 "Apple CEO Tim Cook introduces the new iPad Pro during an Apple media event in San Francisco (Photo: Reuters)")
Apple has unveiled the highly anticipated iPad Pro tablet which features a 12.9-inch display and the company’s all new 3rd generation 64-bit A9X processor, aimed squarely at Microsoft’s Surface Pro devices.
The larger screen features 5.6 million pixels which is more than what the company offers on its 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display PCs. Making use of all that new screen real estate is Apple’s first touch stylus called Apple Pencil.
“iPad has changed the way we create, learn and how we work. We have been partnering with enterprises like IBM and Cisco and redesign the way people work in enterprise,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said announcing the new iPad Pro. “We asked ourselves, how can we take iPad even further”.
That all new A9X chip is apparently Apple’s fastest and most powerful mobile processor and is 1.8 times as fast as last year’s A8X chip. The company says that the iPad Pro is 80 per cent faster than portable PCs shipped last year.
The iPad Pro offers 10 hours of battery life despite that massive display and powerful processor and for the first time ever the company has added a four speaker audio system. In order to realise the full productivity potential of the iPad Pro, the company has also unveiled Smart Keyboard, a full-size keyboard built specifically for the device.
The cost of the iPad Pro starts at $799 for the 32GB Wi-Fi only model, $949 for the 128GB Wi-Fi only model, while the 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model is priced at $1,079. The Apple Pencil and on the other hand is priced at $99 while the Smart Keyboard will cost $169.
Apple says the iPad Pro and all the accessories will be available in November.
After a three year wait, Apple finally launches the new Apple TV
“The TV experience itself hasn’t changed in decades,” Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, said while announcing the new Apple TV.
The hardware changes include an all-new remote which features a glass touch top that allows users to navigate with slides and taps. Another major addition to Apple TV is the integration of Siri, which allows users to search and control the device with voice.
Further, Apple TV accesses multiple content apps rather than just iTunes. It can pull shows and movies from iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Showtime. Apple has even integrated Apple Music into Apple TV, bringing its all-new music streaming app to the living room.
The Siri integration with Apple TV goes quite deep. Users can search for the weather and sports scores, roll back 15 seconds of a movie or TV show by simply saying “What did she say?”.
Cook said that nearly 60 percent of all pay tv streaming globally happens over an Apple device.
Apple has launched an all new OS, called TV OS that will allow developers to build apps specifically for the large screen. TV OS is based on iOS and will support much of the development framework and tools of the mobile OS. Early apps include Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Disney and a few other games.
Apple launches the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus with 3D Touch; available from September 25
Apple has launched the all-new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus which brings several improvements over last year’s model including the highly anticipated 3D Touch feature, that adds a new dimension of interaction.
The company hasn’t altered the size of the iPhones, sticking with the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screen sizes but has changed the glass protecting those screens claiming to use a double ion exchange process that makes it stronger.
Further, Apple is adding an all-new shade to the iPhone lineup, bringing a Rose Gold Aluminum finish. The star of the show is 3D touch which brings shortcuts to the home screen and even works within apps.
Sensors under the screen register how hard a users presses down on a screen while Apple has also included its new taptic engine that offers superior tactile feedback.
In terms of performance, the device comes packing Apple’s third generation A9 processor with an all new transistor architecture. Apparently the new chip is 70 per cent faster than the A8 for CPU processes and 90 per cent faster for graphic tasks.
Apple has for the first time also included the M9 motion co-processor on the iPhone making for more accurate health tracking and even enables features such as Hey Siri. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus also get the 2nd generation Touch ID sensors which are apparently twice as fast.
As expected, the company finally bumped up the resolution of the camera on the iPhone. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will come with 12 megapixel iSight camera at the rear that can shoot video in 4K. The front facing FaceTime camera too has been updated to a 5 megapixel unit that utilizes the display as a front-facing flash.
Apple has stuck to the same pricing strategy with the new iPhones. Prices of the iPhone 6s will begin at $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 64GB model and $399 for the 128GB model. The iPhone 6s Plus will cost $100 more than the 6s across all storage variants.
The devices will be available for pre-order on September 12 and will go on sale on September 25. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will be launched in India at a later date and at a non-carrier subsidised rates.
Apple: 97% of all Apple Watch owners are satisfied with their purchase
Apple might not have revealed the exact sales figures of the Apple Watch, but if analysts are to be believed, the company sold over 3 million smartwatches in the last quarter making Apple the largest wearable manufactured.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple said that the customer satisfaction for the Apple Watch is 97 per cent so far. Further, the company claims there are 10,000 apps built for the device with upcoming apps including Facebook Messenger, GoPro and health tracking app Air Strip.
Apple has already showcased the many changes its bringing to Watch OS 2 which brought new Watch Faces, third party complications which are live updates such as air travel time and is even getting Apple Transit Maps.
Apart from this, the company has also introduced a few new models of the Apple Watch, including a Hermes special edition device that features a hand-stitched leather strap and custom Hermes watch faces.
The Apple Watch will also come in Gold and Rose Gold shades in the Aluminum model which will cost the same as the regular Aluminum model. The space black stainless steel model is now available with a synthetic sport band.
