Damn, Apple just dropped a ton of new hardware today, including new iPhones, iPads and a brand new Apple TV. There were a lot of goodies snuck into today’s event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, so here’s a recap of everything Apple unveiled that you need to know about.
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus
Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled a duo of new iPhones Wednesday as he lauded that the iPhone brand was now the “most popular in the world.”
The updated new devices sport a ton of new features including 3D touch, which looks to be a major evolution in how users are going to be interacting with their iPhones. Apple also spent a ton of time talking about a new-and-improved 12MP camera that shoots 4K video.
The device sadly still starts at 16GB, but there are some new payment plans to be sure that users can now get their hands on a new iPhone every year.
Some more details on the device:
- 3D Touch (force touch on steroids)
- 64-bit A9 chip
- 12MP back camera with 4K video recording
- 5MP FaceTime HD and Retina Flash
- Extra-quick, new Touch ID
- Supports WiFi up to 866 mbps, with 300 mbps LTE
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- Pre-orders starts Sept. 12, devices launch Sept. 25
- 6s and 6s Plus still start at $199 and $299 respectively for the phones on a 2-year contract
- Apple also introduced the Apple Upgrade Plan, which allows consumers the ability to upgrade to a new iPhone each year for a monthly rate, starting at $32/month
Full breakdown here.
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Powerful 3D Touch
Force Touch finally makes sense. Today Apple revealed 3D Touch for iPhone, empowering the devices to sense pressure and give tactile feedback to users. Ultimately, 3D Touch is about saving users taps and getting them to what they want more quickly. You can peek at an email with a deeper tap and hold. And you can access apps without even opening them thanks to 3D Touch.
A Dope New 12MP Camera + Live Photos
Apple signified in today’s event that it’s really getting serious about photography. Both of the new iPhones are rocking newly improved 12MP iSight Cameras that can shoot 4K video. The company also unveiled a new 5MP HD front-facing camera with a new feature called try-tone flash, which allows users to take some choice selfies in low-light situations.
They also unveiled a super bizarre feature called live photos, which are (apparently) not quite videos as much as they are high-def 12MP stitched photo bursts, with audio. I know, it’s a bit odd. Also, how large are these file sizes going to be?
Full breakdown from someone who actually understands live photos.
iPhone Upgrade Plan
Apple just introduced a new way for you to pay for your iPhone (well not exactly new, as carriers have been trying out payment plans like this for the last several months). What Apple showed off was a monthly payment plan that lets users upgrade to the new iPhone every year starting at $32/month and including AppleCare+.
New Apple TV
Apple dropped a redesigned Apple TV Wednesday and while the box itself hasn’t changed much, with a new app store, OS and multitouch remote, it’s obvious that the company is fully revisiting its “hobby” device.
Tim Cook says that Apple believes the future of TV is apps, so they spent most of Wednesday’s event talking Siri and OS as opposed to the hardware. Apple unveiled tvOS with some insanely powerful Siri support. Want to see “that one Modern Family episode with Edward Norton”? Well, now Siri can find it.
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Apple is putting more of an emphasis on casual gaming than ever with the new Apple TV. They showed off a few couch-friendly games. These obviously aren’t going to be tackling console gaming anytime soon but the new remote has some Wiimote-style motion controls (thanks to a gyroscope and accelerometer) that look to add a new dynamic to iOS gaming.
- Starts at $149 for a 32GB version
- Ships in October
Versatile New Apple TV Remote
The hardware star of the new Apple TV is definitely its new Siri-powered touch surface remote. The bluetooth 4.0-powered remote allows users more advanced control thanks to its variety of inputs.
The iPad Pro
Apple unveiled the ultimate powerhouse tablet today with the iPad Pro, starting at $799. This behemoth sports a beautiful high-def 12.9″ screen with enough screen real estate to allow split, “full-screen” multitasking. Apple also introduced a couple of wild new hardware peripherals for the iPad Pro.
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Some more details on the device below.
- 12.9″ screen rocking a 2,732 x 2,048 display
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- 6.9mm thin, weighs 1.57 lbs
- Starts at $799 for the 32GB model, comes in
- Powerful new A9X chip that’s 1.8x than the A8 before it.
- 10-hour battery life
- 8MP iSight camera
- Touch ID
- Powerful four speaker audio
Apple Surface iPad Keyboard
Unlike past iPads the iPad Pro is really gunning to be a content creation machine, to do that Apple wanted it to have a physical keyboard to handle text entry. What they dropped today is pretty much a Microsoft Surface keyboard clone. Apple was relatively light on details but said the keyboard utilizes new Apple dome switches (?) and also takes advantage of the new magnetic connector on the iPad Pro. It costs a whopping $169!
Precise Apple Pencil
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Apple devoted much more time to talking about their new $99 stylus for iPad, which they dubbed the Apple Pencil. It’s loaded with a crazy amount of precision, which Apple says is accurate “to the pixel.”
The Forgotten iPad mini 4
Apple didn’t give a shit about discussing the changes to the new iPad mini 4. At the event they brushed over that they’ve updated the mini’s internals and that the device is now rocking the same power as the iPad Air 2.
Full breakdown of the mini diss here.
New Apple Watch Stuff
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The Apple Watch was not forgotten at today’s event, in fact, the device gained some new gold and rose gold finishes for the Apple Watch Sport, stylish new designer bands from Hermes and others, and a host of new apps.
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