Apple last night rolled out a slew of new lifestyle products, including the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, a new iPad Pro, updates to the Apple Watch and a show-stealing new Apple TV.
The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are touted as the most advanced iPhones ever, introducing 3D Touch, which senses force to enable intuitive new ways to access features and interact with content.
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus feature Retina HD displays made from the strongest glass on any smartphone and 7000 series aluminum, the same alloy used in the aerospace industry, in metallic finishes that now include rose gold.
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus also introduce a transformative new approach to photography called Live Photos, bringing still images to life by capturing a moment in motion. Live Photos, 3D Touch and other advancements in the new iPhones are powered by the Apple-designed A9 chip, the most advanced chip ever in a smartphone, delivering faster performance and great battery life.
“The only thing that has changed with iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus is everything – 3D Touch lets users interact with iPhone in entirely new and fun ways, and the innovative Live Photos brings your pictures to life,” says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice-president of worldwide marketing. “These are the most advanced iPhones ever, with 7000 series aluminum, ion-strengthened glass, the new 64-bit A9 chip, 12-megapixel iSight and 5-megapixel FaceTime HD cameras, faster Touch ID, LTE and Wi-Fi. Customers are going to love them.”
A9, Apple’s third-generation 64-bit chip powers the new phones with 70% faster CPU and 90% faster GPU performance than the A8, all with gains in energy efficiency for great battery life. The A9 chip and iOS 9 are architected together for optimal performance where it matters most, in real world usage. M9, Apple’s next-generation motion coprocessor, is embedded into A9, allowing more features to run all the time at lower power, including “Hey Siri,” without the iPhone needing to be plugged in.
Wireless technologies include faster WiFi and LTE Advanced, with support for up to 23 LTE bands.
Apple TV
The Apple TV is based on apps built for the television, letting users choose what to watch and when you watch it, and featuring Siri, so users can use voice to search for TV shows and movies across multiple content providers simultaneously.
The all-new Apple TV is built from the ground up with a new generation of high-performance hardware and introduces an intuitive and fun user interface using the Siri Remote. It runs the new tvOS operating system, based on Apple’s iOS, enabling iOS developers to create apps and games specifically for Apple TV and deliver them directly to users through the new Apple TV App Store.
“There has been so much innovation in entertainment and programming through iOS apps, we want to bring that same excitement to the television,” says Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice-president of Internet Software and Services. “Apps make the TV experience even more compelling for viewers and we think apps represent the future of TV.”
The new Siri Remote simplifies how users select, scroll and navigate through content while bringing interactivity to the new Apple TV by using a glass touch surface that handles both small, accurate movements as well as big, sweeping ones. Adding touch to Apple TV creates a natural, connected experience, even if the TV screen is on the other side of the room. Developers can take advantage of the built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, and the touch surface on the Siri Remote to create games and other app experiences that have never been seen on TV before.
Apple iPad Pro
The new iPad Pro features a 12,9-inch Retina display with 5,6-million pixels and a 64-bit A9X chip that rivals most portable PCs.
The new, larger iPad Pro is thin and light and provides all-day battery life. There are more than 850 000 apps in the App Store designed specifically for iPad, and the new iPad Pro will enable a new generation of advanced apps for everything from productivity, design, illustration, engineering and medical, to education, gaming and entertainment.
Apple today also introduced Apple Pencil for iPad Pro, a precision input device available for purchase separately, which makes drawing and sketching feel fluid and natural. The touch subsystem of the Multi-Touch display in iPad Pro has been redesigned to work with Apple Pencil to reduce latency and deliver accuracy for activities like fine art illustration and detailed 3D design. Advanced sensors in Apple Pencil measure both pressure and tilt for a fast and fluid drawing experience, while a built-in Lightning connector makes for quick and easy pairing and charging. Apple Pencil also works with popular apps like Mail, Notes, Procreate and Office 365 for iPad, offering new levels of creativity and productivity.
Apple’s new Smart Keyboard further extends the utility of iPad Pro, offering a full-sized keyboard in a thin, durable design so you can take it anywhere. The Smart Keyboard, available for purchase separately, attaches to iPad Pro’s innovative Smart Connector port, eliminating the need for a separate battery, on/off switch or Bluetooth pairing. The Smart Keyboard is Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing covered in custom woven fabric and features keys that provide the accuracy, stability and satisfying key feel of standard keyboards, but is also easily foldable and can transform into a Smart Cover. The Smart Keyboard also works seamlessly with new QuickType features in iOS 9 to make typing even faster and easier.
“iPad Pro is the most advanced and powerful iPad we have ever made,” says Schiller. “Its beautiful and large 12.9-inch Retina display has 5,6-million pixels and provides an immersive experience for content and apps. The iPad Pro is far and away the fastest iOS device we have ever made — its A9X chip beats most portable PCs in both CPU and graphics tasks, but is thin and light enough to hold all day.
“The innovative Apple Pencil and new Smart Keyboard enable users to customize their iPad Pro experience to the particular apps they use and the work they do, making iPad Pro ideal for everything from professional productivity to advanced 3D design.”
Apple Watch
Apple also debuted new Apple Watch cases and bands, including new gold and rose gold aluminum Apple Watch Sport models. In addition, watchOS 2 will arrive as a free update on 16 September, including new features and native third-party apps.
watchOS 2 makes apps faster and more fluid by running natively on Apple Watch, and introduces new watch faces, the ability for third-party apps to display information on the watch face as complications, and an innovative way to see future events, past headlines and more with Time Travel. watchOS 2 also includes new communication features such as the ability to respond quickly to Mail with dictation, Smart Replies or emoji, and Digital Touch enables more creativity with multiple sketch colours.
“Our customers love Apple Watch and tell us its incredible health and fitness features are having a huge impact on their lives,” says Jeff Williams, Apple’s senior vice-president of operations. “We’re excited to expand Apple Watch’s functionality with watchOS 2 and offer even more personal choice with beautiful new styles and colours.”