Much of the presentation headed by Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook was devoted to technical details of photography, wireless earphones, games from Nintendo, and a new version of Apple watch – with fitness features. Uh, perhaps I could interest you in these lower-priced iPhone 6s and 6s Plus phones, because you won’t find a headphone jack on either new iPhone.
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The starting price of $369 for the Apple Watch Nike+ could prove to be too high, when compared directly with dedicated fitness devices like FitBit’s Blaze smartwatch, which has built-in Global Positioning System and starts at $199.95.
Apple is trying to reverse its first decline in iPhone sales since the company’s late founder, Steve Jobs, unveiled the trendsetting device in 2007.
It’s similar to what Apple has done with a trackpad in a slimmer MacBook model past year. The iPhone 7 and larger iPhone 7 Plus, with new camera technology, 50-meter water resistance and other features, were the highlight of an Apple media event in San Francisco.
The iPhone has been around for nine years. “Instead we get a phone from Apple with no headphone jack”. That compares to 14 hours of talk time, 10 days of standby and 12 hours of web surfing for the iPhone 7.
If you think you’ll just use the iPhone’s supplied apps and won’t be exploring the 2 million apps on Apple’s App Store, you should be OK.
It will be available in a wide variety of styles and colours, with casings including aluminium, stainless steel and a new ceramic edition – which Apple claims is four times harder than stainless steel.
Apple says one of the engineering challenges has been sealing the speaker port, which needs air to work. “Apple has a long history of making innovative, yet radical changes to their devices that make the most vocal opponents speak out, but they also have a loyal consumer base that praise their progressive design, too”.
The “swim-proof” model has been tested with machines to prove it can withstand constant use in the pool or sea.
The watch update was announced 17 months after the first model came out.
The most significant upgrades to this year’s models include a faster processor and a better camera, upgrades that Apple typically makes every year. Apple announced numerous features in June. The original model will get a faster processor and a price cut to 23,900. Older iPhones will get price reductions, and last year’s models are also getting double the storage.
The telephoto lens also adds a depth-of-field effect to images, but it will only be activated via a software update set to be released at some point in the coming weeks. Existing watches will get the new watchOS operating software update on September 13.
Apple’s product refresh, that also included an improved Apple Watch, follows slightly better-than-expected fiscal third-quarter earnings for the company on revenue and iPhone and iPad sales that topped forecasts.
Bob O’Donnell of research firm TECHnalysis said Apple’s new glossy black finish could be more popular than any tech feature, reflecting the slowdown in major tech innovations for smartphones.
Apple is also expected to announce the dates when the new models will go on sale, along with its timetable for releasing the next major upgrades to the software for iPhones, iPads, the Apple Watch, Apple TV and Mac computers.
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While shares of Apple barely budged, Nintendo’s USA -listed shares jumped 29 pct on investors’ hopes that Super Mario would be another mobile gaming hit for the Japanese company akin to the wildly popular Pokemon Go.
