Yahoo Tech
September 9, 2015
Every
fall, Apple holds a big media event to introduce its latest products,
and it’s always quite a show. This year’s edition was no different, with
new iPhones, an improved Apple TV, and a GIANT iPad. Here’s a quick
recap.
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus
The
biggest news to come out of Apple’s event was the debut of the $199
iPhone 6s and $299 6s Plus. Both phones look nearly identical to last
year’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, but (like mom always said) it’s what’s
inside that counts.
The
new iPhones come with improved 12-megapixel iSight cameras that Apple
says will capture cleaner, crisper images compared to the 8-megapixel
camera in the iPhone 6. They also have new pressure-sensitive 3D Touch
displays, which support some new gestures for interacting with apps and
data.
For
example, if you get an iMessage with a link to a website, you’ll be
able to lightly press that link to open the page without ever leaving
iMessage.
Apple
has also made the phones sturdier — by building them from the same
materials as the Apple Watch — so we can finally hope to put Bendgate behind us forever. 
With
the unveiling of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Apple is killing off its
iPhone 5c and replacing it with the iPhone 5s, which now be free with a
two-year contract.
On
top of that, Apple has announced a new program through which you can
buy an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus through any carrier and pay $32 per month to
be eligible to upgrade your iPhone every year.
iPad Pro
After
years of speculation, Apple finally came out with a giant iPad Pro. The
12.9-inch tablet packs a massive screen and a stylus (something the
late Steve Jobs famously hated).
Read More: Apple Introduces Enormous iPad Pro with Apple Pencil Stylu
The
big-screen iPad will work nicely with iOS 9’s multitasking features,
which let you use two apps side-by-side. In fact, Apple actually brought
out a Microsoft executive to demonstrate how nicely Office for iPad
works with the Pro and iOS 9.
But
the big news was the Pro’s new Apple Pencil stylus. A $100 accessory,
the Apple Pencil includes built-in sensors that can detect how much
pressure you use while writing to change the size of your pencil stroke —
press hard and you’ll see a thick stroke, press lightly and you’ll get a
thin one.
Then
there’s Apple’s new $170 Smart Keyboard cover. Similar to the Microsoft
Surface Pro’s Type Cover, the Smart Keyboard cover combines a keyboard
that connects to the iPad Pro magnetically with a screen cover.
Still,
the iPad Pro won’t be able to run full desktop apps; for that, you’ll
still need a MacBook. Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3, on the other hand, can
run both tablet apps and desktop programs.
The Pro will be available in November with a starting price of $800.
Apple TV
Apple’s
oft-forgotten Apple TV has finally received its long-awaited upgrade,
and it just might give your Roku a run for its money.
The
new set-top box comes with a faster processor for speedier performance,
more storage for downloaded movies, and support for games.
Best
of all, the new Apple TV comes with universal search and your favorite
digital assistant, Siri. With universal search and Siri, you’ll be able
to look for a show or movie across multiple apps. So you can type in,
say, Ninja Turtles and get results for the cartoon on Hulu and the classic 80’s movie on Netflix.
And
with Siri, you’ll no longer have to use your remote’s arrow keys to
laboriously type out a show’s name. Instead, you’ll be able to simply
ask Siri to find it for you, and you’ll be set.
The
new Apple TV’s remote also gets a touchpad that you can swipe across to
get to different apps. And the new Apple TV will support iOS-like
games, similar to how Google’s Android TV lets you play Android games.
Email Dan Bean at danbean@yahoo-inc.com. Follow him on Twitter at @danielwbean.
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