The Apple Event of the year was held on Wednesday. The new offering from Apple runs on a low-power W1 chip along with Bluetooth standards. But in addition to special sensors, a microphone and noise canceling technology, they have a processor chip designed by Apple, combined with software that Apple says will make it simple to sync them with an iPhone, Apple Watch and other Apple gadgets.
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Apple’s pricing scheme for buying the two devices from its website hasn’t changed, but consumers now get more storage. “If you are concerned about this, we suggest you use one of the many cases available to protect your iPhone”. These AirPods allegedly provide five hours of listening which, with the charging case, could extend to an impressive 24 hours of battery life. You might not want to go swimming with the device, but it’s something that consumers have wanting for years. AAPL brought out the iPhone in 2007, which was the first smartphone to use a touchscreen, a new bell that wasn’t available on the early versions from the likes of Nokia (NOK) and Motorola (which has since split into two companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions). While the Internet was busy making “I lost one of the pods already” memes, Apple has tried to shake up the stagnant wireless headphone market.
While it may seem like quite a few people are sitting this round out in protest of the audio port, there’s still likely very high demand for a new premiere Apple product.
As they try to assess whether the iPhone has reached a plateau, investors will not be happy about losing a data point, said Colin Gillis, an analyst with BGC Partners. But Apple has never been shy about marketing its products at a premium price. The company sold more than 13 million of the 6s and 6s Plus phones in the first weekend after their launch past year.
Apple’s new iPhone is getting a faster processor, an updated home button and water and dust protection.
With the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, Apple may face a similar challenge. Many are expecting a three-year cycle this time, culminating in a major redesign for 2017 to be called iPhone 8.
A new iPhone 7 starts at $649 for 32 gigabytes of storage, double the base storage of previous iPhones, while an iPhone 7 Plus starts at $769.
Available in silver, gold, rose gold and the new black finish (jet black), iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available in 32GB, 128GB and 256GB models, starting at Rs 60,000.
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Though Samsung is the market leader, its new Galaxy 7 smartphones were recalled late last week after batteries exploded, underscoring the challenges smartphone makers face when they struggle to tweak the bells and whistles. The new phones feature improved cameras and eliminate the traditional headphone jack in favour of new technology. The coming months will tell us whether we are really on the path to a wireless revolution or whether we will need our headphone jack back.
