Since the event’s announcement last month, speculation about what Apple would unveil today ran wild. And Siri certainly didn’t provide us any good clues.
So now that Tim Cook & Co. have gracefully taken and exited the stage, what new products and services do we have to look forward to this fall and beyond from Apple? Check out the Rocket Yard’s event highlights below!
APPLE WATCH
After a few quick updates on the Apple Watch, several new apps were unveiled including Facebook Messenger, AirStrip, Go Pro and iTranslate. Apple also unveiled a wide variety of new bands and watch colors, including Gold and Rose Gold in an anodized aluminum.
iPAD
It seems like it’s been years that we’ve heard about a larger iPad model. And today, we finally got the “big news” with the iPad Pro, which will be available in November in Gold, Silver and Space Gray.
On display: The iPad Pro will have a massive 12.9” diagonal display with 5.6 million pixels. And for the first time on an apple device, there is a variable refresh rate.
Performance: The iPad Pro features desktop class performance with the 3rd-generation 64-bit A9X chip with 2x the memory bandwidth and 2x faster storage performance. Apple claims it’s faster than 80% of portable PCs shipped in past 12 months while still boasting a 10-hour battery life. It also features for the first time a four speaker audio system.
Size, weight: The iPad Pro is just .8mm thicker than the iPad Air 2 and is only .03 pounds heavier than the original iPad.
Smart Keyboard: The new physical Smart Keyboard attaches via a new magnetic connector to the iPad Pro for power and data bi-directionally. It uses the Apple Dome Switch on its keys, which debuted on the 12” MacBook.
Apple Pencil: A Jony Ive video outlined the Apple Pencil features. The tech in the pencil detects position, force and tilt and calculates angle and orientation to produce broad or shaded strokes. It charges via the lightning port on the iPad Pro.
Appetite for apps: Kirk Koenigsbauer from Microsoft took the stage to show off new features for Microsoft Office on the new iPad including the ability to multitask Word and Excel simultaneously and full support for Apple Pencil in PowerPoint. Adobe is also working on a powerful new suite of apps, including Adobe Photoshop Fix, which were demoed and will ship in October. Lastly, Irene Walsh from 3D4Medical demoed a human anatomy app on the iPad Pro.
Pricing: The iPad Pro will begin at $799 for a 32GB model and escalate from there, while the Apple Pencil will set you back $99 and the Smart Keyboard will be $169.
iPad mini 4: The last announcement was that the iPad mini 4 would be updated with the power and performance of an iPad Air 2. It will cost $399.
APPLE TV
Leading up to the event this morning, Apple VP Eddy Cue tweeted “It’s a big day for the big screen!” and he wasn’t just talking about the iPad Pro.
The new Apple TV: Voice and touch are prominent in the new Apple TV, and this begins with the new Apple Remote. The remote has a small touch screen and a several buttons including one for Siri that lets you interact with your Apple TV. Simply hold down the button and ask for what you’re looking for on multiple content apps including iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, HBO and Showtime. The remote is also equipped with an accelerometer so it can be used as a motion controller. The Apple TV itself has a 64-bit A8 chip, Bluetooth 4.0 (so you don’t need to aim your remote) and Ethernet while being marginally thicker than the previous generation model.
tvOS: As Tim Cook told it, the future of TV lies with apps. All of Apple’s apps have been redesigned for tvOS – the new operating system for your Apple TV. Netflix, HBO, Hulu have been redesigned and games have finally been brought to Apple TV.
Hello, Siri: Siri has a ton of cool features on Apple TV. You can request specific shows with specific guest stars and even ask Siri to skip ahead specific amounts of times in shows or ask her to turn on closed captions by asking “What did she say?” She will even give suggestions on shows for specific situations – “what’s a good movie to watch with my nephew” for example.
Pricing: The new Apple TV will cost $149 for a 32GB model and $199 for a 64GB model, and it will ship in late October in 80 countries. The existing Apple TV will remain $69.
iPHONE 6S, iPHONE 6S PLUS
It’s become routine for the new generation of iPhone to be released at Apple’s September event. It also is routine for Apple to keep a very similar design for its “s” iterations. This year is no exception, as the iPhone appears largely unchanged on the surface, with a touch of added thickness. However, what lies under the surface is a plethora of new features.
The new iPhone(s): As expected the new iPhones are named the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and they’re “the most advanced iPhones ever.” The new iPhone comes in the same sizes and finishes with the addition of Rose Gold.
Use the force: The Force Touch capability first appeared in the 12” MacBook that was released earlier this year. Now it’s arrived on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. Another Jony Ive video unveiled 3D Touch, which recognizes force and enables new gestures such as peek and pop. The new 3D Touch system works on home screen to get short cuts to the things you frequently do. Pressing lightly gives you a peek at the content and continuing to press it pops you into the content itself. And tactile feedback for each action lets you know what you’ve done and what to expect.
Camera: Apple’s goal was to add pixels only when they could do so without degrading quality… now they’ve done so. The new 12-megapixel iSight camera has 50% more pixels. The sensor has 50% more pixels including 50% more focus pixels. And you can now shoot 4K video as well. The new Face Time camera also gets an upgrade to 5 megapixels and the TrueTone flash is coming to the front side via the Retina display, which will act as a flash, lighting up to 3x brighter when you need it as a flash.
Live Photos: This feature is brought to life by 3D Touch. Simply press the photo and see it in motion. Live Photos is on by default and captures a few seconds after your finger hits the shutter without taking much more storage room.
A9 Chip, RAM: The new A9 chip features a new transistor architecture and is 70 percent faster at CPU tasks than the A8 chip and 90 percent faster at GPU tasks. The M9 motion co-processor is built directly into the A9 chip.
A new touch: The second generation Touch ID sensor is twice as fast as the previous generation.
Siri: The “Hey, Siri” feature now works without being plugged in.
Accessories: New docs and case colors were announced along with the phones.
Pricing: The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will keep the same pricing conventions as the previous generation, starting at $199 and $299, respectively, and still start at 16GB. Apple also unveiled an upgrade program beginning at $32 that gives you a new iPhone every year. iCloud receives new pricing, beginning at 99 cents a month for 50GB, with 200GB for $2.99 and a full terabyte for $9.99 a month.
Release: Pre-orders for the new iPhones start Saturday, Sept. 12 and will be available Sept. 25. The new operating system iOS 9 arrives Sept. 16. Update: OS X El Capitan will be released Sept. 30.
ANYTHING MISSING?
What were your favorite announcements from the event? Was anything missing that you were expecting? Let us know in the comments section.
