This morning Apple held its September keynote address, announcing new products including the anticipated iPhone releases, Apple Watch Series 4 and updates to Apple HomePod.
The Apple Special Event was held in the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple’s Californian campus Apple Park with a Mission Impossible style lead-in utilising Siri, AirPods and a locked case and a teleporting Apple Watch…so much drama!
iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max
The most anticipated announcement today was the new mobile phone line-up. Today saw the announcement of iPhone XS (Ten S) and iPhone XS Max, which are available for pre-orders from 14 September and available from 21 September.
The iPhone XS is made of surgical steel and comes in a range of colours including the new gold finish. The edge-to-edge bezeless screen comes with the most durable glass ever used in a smartphone.
iPhone XS has a Super Retina 5.8” OLED Retina Display. The new iPhone XS Max has a 6.5” Super Retina display – which is the biggest iPhone display ever. The new plus-sized phone gains most of its extra screen area from height, not width, so shouldn’t be any more difficult to hold. The latest iPhone is IP68 rated, which guarantees projection in water 2m deep up to 30 minutes.
iPhone XS comes with the features we have come to love on iPhone X including Face ID. The A12 Bionic chip provides improved CPU and graphics processing, which also enables improved Augmented Reality (AR) features.
The dual-camera features a 12megapixel wide camera and a 12megapixel telephoto camera. Of course, the improvement to photography is not just hardware, but also improved processing and software. Smart HDR is a new feature featuring zero shutter lag. It basically takes the best parts of a series of photos and merges them to create a beautiful image. Amazingly you can now change the depth of field of your photos after you have taken the photo.
iPhone XS will be released in a range of three colours – silver, space grey and gold.
Both models will have a 64GB, 256GB and 512GB variants.
iPhone XR
The iPhone XR (Ten R) is Apple’s new base model. It comes in White, Black, Blue, Coral, Yellow and Product (RED) colours. It is IP67 water resistant and has a 6.1-inch (diagonal) LCD edge-to-edge display, which is known as a Liquid Retina display.
There is a single 12-megapixel wide-angle camera.
Like other iPhone X variants, it features Face ID. It has improved battery life, with up to 90 minutes longer than an iPhone 8 Plus.
iPhone XR will be available for pre-orders from 19 October and available from 26 October and will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB variants.
Apple Watch Series 4
The Apple Watch 4 was the first product released overnight.
The biggest news about the Apple Watch Series 4 is the new sizes, with the new release coming in 40mm and 44mm sizes (each 2mm larger than previous releases). The Watch screen is now 35% and 32% larger than previous models, meaning you’ll see much more on screen than before, however the casing is thinner and overall volume is less than previous models.
Apple Watch is helping people stay connected and get healthy.
- Keeps you connected – via phone, messages, and cellular models make this even easier
- Fitness is at the core of Apple Watch,
- Health, HRM – it now notifies you if it detects differences in your heart rate, such as low heart rate, high heart rate and abnormal heart rhythm. Apple Watch 4 also features electrodes which can take an electrocardiogram (ECG). This is the first product providing ECG over-the-counter and has FDA approval.
The ability to customise the screen and complications has been improved in Apple Watch 4. You can add your contacts to the Watch face and simply tap to contact.
The Digital Crown has been reengineered with haptic feedback. The speaker has also been redesigned and is 50% louder – making the cellular model more useful!
The Apple Watch 4 includes an updated Accelerometer and Gyroscope. As well as identifying types of movement, the Apple Watch Series 4 can now detect a fall and can automatically call emergency services for you if you remain immobile. Apple Watch is no longer for those after gadgets or those with fitness on their mind.
The Apple Watch 4 will come in Aluminium Space Grey, Silver and Gold and there is a stainless-steel collection also.
The Apple Watch Series 4 will ship with WatchOS 5, and has an 18-hour battery life, and GPS workout time of up to 6 hours. WatchOS 5 is available on September 17 for exisiting Apple Watch owners.
Preorders for the new Apple Watch start on 14 September with availability from 21 September.
iOS 12
The much-anticipated release of iOS 12 was also announced overnight. And it will be available on September 17.
For more information about Apple’s new product line-up, visit our friendly staff at your local Apple Authorised Reseller and Telstra Partner Gee Bees Media.
