As expected, at 1pm (EST) on September 14, Apple CEO Tim Cook and his team took to the Internet to tout this year’s lineup of new iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads and related services. While there were a few surprises, one thing was made clear—this year’s product upgrades are some of the best ever.
Apple’s iPhone 13 Line-Up
The latest lineup of Apple iPhones includes the iPhone 13 (with a 6.1” Super Retina XDR display), iPhone 13 Mini (with a 5.4” Super Retina XDR display), iPhone 13 Pro (with a 6.1” Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion and a refresh rate up to 120Hz), and iPhone 13 Pro Max (with a 6.7” display with ProMotion and a refresh rate up to 120Hz).
Each smartphone model continues to offer the legendary ease of use, durable construction, water resistance, and sleek design of their iPhone 12 predecessors, but these latest models have a slew of new hardware features that are designed to work seamlessly with iOS 15—the latest version of the iPhone’s operating system.
Available in an assortment of new casing colors, the latest iPhones offer a longer battery life, improved displays, upgraded camera systems and operate using Apple’s new A15 Bionic processor chip. Both the front- and rear-facing cameras retain their 12MP resolution, but utilize other new technologies to give these cameras a huge boost in performance whether you’re shooting still images or 4K HD video at up to 60 frames-per-second.
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini include a rear-facing wide lens and ultra-wide lens that can capture up to 50 percent more light, which provides for quicker capture times and an improved Night Mode feature. When it comes to shooting video, Apple introduced the new Cinematic Mode, which automatically adjusts focus on your subjects, while allowing video to be shot with cinematic flair in Dolby Vision HDR.
Other new photography-related features include the ability to shoot ultra-close-up macrophotography (with your subject positioned as close as 2cm away from the lens). Apple has also enhanced the Smart HDR 4 feature for automatically enhancing an image’s color, contrast and lighting, plus it announced what it’s calling “Photographic Styles.” This allows smartphone photographers a quicker way to develop, save, shoot and showcase images in their unique style.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max feature three rear-facing cameras, including a 77mm telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom (for photos or video), a wide lens and an ultra-wide lens. On all of the iPhone 13 models, the size of the area that houses the front-facing camera, as well as one of the phone’s speakers, microphones and other sensors has been reduced by 20 percent.
All of the new iPhone models support MagSafe accessories and are 5G compatible. In fact, Apple is working with more than 200 cellular service providers in more than 60 countries and regions to ensure the fastest cellular connection speeds moving forward.
The internal storage capacity options of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini include: 128GB, 256GB or 512GB. The iPhone 13 Pro models start at 128GB, with a 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB option available.
Casing colors for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini include: Starlight, Midnight, blue, pink, and Product Red. Casing color options for the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone Pro Max include: graphite, gold, silver, and Sierra Blue.
From a pricing standpoint, the iPhone 13 Mini starts at $699. The iPhone 13 starts at $799. The iPhone 13 Pro starts at $999, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max starts at $1099. All models will be available for pre-order starting Friday, September 17, and will begin shipping on September 24. For the latest pre-order and purchase deals, check back here on Friday!
Apple Watch Series 7
Keeping in line with expectations and rumors, Apple also announced the Apple Watch Series 7 smartwatches, although these new models won’t ship until later in the Fall. Cook described the latest Apple Watch as “an indispensable daily companion,” and went on to showcase a lineup of redesigned watches with the largest and most advanced Retina displays ever.
Apple Watch Series 7 features an aluminum casing with softer, more rounded corners, a screen that’s 70 percent brighter indoors, onscreen buttons that are larger and easier to navigate, and a screen capacity that now fits up to 50 percent more text than the Series 6 watches.
Thanks to the WatchOS 8 operating system, there’s also a new virtual keyboard that appears on screen when needed for easy text entry. It incorporates machine learning that predicts what you’re typing to increase typing speed and accuracy.
The latest Apple Watches offer improved durability (with an IP6X certification for dust resistance and a WR50 water resistance rating), up to an 18-hour battery life, 33 percent faster battery charging (using a USB-C cable), and the casing comes in multiple new color options, including green, blue, Product Red, starlight, and midnight. While the screen size of the new smartwatches are slightly larger than previous models, the Apple Watch Series 7 watches are compatible with all existing Apple Watch bands.
For the Wi-Fi only version of Apple Watch Series 7, the starting price will be $399. A Wi-Fi + Cellular version will also be released this Fall. Moving forward, all in all, Apple’s smartwatch lineup will include the Apple Watch Series 3 (starting at $199), the Apple Watch SE (starting at $279) and the Apple Watch Series 7 (starting at $399).
Apple’s iPad Mini
Apple has once again improved its lineup of tablets, with the introduction of the New iPad and a re-designed iPad Mini. Cook described the new iPad Mini as being “in a class of its own,” with its all-new casing that features rounded corners and narrower borders that surround the screen. Available in several new casing colors, the iPad Mini has an 8.3” True Tone display, with the Touch ID button now located in the top-right corner of the tablet.
iPad Mini now offers a 40% boost in CPU performance and an 80% boost in GPU performance, with 2x faster machine learning capabilities. These features will become obvious when you take advantage of the new real-time Translate app that comes bundled with iOS 15, for example. For connectivity, iPad Mini now features a USB-C port, which allows for 10x faster data transfers. A Wi-Fi Only and Wi-Fi + 5G Cellular version of the tablet will be released.
Another improvement made to iPad Mini is the front-facing camera, which is now a 12MP ultra-wide lens that offers up to a 122-degree field of view. This lens can be used to shoot photos or video, but also take advantage of iOS 15’s Center Stage feature that automatically frames subjects while engaged in video calls or when shooting videos for social media.
The iPad Mini includes an updated speaker system, supports the second generation Apple Pencil stylus, and will have a collection of new Smart Folio covers available (sold separately). Its price starts at $499, you can pre-order one right now, and you can expect first shipments to arrive September 24 as of writing.
Discover Apple’s Affordable New iPad
To make the iPad tablet more affordable and accessible to everyone, the new iPad, which features an A13 Bionic Processor and 20 percent faster performance than the model it replaced, will have a starting price of just $329 for the 64GB model ($299 for schools).
Like the new iPad Mini, this iPad includes a 12MP ultra-wide front-facing camera that supports iOS 15’s Center Stage feature. This tablet is compatible with just the first generation Apple Pencil, but it does offer an all-day battery life and a rather nice 10.2” display. Pre-orders for iPad Mini and the new iPad begin today, with shipments starting next week.
Expect Enhancements to Apple Fitness+
With such a strong focus on health, fitness and mindfulness built into the latest iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches, it makes sense that Apple plans to enhance its optional Fitness+ service, offering even more workouts designed to last between five and 45 minutes each.
Currently, Fitness+ includes more than 1,200 workouts shot in 4K HD, but plenty of new content is on the way, with a focus on adding Pilates, guided mediations and new body conditioning workouts, plus a series of “Get Ready for Snow Season” workouts that will help prepare you to hit the ski slopes.
The introduction of Fitness+ Group Workouts via FaceTime will allow you to participate in workouts with up to 32 people via your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV. Watch for this new content to be added to Apple’s premium service later this month and into the Fall.
Three months of the Fitness+ service are included with a new Apple Watch purchase. The regular subscription fee is $9.99/month or $79.99/year. Fitness+ also comes bundled with the Apple One Premier subscription service (which includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, iCloud, and Apple Fitness+) for a $29.95/month fee.
