South Korean president in Russia to boost economic ties

South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited Moscow Friday on a trip intended to boost bilateral economic ties.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook, right, step down from the plane upon his arrival in Moscow's Government Vnukovo airport, Russia, Thursday, June 21, 2018. Moon Jae-in will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, June 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in reviews an honor guard upon his arrival in Moscow's Government Vnukovo airport, Russia, Thursday, June 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Following Moon's talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, officials from the two countries signed agreements on cooperation in various economic projects, energy, transport and innovative technologies.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook, right, leave a plane upon his arrival in Moscow's Government Vnukovo airport, Russia, Thursday, June 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Sergei Karpukhin/Pool Photo via AP)

Putin emphasized that South Korea is one of Russia's top partners in the region and voiced hope that their two-way trade will expand.

He hailed contacts between the two Koreas and the U.S.-North Korean summit.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Sergei Karpukhin/Pool Photo via AP)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Sergei Karpukhin/Pool Photo via AP)

"We hope that it would help significantly reduce tensions around the Korean Peninsula and create conditions for creating conditions for forming a stable security for all countries in the region," Putin said.

He vowed that Moscow also would try to help settle problems concerning North Korea.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Sergei Karpukhin/Pool Photo via AP)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, center, attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Sergei Karpukhin/Pool Photo via AP)

Moon said Seoul was ready to promote a "strategic partnership" with Russia and paid homage to Russian culture, saying that he "fell in love with Russia after reading Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky."

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, second left, attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Sergei Karpukhin/Pool Photo via AP)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, center, attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Sergei Karpukhin/Pool Photo via AP)

He noted that Moscow and Seoul share a desire to further expand their ties.

The Kremlin has pushed for prospective trilateral economic projects involving Russia and both Koreas, including a railway link and a natural gas pipeline.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook, left, attend a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Sergei Karpukhin/Pool Photo via AP)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrives to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, June 22, 2018. (Sergei Karpukhin/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, June 22, 2018. (Sergei Karpukhin/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in walk together during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, June 22, 2018. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple on Tuesday unveiled its next generation of iPad Pros and Airs — models that will boast faster processors, new sizes and a new display system as part of the company's first update to its tablet lineup in more than a year.

The showcase at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, comes after the company disclosed its steepest quarterly decline in iPhone sales since the pandemic’s outset, deepening a slump that’s increasing the pressure on the trendsetting company to spruce up its products. Apple is expected to make a much bigger splash next month during an annual conference devoted to the latest version of its operating systems for iPhones, iPads and Mac computers — software that analysts expect to be packed with more artificial intelligence technology.

Both lines of new iPads add bells and whistles but have adjusted prices to match. The iPad Pro sports a new thinner design, a new M4 processor for added processing power, slightly upgraded storage and incorporates dual OLED panels for a brighter, crisper display. Prices have been hiked to match its new offerings, with the 11-inch model going for $999 and the 13-inch model fetching $1,299.

The new iPad Air has the faster M2 chip, boasts a new design, more base storage, a new 13-inch display option and a recentered camera. It will also support use of the new Apple Pencil Pro, which was a function previously exclusive to the Pro models. The 11-inch display will sell for $599 while the new 13-inch model will fetch $799.

However Apple did announce a price reduction for its 10th generation iPad, which will now retail for $349, down from $449.

Apple is trying to juice demand for iPads after its sales of the tablets plunged 17% from last year during the January-March period. After its 2010 debut helped redefine the tablet market, the iPad has become a minor contributor to Apple's success. It currently accounts for just 6% of the company's sales.

“The enhancements were both needed and predictable, in a maintenance sort of way, and may help stanch some of the revenue loss in that product line,” Forrester Research analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee said of the new iPads. “But it’s nothing to get terribly excited about.”

All the new models will be available in stores starting May 15, with preorders beginning Tuesday.

Apple's biggest announcements from its iPad event: brighter screen, faster chips and the Pencil Pro

Apple's biggest announcements from its iPad event: brighter screen, faster chips and the Pencil Pro

FILE - In this June 16, 2020 file photo, the sun is reflected on Apple's Fifth Avenue store in New York. Apple will reports earnings on Thursday May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)