The 5 Announcements From Apple's iPhone Event That Actually Matter
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Apple held its annual September event earlier today, announcing a new iPhone (a few of them), a new Apple Watch, and a handful of other goodies.
If you missed out on watching the event live, you can watch a event replay of all the action on Apple’s website. In the meantime, here’s a quick rundown of what you missed:
About That New Apple Watch
The newest version of the Apple Watch, Apple Watch 4, launches September 21st. The first new design for the watch since its launch three years ago, the new Apple Watch has a nearly edge-to-edge display and comes in both 40mm and 44mm sizes.The FDA has also approved the Watch for use as a medical device. The larger display size allows the device to show more information. It also has an updated accelerometer and gyroscope as well as a new built-in EKG scanner, marking the first time an EKG product has been available over the counter directly to consumers.
Pricing starts at $399 for the GPS version and $499 for the GPS + LTE model.Like the iPhone, the Apple Watch is available for pre-order on September 17th, and will ship on September 21st.
iOS 12 Comes September 17th
iOS 12 officially launches on September 17th. The beta for iOS 12 has been a bumpy one, so you might want to hold off for a week or so before updating your phone, as per usual with Apple’s system updates.The newest version of Apple’s tvOS also drops on the same day.That said, if you’ve been waiting for the official release, the big day is next week.
Apple Care Now Covers Theft
Now you can purchase AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss protection .
It costs $100 more than traditional Apple Care+ but will cover the theft of your brand new device .
Should You Upgrade to Apple's iPhone XS or iPhone XR?
That’s just the way it is, and partly why Apple can afford to do things like build sprawling, $200 buildings in the heart of Silicon Valley.
A large chunk of Apple’s audience is already lighting their bank accounts on fire in anticipation of all the neat new gear they can start preordering this week.
No matter the price, or specifications, a lot of people are going to order one of the new iPhones: the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or iPhone XS Max—a naming convention Apple totally didn’t borrow from that other company.
In other words, you don’t buy based on hype, and you don’t need an upgrade just because it’s new; you need an upgrade if it’s actually worth buying.
You, however, are a reasonable Lifehacker reader who isn’t afraid to pay big bucks for sweet, geeky gear, but only if it provides a value and experience that’s greater than that which you already have.
Both use a new method for taking pictures called “Smart HDR” which essentially takes a bunch of pictures when you press that shutter button and then stitches them into one finished image. Google does something similar with the Pixel.
The XS has a 5.8-inch screen while XS Max has a 6.5-inch screen. Both have OLED displays and an “all new” camera system with a new wide-angle camera with larger pictures and a telephoto lens with a wider aperture, making it so both should do a bit better in low-light than their predecessor.
Preorders for the XS start at $999 and the XS start at $1,099. Preorders start Friday and the phone ships on September 21st. Both phones also offer dual SIM support (which is great if you travel internationally a lot).Both are also expected to get a bit more battery life, with the XS getting roughly 30 minutes more and the XS Max getting an hour more. Both will come in 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB sizes. It’s the first time Apple has offered a 512GB phone.
No matter the price, or specifications, a lot of people are going to order one of the new iPhones: the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or iPhone XS Max—a naming convention Apple totally didn’t borrow from that other company.
In other words, you don’t buy based on hype, and you don’t need an upgrade just because it’s new; you need an upgrade if it’s actually worth buying.
You, however, are a reasonable Lifehacker reader who isn’t afraid to pay big bucks for sweet, geeky gear, but only if it provides a value and experience that’s greater than that which you already have.
There Are a Few New iPhones.
Apple announced three new iPhones: the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. Just like most other “S” updates, the difference between this year’s phones and last year’s model is mostly a spec upgrade.Both the XS and XS Max look like last year’s iPhone X, including that iconic notch.
Both use a new method for taking pictures called “Smart HDR” which essentially takes a bunch of pictures when you press that shutter button and then stitches them into one finished image. Google does something similar with the Pixel.
The XS has a 5.8-inch screen while XS Max has a 6.5-inch screen. Both have OLED displays and an “all new” camera system with a new wide-angle camera with larger pictures and a telephoto lens with a wider aperture, making it so both should do a bit better in low-light than their predecessor.
Preorders for the XS start at $999 and the XS start at $1,099. Preorders start Friday and the phone ships on September 21st. Both phones also offer dual SIM support (which is great if you travel internationally a lot).Both are also expected to get a bit more battery life, with the XS getting roughly 30 minutes more and the XS Max getting an hour more. Both will come in 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB sizes. It’s the first time Apple has offered a 512GB phone.
No iPhones Have Headphone Jacks Anymore
Apple has discontinued all of its phones that use headphone jacks, and it’s no longer including a lightning dongle in the box with phones to allow you to use a traditional headset.
Say goodbye to your headphone jack.That means if you haven’t already embraced wireless headphones, now’s the time.
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