In typical Apple fashion, they know how to tug at our heart strings. Apple opened up their fall event on their new corporate campus at the Steve Jobs Theater. Co-founder, Steve Jobs, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2011, played a massive role in shaping where Apple is today. Apple played an intro video showcasing the new theater and Apple’s current CEO, Tim Cook, had some touching words to say about his predecessor, to start the morning.
What did we get today?
Apple Watch
Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 3 today. The new iteration now has cellular capabilities. What does that mean, you ask? It simply means that you do not need your phone nearby to receive your notifications such as making phone calls or sending and receiving text messages.
While watches like this already exist, this is Apple’s first attempt at a cellular connected watch.
The Series 3 Apple Watch starts at $329 without cellular and $399 with the cellular connectivity. Prices through cell carriers have yet to be announced.
Pre-orders start on 9/15 and the official release date is 9/22.
Apple TV
Second up in todays event was the Apple TV 4K. Fantastic name right?
The Apple TV 4K, now allows you to watch 4K video on your 4K television. This has been rumored for quite some time and it was only a matter of time until it came to fruition.
The great thing about this launch is that any movie that you may have purchased through iTunes, in HD, will automatically be upgraded to the 4K version for free. I am glad Apple is doing this for its users.
The Apple TV now starts at $149 for the non-4K version and $179/$199 for the 32GB/64GB models in the 4K versions.
Pre-orders start on 9/15 and the official release date is 9/22.
Waiting for the iPhone new, aren’t ya? Well…here we go!
iPhone
iPhone 8/8Plus
Or should we call these the iPhone 7s? Essentially the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are right where the iPhone 7s would of fallen if Apple would of stuck to their normal naming scheme.
What is new?
The new iPhone 8 comes with Apple’s new A11 Bionic chipset. Apple says that the new A11 Bionic chip is around 70 percent faster than last year’s A10 chip found in the iPhone 7. I scoffed at the Bionic tag on the end of the name but if it is 70 percent faster, I will let it slide.
The camera on the iPhone 8 has gotten small improvements. According to Apple, the smaller 4.7″ iPhone 8’s camera has a larger and faster sensor, a new color filter, deeper pixels and optical image stabilization for both videos and photos.
The iPhone 8 Plus camera has enhanced the ability of that dual camera system from the iPhone 7 Plus. When taking a picture using the 8 Plus’s portrait mode feature you can create different lighting effects in low light situations. Low light is where the iPhone 7 Plus’s portrait mode still lacks. So that is a really great feature to see.
The iPhone 8 looks very much the same as last years devices. Except for the material on the back. The iPhone 8 now has a glass back. Why does it have a glass back? I will get to that in a bit. The new phones come in three colors, silver, space grey and a new gold color. Thankfully, Apple has kept the water and dust resistance in this years phones.
A couple of years ago, Apple introduced a True Tone display on the iPad Pro. I am not sure what has taken so long for the iPhones to get this display but the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will incorporate this feature. The True Tone display allows the colors on the screen to reflect more naturally and will adapt depending on the lighting that you are currently in. It is a feature that I love on the iPad Pro and I welcome it with open arms with these new iPhones.
Ok, remember that glass back I told you about? The iPhone 8 will FINALLY allow us to charge our phones wirelessly. Wireless charging is one of those features that Android users will rub in your face all day long. I am so happy to see this on an Apple device. I always said I could do without but I do know a lot of Android users that rely on wireless charging quite a bit. Fortunately, Apple is using the most common wireless standard, QI (pronounced Chi), in their first attempt into this field.
The iPhone 8 will start at $699 for 64GB of storage and $849 for 256GB of storage.
Pre-orders for these devices start on 9/15 and the official release date is 9/22.
So, you want One More Thing?
iPhone X
Say hello to the iPhone X (pronounced “ten”).
The iPhone X is Apple’s new 5.8″, close to all screen, premier iPhone. This near $1,000 phone has been rumored for almost two years. Not only does it look different than the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, there is a completely new way of using portions of the software.
One of the standout features is the 5.8″ OLED screen. OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode, or in Apple’s terms, Super Retina. This is the first iPhone that has an OLED screen. As with wireless charging, Android users have been throwing this at Apple users face, for years. I don’t blame them either, this is one feature Apple should of had on their iPhones AT LEAST two years ago. Regardless, I am glad that one of this years iPhones received a superior quality screen. One of the differences you will notice about an OLED screen versus the LCD screens on older phones, is about how black, black can be. It sounds silly, but its one of those things you have to see with your own eyes.
You will notice a little notch cut-out at the top of the iPhone X. This is where Apple hides a variety of sensors. As you may notice, there is not home button on this phone. In place of Touch ID, you can now unlock the device through your face using Face ID. Face ID uses sensors and multiple cameras on the front to successfully unlock the device. Apple has put Face ID through rigorous tests to make sure that it cannot be fooled by a picture of someone. During the keynote, Apple showed how they used masks to try to trick Face ID and they could not. Face ID will be the new way to unlock the device and authenticate Apple Pay. Goodbye home button and Touch ID.
Speaking of losing the home button, iOS 11 will run a bit differently on the iPhone X. To get out of an app, you simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen and it will take you to the home screen. To summon Siri, all you have to do is press and hold the lock button or say “Hey Siri”.
A feature that was rumored that I didn’t think I would care too much about was, Animoji. Animoji’s use the cameras and sensors on the front of the phone and map your face into an animated emoji. You have the choice of 12 different Animojis to choose from to share within messages.
The cameras on the iPhone X are even more impressive than that of the iPhone 8 Plus. You can now use Portrait Mode using the front facing cameras. These will most definitley take your selfies to the next level.
The rest of the phone is similar to the iPhone 8. It supports wireless charging, it has the A11 Bionic chip and it is water and dust resistant.
Overall, this is an amazing machine. We will have to see how this device holds up after we get some hands on with it next month. If it is anything like any other Apple product, we will be getting a fantastic device with the iPhone X.
Pre-orders for the iPhone X start on 10/27 with the official release date on 11/3.
The iPhone X 64 GB model starts at $999 and the 256 GB model starts at $1,149.
The Rest
Apple also announced a wireless charging pad called the AirPower mat, that will be released sometime in 2018.
There was no mention of the Apple HomePod that we first got a glimpse at at WWDC earlier in the spring.
I would like to say that there were some surprises today but honestly, everything that was announced was leaked prior to today’s announcement. I feel bad for Apple’s team that has worked so hard to keep these products secret over time and even over years. This is the moment where all of their hard work goes out into the world and it is a shame that it gets out before it is supposed to.
I will be curious to see how the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus perform over the next year. I am a little underwhelmed by them both. Without an iPhone X, this is what the next iPhones would of looked like. But in reality, the iPhone X IS the next iPhone.
Keep checking back as we will keep you updated on the latest iPhone and Apple news. Also, look forward to some reviews as these new devices enter the wild! As usual, thank you for stopping by.
All images courtesy of Apple.com
