Wednesday’s ‘Hey Siri, give us a hint’ event was a big one for Apple with announcements that encompassed several product lines. You would think the iPhone 6s and the 6s would be the highlight, but there were several other shining moments for Apple, including the debut of the iPad Pro and the the unveiling of the new Apple TV. We’ve compiled all the major announcements and rounded them up in this post for your convenience. Read on for a summary of Apple’s exciting September event.
Apple Watch
Apple today spiced up the Watch lineup with new bands and several new finishes, including gold and rose gold aluminum Apple Watch Sport models. To match these new Watch styles, Apple also released several new fluoroelastomer Sport bands in lavender, antique white, stone, midnight blue and more.
Continuing its partnership with (PRODUCT)RED, the company unveiled a stainless steel Watch and a companion (PRODUCT)RED Sport Band. A portion of the proceeds from sales of this specialty model will go to the Global Fund to fight AIDS. Apple also forged a new partnership with Hermès to produce a collection of luxury Apple Watch models with stainless steel casings and a variety carefully crafted leather bands.
Besides new bands, Apple also took the wraps off watch OS 2, which brings additional watch faces, new third-party Watch complications and native third party apps. watchOS 2 will be available next week on Wednesday, September 16 as a free software update.
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iPad Pro
After more than a year of rumors, Apple took the wraps off the iPad Pro. Sporting a 12.9-inch display, the tablet is more of a desktop replacement than a smartphone companion. The iPad Pro boasts an incredible set of specs including a 12.9-inch Retina display with 5.6 million pixels and the powerhouse 64-bit A9X processor that provides desktop-class CPU performance and console-class graphics. Not a slouch, the iPad Pro features a 10-hour battery life and connectivity options such as 802.11ac WiFi with MIMO technology, LTE and other high-speed cellular connection (DC-HSDPA, HSPA+) that’ll keep you working while on the go. To complete the package, Apple introduced two new accessories for its enterprise-level tablet — the new $99 Apple Pencil Stylus and the $169 Smart Keyboard which turns the tablet into a portable workstation. There’s also several new non-keyboard coverings, including the $59 polyurethane smart cover and the $79 silicone smart case.
The iPad Pro arrives this November with a starting price of $799 for the 32GB WiFi model and $1079 (US) for the 128GB WiFi + Cellular model. Color options include silver, gold and space gray. All other accessories will debut in November alongside the iPad Pro.
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- The iPad Pro has a ‘Smart Keyboard’ accessory which goes on sale in November for $169
- Apple iPad Pro is powered by A9X chipset; up to 1.8x faster and features a ‘console-class GPU’
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Apple TV
At one point in time, Apple called the Apple TV a hobby, but after today’s announcement that label no longer applies. Now in its fourth generation, the Apple TV has come into its own with support for apps, a redesigned user interface that features deep integration with Siri and new remote that includes a touch pad and dedicated Siri button. The Apple TV4 also includes WiFi, Bluetooth, an Ethernet port, and an IR blaster. The media player is powered by the new tvOS, which is available now for developers as a beta version. Look for more games, more apps and even more content when the Apple TV makes its official debut in October. The media player is priced slightly higher than its predecessors with a starting price tag of $149 for the 32GB version and $199 (US) for the 64GB model.
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iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus
As expected, Apple today unveiled the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Though the new iPhone models are similar in appearance to the existing iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the new iPhones have several hardware improvements that make these phones noticeably better than their predecessors. First and foremost is the new 64-bit A9 chip, which delivers 70 percent faster CPU and 90 percent faster GPU performance than the A8 in the iPhone 6. The most exciting improvement is the innovative 3D Touch interface that borrows the Force Touch display from the Apple Watch and brings it to the iPhone and iOS 9. The new press-able display provides two new gestures, Peek and Pop, that allow you to preview content, such as an incoming message, without losing your place.
Also present n the new iPhones are a 12-megapixel iSight camera, a 5-megapixel FaceTime HD camera, faster Touch ID sensor, LTE and WiFi connectivity, and a casing constructed from a more durable 7000 series aluminum. The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will be available in gold, silver, space gray and a new rose gold color. The phone will go on sale beginning Friday, September 25, with pre-orders starting Saturday, September 12 ast 12:01 PDT. Initial launch countries selling the new iPhones include Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the UK and the US.
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- iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus release date set for September 25, pre-orders from September 12
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iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan
With all the new hardware on its plate, Apple glossed over its software announcements, only casually mentioning the public release of iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan. No new features were revealed, but the company did confirm the public availability of iOS 9 on September 16th and OS X 10.11 on September 30th. The iOS update will be free for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users, while OS X will land without charge on compatible Macs. Ahead of these public releases, Apple seeded the gold master version of iOS 9 and OS X to developers today. iOS 9 includes a number of new features and improvements such as:
➤ Proactive Assistant and smart Siri,
➤ New multitasking features for the iPad
➤ A completely redesigned Notes app
➤ Battery life improvements with new Low Power mode
Also making its gold master debut was OS X El Capitan, which is slated for release later this month.
Related Articles:
- Apple releases iOS 9 GM to developers
- iPhone 6s to feature always-on ‘Hey Siri’ feature
- Apple seeds OS X El Capitan Gold Master ahead of September 30 release date
Summary
Apple’s presentation was a product-filled event that’ll see the company bringing a variety of new products to the market in the coming months. Did any of the announcements grab your attention? Do you plan on buying one or more of the new products that Apple announced? Let us know in the comments.
