‘New’ iPhone, iPads, and Apple Watch announced
By Jerrison Oracion, Senior Columnist
Unlike last year where they announced a lot of new products in one event (skipping their usual Match release due to COVID), this time around they had two announcements happening close to each other.
In the past year, my family got a few new Apple products that we use. We got an Apple Watch for my grandmother’s birthday so that she can manage her health; my mother got a new iPhone Pro because her previous iPhone was not charging properly, plus she wanted a bigger screen. Her new iPhone is a major upgrade, but as expected there is going to be a new slightly better model as announced in a relatively tame Apple release.
Apple made the big announcement from their headquarters in Cupertino on September 14; however, Apple CEO Tim Cook was pre-tapped in a theatre while the introduction showed images and scenes from around California. Unlike last year where they announced a lot of new products in one event (skipping their usual March release due to COVID), this time around they had two announcements happening close to each other.
In this announcement, they revealed highly anticipated new versions of the iPad, iPhone, and even the Apple Watch, though there were not a lot of major new features in these products. The presentation began with panoramic shots of the company’s home state leading up to Cook waiting in the aptly named Steve Jobs Theatre in their headquarters. He first announced what will be coming to Apple TV+ this fall including the new season of the Emmy winning The Morning Show.
The newest versions of the iPad and the iPad Mini are upgrades in a way because they carry over features from the iPad Pro, including an improved 12MP front camera with the Center Stage feature. In the case of the iPad Mini, it also now uses USB-C, the Touch ID button is now in the power button, the Apple Pencil can now be used, and it supports 5G. Also, I think the new design of the iPad Mini makes it look like a big iPhone.
The new Apple Watch Series 7 now has a larger screen where you can now type with a full keyboard in it, and it is more dust resistant. Then they announced updates to Apple Fitness+ which is pretty much new exercises and group workouts. The latest iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro have some new features to sweeten the release.
The rear cameras are now arranged diagonally, all cameras now have a night mode, and the notch has shrunk to show more of the screen. The new phones also sport a faster processor with the new A15 Bionic chip, and there is a Cinematic Mode where you can now edit videos effects like a professional cinematographer. Also, Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow and cinematographer Greig Fraser demonstrated how the new cameras and features in the iPhone 13 Pro will change how films are made. There is a new video format called ProRes Video which Apple claims makes it easier to edit films in your workflow. Most of the products that they announced have more storage, bigger batteries, and brighter Retina displays.
For some of the products, they replaced the previous version of them but the cost remains the same; unfortunately, the iPad Mini is still more expensive than the iPad. If you have very old models of Apple products, this could be a major change for you. But if you just got these products in the past couple of years, there is not much of a difference in the quality of the products that Apple announced this time.
