The wait is finally over. Cupertino-based tech giant Apple unveiled a range of new products at its ‘California Streaming’ event. The tech giant’s annual September event held virtually for the second time due to the pandemic.
Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off this year’s event with Apple TV Plus. There are a ton of new shows coming to Apple TV Plus including a new Jon Stewart show, a second season of The Morning Show, a series with Ton Hanks and Paul Rudd, and more.
New iPad with A13 Bionic chip, iPadOS announced
Apple announced its new iPad lineup, equipped with A13 Bionic chip, which would give 20 percent faster performance than the A12 Bionic. The tech giant updated entry-level iPad with 10.2-inch TrueTone display and iPad Pro-like CentreStage video feature. CenterStage works with a vast array of apps including Zoom, FaceTime, TikTok, and Blue Jeans. The new iPad comes with latest iPadOS 15 and has support for first-gen Apple Pencil and the Apple Smart Keyboard. It has the new 12-megapixel ultrawide camera on the front that is the biggest highlight on the iPad. It comes at a starting price of $329 for 64GB, while the education price for students is set at $299. 64GB is twice the storage on the base model as previous versions. The latest iPad is available in Silver or Space Gray.
New iPad Mini announced
Apple launches another iPad – the new iPad Mini. The new device comes with 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display with TouchID. The company updated iPad Mini with iPad Air and Pro-design, USB Type-C charging port along with 5G support. The new iPad mini uses the A13 Bionic Chip that offers a 40% bump in CPU performance and an 80% bump in GPU improvements. It also offers 2x faster Machine Learning and has a USB-C port as well as 5G modem. You also get a new speaker system with stereo in landscape mode. There is a 12-megapixel camera at the back of a TrueTone Flash. Apple iPad Pro feature – CentreStage – will be also available on the new iPad Mini. Its price starts at $499 and will come with cellular and WiFi only options starting next week.
Apple Watch Series 7 launched
After new iPad and iPad Mini, it’s now time for the new Apple Watch. The Apple Watch 7 series is here with refreshed design with softer edges, faster USB Type-C charging and more. The new Apple Watch features a new bezel-less display which extends to nearly the edge of the case. The always-on screen mode is 70% brighter. Apple claims that you can now fit 50% more text onto the display than the Apple Watch Series 6. The Apple Watch Series 7 is available in two sizes – 41mm on the small one and 45mm on the larger watch. It offers up to 18 hours of battery life and now charges over a USB Type-C port. Also, it is now IP6X certified, while Apple also claims that it is crack resistant. The Apple Watch Series 7 is available in five colors in aluminum, stainless steel, titanium. Apple also announced a Hermes and Nike version of the new Apple Watch. It will cost you $399, and would be available later this fall. Apple Watch Series 3 and SE are now $199 and $279, respectively.
iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini
The iPhone 13 series is finally here. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini use a new A15 Bionic chipset. The new chipset powering the iPhone 13 series is the fastest from Apple. The company claims it to be 50% faster than competitors. The new iPhone 13 brings a Ceramic Shield Display with straight edges and arrive in five colors. On the back, the dual cameras are now diagonally arranged. It features a 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU. Apple claims that the CPU here is 50% faster than the “leading competition”.
The iPhone 13 has a 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 13 mini opts for a 5.4-inch screen. There’s a new custom Apple OLED display here that offers “improved power efficiency”. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini’s advanced displays are now 28% brighter than previous versions. They support Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG. Apple says that there’s a next-gen image signal processor on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, making it the most advanced dual-camera system on any phone. The 12-megapixel main camera is now larger and lets in 50% more light. Additionally, Sensor Shift Stabilization from the iPhone 12 Pro Max is available on the new iPhone 13 and 13 mini. Portrait mode for video with selective focus and Dolby Vision HDR are coming to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini.
We are also being told that the iPhone 13 and 13 mini have better battery life. The iPhone 13 mini can go on for 90 minutes longer than the iPhone 12, while the iPhone 13 can go 2.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12. The Apple iPhone 13’s price is set at $799 for the base model, while the entry-level iPhone 13 mini is priced at $699. However, starting models for both the new iPhones are set at 128GB, while a 512GB storage option is also added to the mix.
iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max announced
The iPhone 13 Pro is being dubbed as the “most Pro iPhone ever”, whatever you want to make of it. It is available in Graphite, Gold, Silver and Sierra Blue. The ceramic display is back and so is the IP68 rating. While it looks more or less the same on the outside, the iPhone 13 Pro has a redesigned interior for a bigger battery. Both the new iPhone Pro models use a faster A15 Bionic chip with an upgraded 5-core GPU as compared to the 4-core GPU on the iPhone 13 and 13 Mini. The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are available in 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screen sizes, respectively. They also have a slightly smaller notch than the previous generation. The two models feature the Super Retina XDR display with 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate that can scale between 10Hz and 120Hz. The display can also go as bright as 1,000 nits.
Apple has also brought a new three-camera system on the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max. The main camera sensor is now bigger and offers better low-light photography. The new ultrawide camera also offers 92.5% improvement in low light and a wider aperture. The new 77mm telephoto camera now offers 3x optical zoom. Night mode is available across all three lenses, while there’s a new macro mode for capturing subjects at just 2cm away. Sensor-shift optical image stabilization also comes to both devices. The iPhone 13 Pro Max has a similar build as the vanilla Pro model, although the former is larger. The new iPhone 13 Pro starts at $999 while the iPhone 13 Pro Max at $1099.