(Photo: Jose Sanchez/AP)
Apple held its annual press event at the Steve Jobs Theater, which was built outside the company’s new Apple Park headquarters in Silicon Valley, yesterday at 10 a.m. PST. While the Apple press events are usually shrouded in mystery, a leak of the final version of iOS 11 to a handful of devices pulled back the curtain on what would be revealed.
It was speculated that Apple would announce five new products: the iPhone 8, the iPhone X, the Apple Watch Series 3, New AirPods, and the fifth generation Apple TV. As for software updates along with iOS 11, there would be updates available for the watches, TVs, and MacBooks. Here’s a brief rundown of what was announced:
WatchOS4
The newest version of the Apple Watch will include new fitness challenges with a focus on health, a new feature will notify if you if your heart rate spikes while inactive and can even detect an arrhythmia. WatchOS4 will be out Sept. 19.
Apple TV 4K
The new Apple TV will support both 4K and High Dynamic Range (HDR) bringing an even crisper image into homes. iTunes users can rejoice at the fact that they will receive automatic upgrades of HD titles to 4K HDR as soon as they become available. Apple also announced that they would be working with Netflix and AMazon Prime Video to bring even more 4K HDR content to users.
iPhone 8
The iPhone 8 will remain somewhat similar in design except for it will be entirely made of glass and available in silver, gray, and rose gold. The biggest change, however, will be its wireless charging capabilities, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will be compatible with the Qi wireless charging standard which is already included in quite a few pieces of IKEA furniture. Pricing starts at $699 for a 64GB for the iPhone 8 and $799 for an 8 Plus.
iPhone X (Pronounced as iPhone 10)
With a 5.8 inch OLED “super retina display,” the iPhone X has no home button only a tap of the screen is required to enable the display. TouchID will be replaced with “Face ID,” the front camera has seven sensors that should be able to detect its user's face and unlock upon seeing it. Unfortunately, during the onstage demo the Face ID failed its first attempt, only time will tell if Face ID truly is safer than the TouchID. Most exciting for users was the fact that the iPhone X boasts an extra two hours of battery life than the iPhone 7. The iPhone X will start at $999 for the 64GB with pre-orders beginning on Oct. 27.
Natalia Zreliak
Digital Editor