Late last night, Apple unveiled a host of new gadgets from the Steve Jobs Theater on its new “space ship” campus, Apple Park, and all of these will go on sale over the remainder of the year. Here is a quick rundown of everything Apple showed off today.
iPhone X: The iPhone X was introduced to the audience by CEO Tim Cook as the “one more thing”, a tribute to the format that the late Steve Jobs had often used to surprise keynote audiences… except that this time, very little in the announcement was much of a surprise thanks to a number of major leaks over the preceding weekend. The X, pronounced ‘ten’ to mark the 10th anniversary of the launch of the original iPhone, is the biggest change in the phone design in years, with a new top-to-bottom borderless, OLED screen, wireless charging and facial recognition tech to replace the earlier fingerprint-based biometric security. The screen’s the big draw – it measures 5.8-inches diagonally with a 2436x1135-pixel resolution, all in a form factor that’s barely bigger than the current iPhone 7. It's also the first iPhone since the 5S without a home button or fingerprint scanner – instead, you raise it to your face and it unlocks the device via facial recognition and you then swipe up from the bottom of the screen to the home screen or launch the app switcher. Here’s the catch – it’s the priciest iPhone yet, and it launches in November. If you want the latest and greatest from Apple, this is it. Need a phone sooner, or if you feel Rs 89,000 is way too much to spend on a phone? Consider the iPhone 8 range instead.
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iPhone 8 and 8 Plus: The Apple phones for the rest of us, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus may not look that different from their predecessors, but they feature a lot in common with the X edition launched alongside. Both the 8 and 8 Plus have new glass backs, and a display with the same adaptive-color-temperature tech called True Tone which we’ve seen previously on the iPad. Under the hood, both pack in the A11 Bionic processor (like the X) and support wireless charging via the universally accepted Qi wireless charging standard. Besides being optimised for augmented reality experiences, the 12MP camera sensors on the new iPhone 8 are larger, faster and capture more light than the previous gen, and you also get optical image stabilisation on both cameras, 4K video up to 60fps and 1080p slo-mo up to 240fps. Apple has added a new feature called Portrait Lighting, which uses machine learning to read your face in selfies and adjust the lighting accordingly. Both will be available from Sept. 29, and start at Rs 64,000 (iPhone 8) and Rs 73,000 (iPhone 8 Plus).
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Apple Watch Series 3: The Apple Watch continues its dominance over watch sales, but Apple has nevertheless revamped the smart watch with the inclusion of LTE cellular data via an electronic SIM inside the diminutive phone body. No longer do you have to stay tethered to the iPhone for it to be useful – you can take calls, stream music and invoke Siri to do your bidding. Constant heart monitoring – including post workout heart rate cooldown period calculation – was included, along with alerts for irregular heartbeats which could require medical intervention. New watch lands on Sep 29th starting from Rs 29,900, but only the models without cellular connectivity.
Apple TV 4K: The most minor of upgrades, the Apple TV now supports streaming content in 4K and High Dynamic Range – a tool meant to bring out the broadest spectrum of screen contrast and colors. Starting from Rs 15900, TV 4K will be available from 22 September.
AirPower Charging Pad: If you built in a wireless charging in your latest lineup of phones, it stands to reason you’re going to want to have an accessory that can charge them all. Apple displayed AirPower, a charging pad that’s launching next year which will support simultaneously charging an iPhone, a Mac and the wireless earpods. No news on when this will launch or how much this would set one back by.
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iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra: Probably the announcement we were most looking out for were the release dates for iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra. Some of you may be aware that iOS 11 has a transformation effect on the iPad, so you’re going to want to set a reminder for that so that you can sample the all new AR, enhanced Siri, and a ‘do not disturb’ mode for driving. Apple also unveiled the release date for macOS High Sierra, a major update to its existing Sierra version, on its website following the event. Originally announced in June and available in beta form for the past several months, macOS High Sierra comes packed with new features and updates designed to enhance Apple's family of Mac computers.
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