Apple’s marketing chief, Phil Schiller, said that the camera on iPhone 7 Plus is the best ever made on any smartphone in existence today. The price was not disclosed. The app lets you collect items from Pokestops, hatch eggs and alert you to nearby Pokemon (you still need your phone to catch actual Pokemon). It’s a neat new home for the catch ’em all game, but we’re wary that as many people will flock to it as they did the original version.
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Apple’s next iPhones will come without the analog headphone jack that’s been standard on iPhones and most other electronic devices for years.
Similarly, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus look ostensibly the same as the versions before them, barring a few lines on the back of the phones, and the second camera on the Plus model. And some enthusiasts say a digital connection provides better audio quality.
“It comes down to one reason: courage, the courage to move on”, Schiller said of the decision to get rid of the traditional headset port. “Maintaining an old, single-purpose connector just doesn’t make sense”.
Apple’s iPhone 7 won’t have a 3.5 mm headphone port but will ship with an adapter and a set of Lightning headphones.
Apple is expected to show off new iPhones, an updated smartwatch – and maybe some new gear for listening to both – during its annual fall product launch event Wednesday.
Shipping in mid-September, the new phones are priced starting at $649 for the iPhone 7 and $769 for the iPhone 7 Plus, which has a bigger screen. “It is jam-packed with new features”, Cook said.
Expectations for the iPhone 7 had been muted, with anticipation instead mounting for the model to be introduced in 2017, when Apple celebrates the device’s 10th anniversary. Apple Watch Series 2 does add Global Positioning System, though, which means you can take it for a walk, jog, or bike ride and still view distance, speed, and location information without having to carry an iPhone too.
Analysts were split on whether new iPhones would help Apple regain momentum. “I think Apple has a real victor here”.
“The iPhone 7 runs the risk of disappointing investors”, he said.
The larger iPhone 7 Plus will be even more of a wallet buster than it’s smaller sibling. “Apple is relying on hardware iterations for market growth – but only time will tell if the new Apple Watch can deliver what its predecessor couldn’t”. “We’re just at the beginning of a truly wireless future we’ve been working towards for many years”. The game will be available on the Apple Watch later this year.
Except – oops! – CEO Tim Cook had yet to announce the new version of the smartphone.
In the hours preceding the announcement, the Apple Store in Old Orchard was busy but not with an air of anticipation.
Apple, Nintendo and game maker Niantic announced the wildly popular Pokemon Go would be available for Apple Watch users later this month. The button is as responsive as you want it to be, still allows you to flawlessly use it for double tapping or Touch ID, and yet gives you a very similar experience to the Watch and the Macbook Trackpad.
Apple is increasing the entry level price of the new device to US$369 for U.S. customers.
“Overall, the advances in this year’s phones on top of those in last year’s devices should make for a fairly significant upgrade for the typical two-year upgrader”, said Jan Dawson of Jackdaw research.
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Apple is also going to start selling a pair of headphones called AirPods.
