Apple’s “Hey Siri” media event, which started at 1 am today Singapore time, just concluded a few hours ago. If you’re just waking up, here’s a quick executive summary of the key announcements, so you can be up-to-speed with all the Apple developments in a flash. As expected, we have new iPhones, iPads, Apple TV, and some Apple Watch updates.
Let’s start first with the iPhones. Apple announced the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. They retain the same screen sizes and form factor as the previous iPhones. They have upgraded internals, such as the new A9 processor, upgraded 12 MP rear camera, 5 MP front-facing camera, and a new 2nd generation Touch ID fingerprint sensor. A notable new feature is the 3D Touch display that supports more advanced gestures and features, such as Peek and Pop. (Read more on MacNN.)
The iPad has now got a new form factor. The new iPad Pro sports a 12.9-inch display. It’s large enough for a full-sized keyboard, either a virtual on-screen one or a physical Smart Keyboard accessory that attaches magnetically to the side of the iPad Pro. There’s also a new Apple Pencil, a drawing stylus. The iPad Pro runs on a new Apple A9X processor which has double the memory bandwidth and is said to be 1.8 times faster than the previous A8X processor in the iPad Air 2. It’ll sell from US$799 upward. (Read more on MacNN.)
The Apple TV hasn’t been updated in a long while. The fourth generation set top box is finally here. The physical appearance still largely resembles the older models, but internally it has been upgraded to include an A8 processor, Bluetooth 4.0, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO. There’s now a new remote control that sports a glass touchpad at the top end, replacing the old directional navigation controls. It also includes an accelerometer and gyroscope, allowing the remote to be used as a motion controller in games. You can use Siri in the new Apple TV for voice-based search and other controls such as skipping forwards and backwards while playing a program. (Read more on MacNN.)
Finally, we have the Watch. There’s no new Apple Watch per se, but they’ve now got new colour options and more bands. The Apple Watch will be available in Gold and Rose Gold anodised aluminium, and there’ll also be a special Product RED edition that sports a red band with stainless steel casing. The updated watchOS 2 will be released on September 16. (Read more on MacNN.)
That’s the two hour media event, summarised down to under 500 words for you. I think the biggest news from this event is the iPad Pro. It’s almost a MacBook replacement. The iPad Pro’s display resolution, in fact, trumps that of the Retina MacBook Pro. But alas, it’s still an iPad, running iOS, so it cannot be likened to a Microsoft Surface in the Wintel world.
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