It’s another unveiling of Apple’s line of products, including the iPhone, Apple Watch and Apple TV. In Cupertino, CA, from inside Apple’s brand-new Steve Jobs Theater, fans and developers were given the first sneak peek at all three of those devices and more.
Let’s start with the iPhone, which has been a much-talked about item over the past few days, after a iOS leak revealed some rumored details about the new device. According to the livestream of the event on YouTube, the upcoming iPhone 8 looks very much like the iPhone 7, but it’s now all-glass, and it comes in three different colors: silver, grey and rose gold. Peter Schiller, who gave the iPhone presentation, ran through a list of impressive features that the device will ship with, including the True Tone display that adjusts for the temperature of the light, 25% louder stereo speakers and a new “A11 bionic” chip, which will boast a new image signal processor for improved noise reduction and faster low-light autofocus when taking pictures.
The camera is also getting an upgrade, with a new sensor and new color filter on the normal 8. The 8 Plus will get two new sensors for its two new cameras, with a telephoto lens that gets better in low light. The software behind the camera on the 8 Plus will also use the two cameras to build a portrait photo environment and possesses the ability to artificially alter the lighting of the images. According to Schiller, this is also the first iPhone designed for “Augmented Reality,” with AR apps that can enhance your real-world viewing experiences like star gazing and sporting events. AR games will also be a big focus for Apple’s new devices, especially the iPhone. Finally, all the new phones will support Qi wireless charging as a standard feature (hooray!).
Pricing of the iPhone 8 will start at 64GB, from $699, and the 8 Plus will start at $799.
On to other devices now, specifically the Apple Watch and the Apple TV. Where the watch is concerned, the newest physical edition will boast a built-in mobile connection. This way, you’ll still be connected to your phone at all times, with the number staying the same for both devices. You’ll also be able to stream audio to the watch, provided you’re an Apple Music user. Elsewhere, the watch’s faster processor will provide Siri talkback and a new WiFi chip will supposedly reduce power drain by 85%. Apple Watch pricing looks like this: $329 without cellular, $399 with cellular, and series 1 drops down to $249.
As far as the Apple TV goes, the big news to report is 4K support (finally). So, if you’ve got one of those fancy UHD TV’s at home, this might be a worthwhile purchase or upgrade for your streaming or iTunes viewing. Even better news: Apple will be bringing 4K content to iTunes and, because of a won battle with Hollywood studios, there will be no raise in price as a result. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video will also support the new platform. The new Apple TV starts at $179, and will ship on 22 September.
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