Just like going back to school and the changing of seasons, September has become synonymous with the newest announcements from Cupertino-based tech leader, Apple. This year, CEO, Tim Cook welcomed a cast of notable characters like Mario Brothers creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, to introduce the latest products coming to market.
Consumers can expect an update to Apple’s watchOS, as well as an upgraded water proof Series 2 that now boasts water resistance up to 50m deep and built in GPS so that runners and swimmers can enjoy many of the iWatch’s features without having to keep their iPhones by their sides. Also coming shortly are Pokemón GO and Nike add-ons.
While the changes to Apple’s watch should add appeal to the product, the updates to the iPhone are what really have the internet buzzing. Improvements have been made across the board to the 12mp camera(s), offering impressive software zooming and improved flash, along with a brighter, more vivid display. The iPhone plus will even offer a second camera so that one can handle telephoto while the other tackles wide-angle shots.
Most shockingly, Apple has cut the cord and literally removed the headphone jack in order to free up precious real estate and push the industry into the wireless frontier. This move places the iPhone 7 squarely in the middle of a highly contested debate over the lightning port, which many complain is too fragile for the amount of use it gets. With the excision of the 3.5mm plug, comes a second speaker for improved audio quality and a new set of included headphones that will connect with the lightning plug. Die-hards looking to hold on to their analog headphones can still use them by purchasing an adapter that will transform the lightning port. Those looking to embrace the new era can upgrade to Apple’s new Bluetooth AirPods which come with 5 hours of battery life and a portable charging case capable of giving gym-rats over another 24 hours of charge.
In addition to the major overhauls, Apple has also water-proofed the newest iPhone so that it can withstand splashes and brief submersion in shallow water. Although, it’s worth mentioning that one of the more interesting upgrades is from a technical standpoint. The iPhone 7 will feature a new A10 chip with 4 cores. The new design takes a page from enterprise computing, in as such that it optimizes processing operations to be more efficient based upon the job at hand. Processes like gaming go run on the more robust, power intensive cores, while operations like scrolling through emails utilize the more efficient cores, ultimately leading to improved battery life.
