Today Apple make an announcement at San Francisco‘s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Three major things we can look forward to this fall: a gigantic iPad – iPad Pro, Apple Watch, an updated Apple TV and a pair of new iPhones – iPhone 6S & iPhone 6S Plus.
iPad Pro (Pictured Above)
In what Apple called “The biggest news in iPad since iPad,” the company introduced the iPad Pro. This jumbo-sized iPad has a 12.9-inch display that fits 5.6 million pixels. It’s just slightly thicker than the iPad Air at 6.9mm thick (versus 6.1mm thick) and weighs just over 1.5 pounds. Its A9x processor is 1.8 times faster than the A8x in the iPad Air, and it gets 10 hours of battery life. Movie watching will be improved thanks to four built-in speakers that automatically balance left and right audio depending on how you’re holding the tablet.
Apple also introduced two new accessories to accompany the iPad Pro: The Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil. The Smart Keyboard is a version of the smart case that includes a keyboard. It connects to the iPad using a new three-dot magnetic connector that also transfers power and data. The Apple Pencil is Apple’s first stylus. It can detect position, force, and tilt, which, when combined, could make it a powerful tool for illustrating on the iPad, with stroke boldness and thickness depending on how hard you press and what angle you hold it.
The new iPad and accessories are available in November.
Apple Watch
Apple announced that WatchOS 2, the software behind the Apple Watch, will be available September 16th. With it, Watch owners will see a lot of new capabilities including new watch faces and third party complications (which will let you glance at your information and better see what’s most important to you). Apple also partnered with Hermès for three new handsome leather watchbands and also debuted a handful of its own new band colors for the fall.
Apple TV
The 2015 Apple TV is 10mm taller than the 2010 model. Running a new iOS-based operating system called tvOS, it’s powered by an A8 processor (the same as in the iPhone 6) and can accommodate super fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi speeds.
It also comes with a new Bluetooth remote that includes a glass touch surface at the top, five buttons, and a mic for voice control, so you can now use Siri to do your Apple TV bidding. You can say things like, “Siri show me something new” or “Show me family movies, animated only.” Siri will search across multiple content apps when you search for a show like New Girl, and then give you the different viewing options on a single screen. You can search Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Showtime, and more. Siri also gives you some cool options, like if you say “What did she say?,” she’ll rewind what you’re watching 15 seconds. You can also ask about the weather or the latest sports scores without interrupting the content that’s playing.
Apple TV is available in late October.
iPhone 6S & iPhone 6S Plus
Apple updated the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The new 6S and 6S Plus will supposedly be able to better withstand the stresses of daily use thanks to a stronger aluminum casing (the same that’s used in the Apple Watch) and stronger glass.
The 6S and 6S Plus also take another cue from the Apple Watch: something called 3D Touch. Now, your iPhone will be able to distinguish between a tap, a normal press, and pressure-sensitive “peeks” and “pops.” These new taps will act primarily as shortcuts for navigating your phone or to pull up menus. The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus house an updated 12-megapixel shooter that can capture 4K video. The front-facing camera also got an upgrade: It can take 1080p video and 5-megapixel images, and includes a hack that lights up the screen to illuminate your face instead of a flash for nighttime selfies. Apple updated the iPhone’s internals with a faster A9 processor and also a faster TouchID sensor.
iPhone 6S & iPhone 6S Plus will go up for pre-order on Saturday and ships September 25th……
See full story on refinery29.com
Photo: COURTESY CHRISTINA BONNINGTON