Apple held its first big hardware event of the fall — titled “California Streaming”. Here’s everything Apple announced on Tuesday.
A new Apple Watch
Apple unveiled Apple Watch Series 7, with a larger display and redesigned look to provide more of a wraparound effect.
Digital buttons on the watch face appear bigger to make them easier to tap, such as trying to find snooze on an alarm. The watch will also include new faces to leverage the size of the display.
The Apple Watch uses the extra screen area to add a predictive text keyboard, so users can quickly type messages by dragging their fingers across the appropriate letters or they can do it the old-fashioned way letter by letter.
Apple says the updated watch boasts an 18-hour battery life and charges 33% faster than the Series 6. It’s available in multiple colors including midnight, starlight, green and red.
The Series 7 will start at $399 and launches later this fall.
Two new iPads, including a revamped Mini
Apple also rolled out updates to its iPad line, with new versions of its entry-level model starting at $329 and an overhauled iPad Mini starting at $499.
Apple says the new iPad Mini, which will feature an 8.3-inch touchscreen, will perform 80% faster than the previous model. The tablet, available Sept. 24, will include an upgrade to its cameras, support for the second-generation Apple Pencil, and support for 5G wireless networks.
The entry-level iPad will retain the same design and price but feature more storage starting at 64GB, and add a 12-megapixel front-facing camera with support for Center Stage, a feature on iPad Pro models which can automatically detect and follow who’s on screen. It’s available on Sept. 24.
New iPhones
New four iPhones: iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro max. Faster chips, better cameras, better battery life.
iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini:
- Both run Apple’s new A15 Bionic chip. It’s got a six-core CPU (two high-performance cores, four high efficiency), a four-core GPU and big improvements to the neural engine that Apple taps for on-device machine learning.
- A “ceramic shield front,” which Apple says is tougher than any other smartphone’s glass.
- IP68 water resistance.
- 28% brighter display.
- iPhone 13 comes in at 6.1″, while iPhone 13 mini will be 5.4″.
- A wild new “Cinematic” mode that uses machine learning for tricks like auto-shifting the camera’s focus when one on-screen speaker looks at someone behind them.
- The 64 GB model has finally been retired, with the base models coming with 128 GB of storage.
- Apple says the iPhone 13 mini’s battery life has been improved by an hour and a half, while most iPhone 13 users will get two and half more hours per charge.
- iPhone 13 will start at $799, while iPhone 13 mini starts at $699.
iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max:
- It’s getting that new “ceramic shield front,” along with an upgrade to A15, here with a five-core GPU.
- As rumored, it’ll get a display that can adjust its refresh rate up to 120 hz for super smooth movement/scrolling.
- It’s got three cameras on the back: a telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, an ultrawide and a wide angle. Night Mode will now play friendly with all three cameras (including the telephoto lens, which previously didn’t support it).
- It’ll come in two sizes: 6.1″ (Pro) and 6.7″ (Pro Max).
- For those who just can’t seem to get enough storage space, they’re introducing 1 TB models!
- Pro starts at $999, Pro Max starts at $1099. Pre-orders start September 17, shipping September 24.
What is Cinematic Mode?
As expected, the iPhone 13 is adding a new mode called Cinematic Mode, which is essentially a version of Portrait Mode for use in videos.
The feature is capable of highlighting and framing the key elements in a video clip, from people or objects in the background to those who are closer to the camera.
The mode will anticipate when the focus of the clip changes. Apple said they studied cinematography used in filmmaking to help design the mode. The mode will shoot in Dolby Vision HDR as well.
Apple Fitness+ gets an update, too
The fitness app available for Apple Watch will launch in 15 more countries and include additional types of experiences such as pilates and guided meditation. There are also workouts to help users get ready for snow season activities such as skiing or snowboarding.
The Fitness+ app will also add Group Workouts using the upcoming SharePlay feature for FaceTime launching on iOS 15. It can support up to 32 people at the same time.
Don’t forget New shows on Apple TV
Apples introduces to new series coming this fall to the tech giant’s streaming TV service. Several big names popping up, including Jon Stewart, a new season of The Morning Show starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston coming this month, and the science-fiction show called “Invasion,” a show called “The Shrink Next Door” starring Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell.
