Bowen Media took the next best thing to a front-row seat at Apple’s September 2015 event. We streamed the event on our 60-inch flat-screen TV – and ordered a pizza. In case you missed it, here’s a quick recap of everything you need to know about Apple’s massive event.
Apple Watch Meets High Fashion
There’s a whole new color line on its way to the Apple Watch. At the top of the list is a vibrant range such as bright red, a popular neutral skin tone color, and both a gold and rose gold version.
Apple is even tapping into high-end fashion house Hermes. Fashion-forward techies can expect hand-stitched leather straps with a special watch face in October. A few new fall colors are also in the pipeline.
There’s more happening on the tech side, too. The new WatchOS2 meets third-party integrations such as AirStrip and messaging apps like Facebook Messenger. Mark your calendar for September 16. The new Apple Watch sells for the same price – starting at $349.
iPad Pro Ups the Ante
Our first glance at the new iPad Pro is all about the numbers. Chiming in at 12.9 inches, the new, improved and slightly larger iPad Pro is the surface on steroids. At 2732 x 2048 pixels (5.6 million pixels in total), it’s denser than a MacBook Pro with retina display.
1.8 times faster than the previous generation, the iPad Pro boasts the new A9x 64-bit chip. Clocking in at 10 hours of battery life per charge, the sleek 6.9 mm and 1.5 pound Pro is the perfect mobile tablet. A full-size software keyboard and multi-tasking tool accommodates gaming, entertainment and more.
Apple’s new magnetic smart keyboard is another powerful new addition. Yet, it’s hardly front-page news compared to the stylus – called the Apple Pencil. The Apple Pencil raised a few eyebrows, even if Steve Jobs did roll over in his grave.
Available in November, the iPad Pro starts at $799 for a Wi-Fi version with 32GB of memory. Expect to pay $949 for Wi-Fi with 128GB and $1,079 for 128GB with Wi-Fi and cellular data. The Apple Pencil is $99 and the smart keyboard is $169.
Apple TV – Meet the Future of Television
Equipped with Siri voice control and a touch-capable remote – the new Apple TV is the future of television.
The new Apple TV made Siri more contextual than ever. She can suggest movies, filter movie titles by release date, and track down actors in movies. Ask, “What did she say?” and Siri rewinds to the last scene – with captions turned on. She’s ready to help you find content based on category, title, popularity and more.
Apple TV’s Bluetooth 4.0 remote is another breakthrough for TV and movie lovers alike. Swipe quickly to scroll – or slowly to hover. The swiping feature also works as fast-forward during playback. Oh, and the Apple TV remote doubles as a gaming controller. Game on!
Apple TV features a brand new operating system called tvOS. It accommodates third party apps – from Netflix, HBO and Hulu to Zillow and Airbnb. iPhone device owners can also seamlessly transfer games over to the new Apple TV. Sports lovers will especially love player stats right on the screen alongside live streaming games.
Available in October, the new Apple TV starts at $149 for 32GB and $199 for 64GB.
iPhone 6s and 6s Plus – Introducing Rose Gold
3D Touch technology was a big hit at the Apple event. New gestures like hard presses and holding significantly boost the iPhone experience. The new iPhone is also more durable than previous versions – and it’s available in rose gold.
The new A9 chip makes the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus 70 percent faster at CPU tasks and 90 percent faster for graphic tasks. The new camera features a 12MP iSight shooter with 50 percent more pixels and faster auto-focus. iOS9 comes standard with News and Apple Music.
New “Hey Siri” integration makes it easier to get in touch with her. Just speak to bring her up – instead of holding the home button. Welcome to instant access to Apple’s most powerful personal assistant.
The new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus cost the same as the original iPhone 6. Prices start at $199 for the 16GB iPhone 6s and $299 for the 16GB iPhone 6s Plus.