Today’s announcements from Apple: the extra-concise edition
Today, Apple announced details on several new products. Details on this year’s iPhone are of particular interest. Here is my extra-concise recap: what, when, and how much. If you want to watch the entire presentation yourself, Apple has uploaded a video.
iOS 11, watchOS 4, tvOS 11
Free, available September 19
Minor updates on the surface with lots of improvements under the hood that allow more powerful apps. Of particular interest are:
redesigned Control Center
greatly improved Siri
centralized file management
Apple Pay for person-to-person payments
Indoor maps for airports and shopping malls
Do Not Disturb While Driving mode
New split-screen capabilities on iPad
For details, watch the overview video from MacRumors, or read what Apple has to say.
macOS 10.13 High Sierra
Free, available September 25
Minor updates on the surface with lots of improvements under the hood. Read what Apple has to say about it. The update is compatible with any computer that can run macOS 10.12 Sierra.
iPhone 8, 8 Plus
64GB $699 / 256GB $849 / add $100 for the “Plus” size
Preorders on September 15, available September 22
Specs all-around improved (image color, volume, camera, etc.)
30% faster than iPhone 7
Bluetooth 5.0
Qi wireless charging
iPhone 8 Plus has new "Portrait Lighting" mode
Seems to be compatible with iPhone 7 cases
See more details here.
iPhone X
64GB $999 / 256GB $1,149
Preorders on October 27, available November 3
5.8" Display with 2436x1125 resolution
Super Retina Display with OLED technology
Face ID replaces Touch ID
Significant camera improvements over iPhone 8
Portrait mode on front camera
"Animoji" characters track your own face movement
2 hours more battery than iPhone 7
Qi wireless charging
See more details here.
Apple Watch Series 3
38mm starting at $329 / $399 with cellular42mm starting at $359 / $429 with cellularPreorders on September 15, available September 22
70% faster
Cellular connectivity option ($10/month extra from your cellular carrier)
Music streaming over cellular
Now available in grey ceramic
See more details here.
Apple TV 4K
32GB $179 / 64GB $199Preorders on September 15, available September 22
4K resolution (2160p) and HDR (Dolby Vision and HDR10) ability when used with compatible televisions
Twice as fast processing, four times faster graphics processing
Bluetooth 5.0
HDMI 2.0a
Gigabit ethernet
See more details here.
Minor details
Many new Watch bands and band colors
Your HD iTunes movie purchases will be upgraded to 4K HDR for free where available
Live sports and live news coming soon to TV app
AirPower charging pad coming next year to allow multiple devices to simultaneously charge wirelessly
iPhone 7 dropped to $549
iPhone 7 Plus dropped to $669
iPhone 6s dropped to $449
iPhone 6s Plus dropped to $549
iPhone SE dropped to $349
Apple Watch Series 1 dropped to $249
New AirPods have a Qi wireless charging case (no other noted changes)
Minor update to the Siri Remote for Apple TV has a more visually prominent Menu button and costs $20 less.
iPhone X accessories have been announced such as silicone cases, leather cases, and folio cases.
The new iPhones use industry-standard wireless Qi charging, which is compatible with accessories from major brands such as Belkin and Ikea.