This week, Tim Cook returned to centre stage to announce Apple’s new products and services. Apple’s annual September Keynote is one of the biggest events in the tech calendar, with anticipation and speculation bubbling up for months prior to it. Traditionally, this event is where they announce the best and brightest new tech in Apple’s lineup, and this year was no different. For the tech lovers who want to know what to look out for, here are all the major announcements from Apple’s Keynote Event 2019.
New iPhones
Since 2007, Apple has been setting the standard in the tech and smartphone market. Apple’s Keynote Event has always provided a stage for announcing the latest developments in their pièce de résistance: the iPhone, and 2019 was no different. Apple announced three new editions of the iconic iPhone. The headline feature across all of them is their new and improved camera modules. We’ve broken down each phone below.
iPhone 11 (£729)
The iPhone 11 serves as an update to the iPhone XR from last year, serving as the most affordable option of the new iPhone line-up. It now has two 12-megapixel cameras, compared with just one on the XR; one is a regular lens and one is an ultra-wide-angle lens. The ultra-wide lens will allow you to fit more into your photos, meaning you’ll be able to take more beautiful landscape shots and fit more people into group shots.
The cameras also feature a Night Mode, a welcome addition which will make photos taken at night look far more natural and impressive. Video recording has also been given a boost, with the iPhone 11 now able to record 4k video at 60fps. The front-facing camera can also take slow-motion selfies (dubbed “slowfies” by Apple themselves).
As well as the camera, the processing power has been given a boost thanks to the brand new A13 bionic chips, allegedly the fastest chip in any phone you can buy today. Not only will the iPhone 11 feel faster to use, but Apple claims that you’ll be able to get an extra hour of battery life too. The iPhone 11 also comes in 6 colours: Purple, Yellow, Green, Black, White, and Red, so there should be something for everyone.
The only potentially disappointing aspect of the iPhone 11 is its screen. It’s the same as the iPhone XR: a 6.1 inch 720p Liquid Retina HD display. It’s a good display, but it’s not great, and many expected Apple to give the screen quality a boost. Aside from that, it’s a very familiar iPhone experience, which loyal customers have come to love.
iPhone 11 Pro + Pro Max (£1099 + £1149)
The iPhone Pro and Pro Max are essentially improved versions of the iPhone 11, boasting better screens and better cameras.
The main difference between the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max is their size. The Pro has a 5.8-inch screen while the Pro Max has a 6.5-inch screen. There are only two consequences of this size disparity. One is that watching content will be more enjoyable on the larger display, and the other is that the Pro Max has the space to include a larger battery. To put it in terms of numbers, you can watch video content on the Pro Max for two hours longer than on the Pro before the battery dies. However, don’t let this statistic mislead you into thinking the Pro is somehow substandard. The Pro’s battery life lasts four hours longer than last year’s iPhone XR, and the Pro Max’s battery lasts five hours longer than last year’s iPhone XS Max. That’s seriously impressive.
With the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, Apple went all-in on the camera. There are now three – yes, three – camera lenses. They include the two from the iPhone 11, with all the same features, and one additional telephoto lens. The telephoto lens helps with more close-up shots and Portrait Mode photos. With these upgrades, the iPhone Pro will be a sure contender for the best smartphone camera of the year.
The Pro and Pro Max also have the new A13 bionic, so they promise to be lightning fast. The screens have also been given a boost, offering a higher resolution and increased brightness compared with last year’s models. They also come in a range of colours: Gold, Space Grey, Silver, and Midnight Green (Midnight Green is currently our favourite because it’s just so different).
New iPad (£349)
The new iPad is not a flagship tablet to replace the iPad Pro, but rather it’s an update to their “budget” tablet. The new 7th generation iPad comes in at just over £300, serving as an accessible iPad for the masses rather than something aimed at professionals. It’s been optimised for the latest iPadOS, meaning it’ll be more like a computer replacement instead of a larger iPhone as iPad have been in the past.
It comes with a larger screen, now 10.2 inches rather than 9.7 inches like the previous model. Perhaps the most exciting feature of this new iPad is that it’s now compatible with Apple’s smart keyboard and Apple Pencil, the first of any basic iPad to do so, providing a real laptop experience along with all the things we’ve come to love about the iPad.
New Apple Watch (£399)
The Apple Watch is the best smartwatch you can buy, and it’s been that way for years. The new Apple Watch Series 5 is only an incremental upgrade from last year’s Series 4. What you get with the new version is an always-on display – meaning you don’t have to tilt it upwards in order to check the time – you can see the time from any angle. While this is a handy feature, what’s most impressive is that Apple claims that it has the same battery life as the Series 4, all while being in a slightly thinner body.
While it’s probably not worth upgrading if you already have a Series 4, for everyone else, this is an excellent smartwatch from the people who know how to do it best.
Apple TV+ (£4.99 per month)
Apple TV+ is essentially Apple’s answer to Netflix. It’s a subscription-based streaming service that you can use on any Apple device. They have an impressive line-up of Hollywood A-listers – including Jason Momoa and Oprah Winfrey – who are producing high-quality original content. For now, it’s cheaper than Netflix at just £4.99 per month.
If you buy an Apple device you’ll get a year’s subscription to Apple TV+ thrown in, free of charge. The service launches in over 100 countries on 1st November 2019.
Apple Arcade (£4.99 per month)
Finally, Apple announced a subscription-based gaming service called Apple Arcade. Launching 19th September 2019, the Apple Arcade will be your one-stop place for all gaming on iOS and MacOS devices. In the next few weeks alone, over 100 games are going to be added to the line-up. For just £4.99 per month, you’ll have unlimited access to all of them.
How successful this will be and whether it will rival traditional gaming remains to be seen. All we know is that when Apple heavily invest in something, it tends to be a success.
Here at SLYK, we love all this technology, especially from Apple. We share a philosophy that technology should be accessible, easy-to-use, and an enhancement to our lives. We care about quality above all else, which is why our charging station is specifically designed and certified to work with Apple products. In fact, you can use all of our stands and our charging station with the brand new iPhones and iPads. Explore our product range and get your home set up for when the new Apple devices launch in the coming weeks.