Apple’s “Time Flies” event: Everything you need to know
Apple Watch 6, the new iPad Air and iPad, Apple Fitness+, Apple One subscription service – but no mention of the new iPhone!
The moment all Apple fans and tech enthusiasts have been waiting for – Apple’s much anticipated annual announcement event took place last night Tuesday 15th September, and although there wasn’t a single mention of the iPhone 12, the tech giant did unveil a host of new and exciting products, that look set to be at the top of most Christmas lists.
Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the virtual event from Apple Park in California, by telling us how gratifying it is to see the important role Apple products are playing in the ways people have adapted during this global pandemic to working remotely, learning from home and gathering virtually with friends and family, before focussing the event on two main products that have become integral to everyday life – the Apple Watch and iPad.
So, without further ado, let’s dive straight in and catch you up on what you missed.
Apple Watch Series 6
The Apple Watch Series 6 comes with all the usual great features we’ve come to expect, but particularly important this year is the new health sensor that can be used to measure your blood oxygen levels in just 15 seconds, providing vital information about your breathing and blood circulation. Apple are also collaborating with several research experts to develop ways of using this new feature to spot early signs of respiratory conditions such as asthma and COVID-19.
The Always-on display has been improved to be two and half times brighter when outdoors, making it easier to read your watch on sunny days and the performance has also been upgraded making Series 6 up to 20% faster than the previous model. Apple have also added a new always-on altimeter to measure elevation throughout the day.
For those of us who like to customise our watch there’s a bunch of new watch faces to try out, including the GMT face showing multiple time zones at once and the Memoji face which moves and reacts to your touch. There’re even some specialised watch faces designed specifically for photographers, healthcare professionals and surfers.
Apple Watch Series 6 will be available in a range of new colours including a blue aluminium case, a grey stainless steel called graphite and for the first time, Apple Product Red. Apple also announced a new wrist band called Solo Loop – a stretchable silicon band with no buckle or overlapping straps. The Series 6 will start from £379.
Apple Watch SE
Apple have also introduced a lower-cost model called Apple Watch SE, which brings many of the same features as the Series 6, but at a more affordable price. Inside the SE is the same S5 chip that was used in last year’s Series 5 model, making it twice as fast as the old Series 3, which remains in the range but a new reduced price of £199.
The new SE has been developed to complement its new Family Setup feature, making it great for children and older family members who want to enjoy the features of Apple Watch, even if they don’t own their own iPhone. Family Setup allows you to manage multiple Apple Watches from a single iPhone and gives you the ability to specify who your kids can communicate with, as well as receiving location notifications, so you have the reassurance that your child is where they are supposed to be.
Apple iPad Air
Earlier this year Apple made some big updates to their top end iPad model, the iPad Pro, and they’ve now followed up by refreshing the rest of the iPad range. The new iPad Air features the same all-screen design as the Pro, now with a larger 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display. This increase in screen size has meant the classic Touch ID button has been removed and instead has been integrated into the sleep/wake button on the top, making it Apple’s smallest authentication sensor to date.
Apple have also upgraded the performance, debuting a powerful new A14 Bionic chip with a six-core CPU and a new four-core GPU architecture, making iPad Air faster and more efficient than ever before. The new Air also includes improved cameras front and back. The front facing 7-megapixel camera supports Smart HDR and improved 1080p video capture, while on the back there’s the same 12-megapixel camera found on the iPad Pro. The speakers have had an update too, delivering full stereo sound – great for kicking back and enjoying your favourite films and TV shows.
It comes in five gorgeous new colour options, including a new rose gold, green and sky blue and will be available from £579.
Apple iPad (8th Generation)
Apple’s most popular iPad looks much like the previous model, however it has been subject to some noticeable performance tweaks. The A10 Fusion chip has been replaced with a new A12 Bionic chip, giving it twice the graphics power and 40 percent greater CPU power. This extra power and speed is ideal for editing high resolution video or enjoying some immersive online gaming.
Apple made some bold statements about the performance of the new iPad, claiming it’s two times faster than the top-selling Windows laptop, three times faster than the top-selling Android tablet and an incredible six times faster than the top-selling Chromebook.
Both new iPads are compatible with Apple Pencil which is great for note taking, sketches and marking up documents. While, this 8th Generation iPad might not get pulses racing like the iPad Air, for as little as £329 it’s a perfect first tablet.
How can get your hands on these great new products?
With the Let’s Connect Technology Benefit employees can access a wide range of consumer electronics, whilst spreading the cost with convenient monthly payments. We are constantly updating our product range to include the latest and greatest technology products, including the brand-new Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE and the new iPads.
With Christmas right around the corner, there really is no better time to run a Technology Benefit for your organisation. For more information please contact [email protected]
