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Last week Apple held its annual gathering where it announced new products filled with fun and useful features. Three new iPhones, a new iPad, a new Apple Watch, and more were revealed, as well as price cuts for existing products.
If you’re in the market to get or upgrade Apple gear, then these announcements may be great news for you.
Apple Watch Series 5
Apple introduced the latest model of its Apple Watch, the Series 5, that is sure to satisfy many with a new “Always On” feature. No longer do you have to turn your wrist or tap the screen to tell time, risking rudeness and creating awkward situations.
Series 5 will display the time throughout the day and night so your Watch screen will no longer appear as a black rectangle on your wrist. You’ll be able to glance at your Watch and see the time from any angle without having to move your wrist or tap the screen.
Even with the Always On feature, the Series 5 keeps the 18-hour battery life that the Series 4 Watch has.
Another update to the Watch is the addition of a magnetic compass. The Watch will now know how to guide you, showing you which way to head on your route based on the direction you’re facing. Series 5 can help you get your compass bearings even when you’re not connected to the Internet, which may be helpful for those who tend to wander far from civilization.
Apple Watch Series 5 comes in a variety of cases:
- Space Gray Aluminum
- Silver Aluminum
- Gold Aluminum
- Stainless Steel
- Space Black Stainless Steel
- Gold Stainless Steel
- Titanium
- Ceramic
- Nike
- Hermès
Series 5 offers many ways to personalize your Watch, with over 1000 possible combinations of cases and bands. No longer are you forced to accept the band that comes with the case you choose.
Apple Watch Studio lets you mix and match Watch cases and bands so you can select a band to compliment your case.
Apple Watch Series 5 comes in two sizes, 40 and 44 mm, with or without cellular capabilities. Prices for the Apple Watch Series 5 start at $399. The Apple Watch Series 5 is available for pre-order now and will be on sale September 20.
The price of the Apple Watch Series 3 has been reduced to $199.
iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max
Three new iPhones are coming later this week, the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your existing iPhone or to get your first iPhone ever, your choice will probably be driven by price versus features.
All three phones have upgraded cameras that can perform functions such as shooting in Night Mode. The iPhone camera will detect when it’s dark and suggest the Night Mode setting that illuminates the subject of the photo.
The new phones also offer Portrait Mode for subjects other than humans. You’ll be able to take pictures of your precious pup in Portrait Mode as well as portraits of people. Portrait Mode comes with six different settings, Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High-Key Mono.
The front cameras on these new phones can take slow-motion videos, now known as “slofies.”
Word of the day #slofie (slow-motion selfie) coined by @Apple pic.twitter.com/tOoZntAOxI
— Khotso Moloi (@khotso_moloi_za) September 10, 2019
All three iPhones have fast charge, allowing you to charge the battery up to 50% in just 30 minutes with an 18W adapter.
All three phones have the same A13 bionic chips, take 12MP photos from their front and back cameras, and are splash, dust and water-resistant.
Apple has reduced the price of the iPhone XR to $599 and the iPhone 8 to $449.
iPhone 11
The iPhone 11 has the features listed above plus a dual-lens rear camera that takes both wide and ultra-wide photos. These lenses allow you to zoom out and get a wider view for both your photos and your videos.
The 6.1-inch (15.5 cm) screen of the iPhone 11 has an LCD Liquid Retina display. The phone is made of glass and aluminum.
The iPhone 11 is water-resistant up to 2 meters for up to 30 minutes, which is twice as deep as the iPhone XR. The battery lasts one hour longer than the iPhone XR.
Prices for the iPhone 11 are:
- $699 for 64 GB
- $749 for 128 GB
- $849 for 256 GB
The iPhone 11 comes in white, black, green, yellow, purple and Product Red™ and can be pre-ordered now with availability beginning Friday, September 20.
iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max
The iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max have more features than the iPhone 11, but at a higher price. Both pro models have a rear camera with triple lenses for wide, ultra-wide and telephoto photos and videos.
Both pro models have a Super Retina XDR display. The iPhone Pro screen measures 5.8 inches (14.7 cm) while the iPhone Pro Max has a 6.5 inch (16.5 cm) screen. Both phones are made from textured matte glass and stainless steel.
The iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max have water-resistance to a maximum depth of 4 meters for up to 30 minutes.
The iPhone 11 Pro has a battery life that’s four hours longer than the iPhone XS, while the iPhone Pro Max adds five hours of battery life to the iPhone XS Max.
Prices for the iPhone 11 Pro are:
- 64 GB for $999
- 256 GB for $1149
- 512 GB for $1349
Prices for the iPhone 11 Pro Max are:
- 64 GB for $1049
- 256 GB for $1249
- 512 GB for $1449
Both phones come in Space Gray, silver, gold and Midnight Green and can be pre-ordered now. Both phones will be available on September 20.
New iPad
Apple also introduced a new iPad that has many of the features and size, of the current iPad Pro, but at a more affordable price. The new iPad (simply called “iPad”) comes with a 10.2 inch (26 cm) Retina display and is compatible with the Apple Pencil.
The new iPad can function more like a computer as it can work with the full-sized iPad keyboard. Note that both the Apple Pencil and the iPad Keyboard are sold separately.
The new iPad starts at $329 and can be pre-ordered now. The iPad will be available on September 30.
Other Announcements from Apple
Apple also announced that iOS 13, the software that operates the iPhone, and iPad OS, the software that runs the iPad, will be available for download on September 19. Note that you may want to wait a few days so that others can discover any bugs that may be hiding in the software.
Apple TV+, Apple’s new subscription streaming service, will debut on November 1 with a price of $4.99 per month. Original programming for Apple TV+ will be available and the service will be free for one year for those who buy an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, or iPod Touch.
Apple Arcade, Apple’s subscription gaming service, will also cost $4.99 per month and will arrive on September 19 in the App Store.
Your Thoughts
Are you excited by these announcements from Apple? Which of these new Apple products and/or services are the most compelling for you? Are you tempted to upgrade one of your Apple devices this fall?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
The new cameras look incredible. I’ve been a Samsung guy for a while but who knows!
Hi Vince, Yes, photos taken on the iPhone 11 Pro look very impressive. If having a top camera is important to you, you may become an iPhone fan!
I just hope that day comes when Apple is actually ahead of the game than Samsung in terms of hardware specs and features. With the rise of Chinese phone brands like Xiaomi, Huawei etc., people are slowly realizing the low value for money in iPhones.
Hi Shelby, Competition is good and Apple and Samsung seem to be in a fierce battle over the cell phone market. I hope that this intense competition helps raise the bar so all of us consumers can benefit!
A massive Apple fan and have been for years, awaiting on delivery of my new Iphone 11. Thank you for the the article!
Hi James, Very exciting! I hope you enjoy your new iPhone, James.
Hello Carolyn,
Now-a-days, Apple products are very popular among people due its reputation. iphone 11 creates lots of hype among folks they are curious to purchase to enjoy its incredible camera features. Thanks for exploring your information in detail.
With best wishes,
Amar Kumar
Hi Amar, Yes, there are many features that make the iPhone 11 a compelling choice, but the camera is probably the feature that will be what brings most people to the phone.