The Apple Keynote Events, where Apple unveils its newest innovations and upgrades, have drawn something of a cult following. At this year’s edition, the company introduced a new and bigger iPad, improved iPhones and a reworked Apple TV.
Apple up-sized its tablet and came up with the iPad Pro that features a 12.9-inch Retina display and plenty of computing power, thanks to a 64-bit A9X chip. Four separate surround-sound speakers make this device as much an entertainment hub as it is a desktop-replacement. No local pricing yet but it’s likely to reach the four-digit range.
Complementing the iPad Pro are new accessories that make drawing and typing a breeze. The Apple Pencil is a stylus that lets users apply different levels of pressure for varying line thicknesses. Drawing at certain angles will also change the level of shading.
The Smart Keyboard snaps magnetically onto the iPad Pro and has the same technology as other MacBook keyboards.
It’s no secret that Apple fans hold out for its smartphone updates each year, and the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus offer noticeable improvements to their predecessors.
Besides the new Rose Gold color and 12-megapixel camera, Apple brings in 3D Touch technology that’s familiar to Apple Watch users. This technology brings up the appropriate menus and shortcuts, depending on the pressure exerted by the user when they tap and hold on each icon.
Prices range from S$1,048 for the iPhone 6S (16GB) to S$1,558 for the iPhone 6S Plus (128GB).
The Apple Watch Sport now comes in gold and rose gold aluminum case colors, with new sport band colors to match. Other Apple Watch models also receive new sport bands and straps. Within the device, Apple has tweaked its watchOS to make apps run faster and smoother.
Apple partners Hermès to launch the Apple Watch Hermès, a new collection that sees the Apple Watch paired with finely crafted leather straps in three distinctive styles – Single Tour, Double Tour and Cuff. Each stainless steel case is etched with Hermès’ signature and the watch itself has three exclusive dial designs.
Prices range from S$1,688 all the way to S$2,328.
Apple re-built its Apple TV from the ground up, adding a new operating system – tvOS – along with a Siri-powered remote. With tvOS, third-party developers can create apps for the Apple TV, and certain games that were only available on iOS can now be played on TV.
Siri on Apple TV helps to search for relevant content, and drills down to even the most specific requests, like a certain episode of a show that stars a certain actor.
With all the new hardware, Apple has not forgotten that having the latest software is equally crucial to users. Its iOS operating system will enter its ninth iteration, offering new features like multitasking for iPads, redesigned Notes app and enhanced security features.
iOS 9 will be available from Wednesday, September 16th.