvements, including a new A8X processor and improved cameras. Its eight megapixel rear-facing camera supports burst photos and slow motion videos, as well as panoramas, which the iPad Air, iPad mini 3 and iPad mini 2 also support.
Ethan Ma (12) said that the improved camera would likely not have a large impact.
“I think most people who are going to take pictures from an iPad are usually not that concerned with quality,” Ethan said. “They’re probably just going to take selfies.”
The new iMac, available today, has improved processors and a 5120 by 2880 pixel display, which Apple calls “Retina 5K.”
Shreya Neogi (10) did not find the iMac’s announcement significant.
“It doesn’t really affect me because I don’t use the desktop as much because I’m using my laptop all day,” Shreya said. “I’m not really a Mac person, so I don’t really care.”
The new Mac mini has a reduced price of $499 and performance improvements.
OS X Yosemite, which has a new appearance and features, is available as a free download. The new iMac starts at a price of $2,499. The iPad Air 2 price starts at $499, and the iPad mini 3 price starts at $399. The iPad Air and iPad mini 2 prices have dropped to $399 and $299, respectively.
On Oct. 20, Apple will release Apple Pay, a mobile payments service for iPhone. The new iPads will support Apple Pay for in-app orders, but not for in-store transactions.
Praveen Batra (9) is a reporter for the Winged Post. He enjoys informative writing, design, and typography. In his spare time, he likes to write mobile...