Apple Keynote Roundup: iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, Apple Watch Series 2, Goodbye Headphone Jack and More!
By Simon Hung
September 7, 2016Apple CEO Tim Cook and other executives took the stage at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on September 7 for their much-anticipated keynote address, where they put an end to months of speculation and rumours by unveiling the new Apple Watch, iPhone and other interesting Apple news and updates.
The keynote kicked off with Cook, James Corden and Pharrell Williams in a Carpool Karaoke skit and the entire event lasted a little over two hours. If you missed the keynote or had more important things to do, don’t worry, because we’ve rounded up the most interesting things and listed them in the order in which they were presented.
App Updates
Tim Cook started the event with an update on Apple apps and services, including Apple Music, the App Store, ConnectED and iWork. Cook talked about the current success of Apple Music, with 17 million subscribers since its launch in 2015 and exclusive artist partnerships with Taylor Swift, Drake, Frank Ocean and others.
The App Store portion of the keynote was particularly notable, as Cook brought Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto to the stage to showcase Super Mario Run, a Mario-themed game slated to come to iOS later this year. The game is similar to classic Mario side-scrollers and will only cost a single price, meaning there will not be any microtransactions in the game. The pricing and release date for Super Mario Run will be revealed at a later time, but Miyamoto mentioned that it will arrive by December.
Cook later talked about ConnectED and iWork, with Apple announcing partnerships with 114 schools in the United States to supply computers for students and teachers. A demo of iWork collaboration was also shown, where you and other collaborators can simultaneously work on documents in real-time across the entire suite of iWork software, which comes free for iOS and Mac.
Apple Watch Series 2
The Apple Watch was next to receive the spotlight, as Cook mentioned how Apple has quickly become the #2 watch brand in the world, only trailing Rolex. He handed the reins to Jeff Williams, who recapped some features in the upcoming watchOS 3 before officially unveiling Apple Watch Series 2, featuring a second-generation dual-core processor, better graphics, built-in GPS, a brighter display and improved waterproofing, which allows this new Apple Watch to be swim-proof (the previous Apple Watch was only splash-proof).
Niantic CEO John Hanke took the stage next to announce Pokémon GO for Apple Watch, which lets Pokémon trainers view nearby Pokémon, hatch eggs and interact with PokéStops using the watch.
A new ceramic finish was also unveiled, which is four times harder than stainless steel, along with new Apple Watch Hermès designs and a new runner-focused partnership with Nike. Apple will keep the original Apple Watch in their line of products (now called Apple Watch Series 1) and upgrade it with the new dual-core processor. Apple Watch Series 2 will be available for pre-order on September 9 and ship on September 16 starting at $489.00. watchOS 3 will be available for download for free on September 13 and Apple Watch Series 1 will see a price reduction, now starting at $359.00.
iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were the stars of the keynote, with rampant speculation clogging the internet over the past few weeks about what Apple planned to include (and remove) in their latest smartphone. Phil Schiller took the stage to reveal the new phones and highlighted ten characteristics in their latest flagships.
1. Design
- New manufacturing processes make the aluminum chassis seamless with the glass, with the camera bump and antenna built directly into the body
- A new “Jet Black” colour option to go along with black (which replaces space grey), silver, gold and rose gold
2. Home button
- The home button is no longer a button, but rather a force-sensitive region that provides haptic feedback when “pressed” to simulate a button, similar to the trackpads on the newest MacBooks
3. Water and dust resistance
- IP67 protection, with complete dust resistance and water resistance up to one metre for up to 30 minutes
4. Camera
- A new 12-megapixel sensor with optical image stabilization, faster focus, wider lens and better overall image quality
- A four-LED flash that is able to compensate for ambient light changes
- iPhone 7 Plus features dual cameras -- a wide-angle and telephoto lens -- that enables better zoom and professional-grade images
5. Retina HD display
- 25% brighter than the previous generation with better colour accuracy and wide colour gamut
6. Audio
- Stereo sound with the earpiece acting as one speaker and the bottom-facing speaker acting as the second
7. EarPods
- The 3.5mm headphone jack has been removed and Lightning EarPods will be included with the new iPhones, along with a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter (which is available separately for $10.00)
- Why did Apple remove the connector? COURAGE. Schiller mentioned how Apple has the courage to make the move, along with the fact that Lightning can do it better, it frees up space internally and it helps in Apple’s quest to make technology wireless
8. Wireless
- AirPods were introduced, which are wireless versions of EarPods, containing a proprietary W1 wireless chip that can intelligently switch audio inputs from your Apple devices
- Battery life is around 5 hours and includes a charging case that can extend it to 24 hours
- New wireless Beats headphones were also introduced that contain the W1 wireless chip
9. Apple Pay
- Apple Pay will expand to more countries and support the FeliCa wireless standard in Japan
10. Performance
- New A10 Fusion quad-core chip is 40% faster than the previous A9 and provides 50% faster graphics
- Two active cores with two low-power cores that dynamically adapt to more intensive tasks
- Better battery management, with up to two hours more talk-time than the iPhone 6s
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are available for pre-order on September 9 in 32GB, 128GB or 256GB capacities, starting at $899.00 and $1049.00, respectively. The new Jet Black colour is only available in 128GB or 256GB capacities. They will ship and are available for in-store purchase on September 16. The Apple AirPods are available in October for $219.00.
While the new iPhones provide some performance and design improvements over the previous generation, the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack is by far the most controversial move and will deter some potential buyers. Courage or not, Apple's decision won't sit well with those who don't want to invest in proprietary headphones or those who may not be keen on the idea of using an adapter to use their own headphones. Plus, those who want to use headphones and charge their iPhone at the same time are out of luck. Let us know how you feel by voting in the poll below and leave a comment with your thoughts on Apple's latest announcements!
Showing 9 Most Recent Comments
View allAs for "proprietary accessories" - Apple clearly wants you to go wireless, and nothing is stopping you from using any number of wireless non-Apple bluetooth headphones out there. Some are better than others, yes. If you want to go wired, then yeah, either lightning-enabled headphones or use the adapter - or you know, don't upgrade your iPhone 6S.
Finally, where's the outrage about the new Android phones that ship without a headphone jack? The Moto Z, Moto Z Force, and the "LeEco" phones (never heard of them before - but big in China?) were all announced 2 months ago to not include headphone jacks.
Personally, I'm fine with it. I'll connect the adapter to my Sennheisers for around the house, and use the lightning EarPods when I'm out of the house. If I'm feeling rich one month I might splurge on a good site of wireless headphones - but most of the time I'm usually streaming my music wirelessly to speakers in the house anyways.
Dunno where "unable to open" came from or "for reading".
Guess you can't use the at sign (@) ?