Apple’s ‘Time Flies’ Event: Top 9 Announcements



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Apple just wrapped up its “Time Flies” event, its first fall event this year, and while we’re still waiting for new iPhones, the company rolled out the new Apple watches and iPads. And just like this year’s WWDC, we get all the news through a video streamed online; there was no face-to-face event to accompany the arrival of new products.

Our live blog, with comments from Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn, has all the play-by-play of the event. But if you only want to know the most important announcements of the show, read on.

Image: Apple

Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 6 and it has a new health sensor on board – you can measure your blood oxygen saturation with the new Watch. The 6 Series is also powered by a new S6 chip, which Apple claims is a dual-core processor based on the A13 Bionic in the iPhone 11.

Apple says the Apple Watch Series 6 display can get 2.5 times brighter outdoors and it also has an always-on altimeter. The Series 6 comes in several new colors, including a blue aluminum case, a gold stainless steel, a gray stainless steel called graphite, and for the first time there is an Apple Watch Product Red model. There are a number of new watch faces, including a cover page showing a Memoji.

Apple also announced a new type of wristband called the Solo Loop. It is a stretchable silicone loop without closure. It is available in various sizes and comes in seven different colors. There is also a braided Solo Loop available in five colors.

The Apple Watch Series 6 starts at $ 399 for the GPS version. You can reserve it today and it will be available on Friday.

Image: Apple

Apple also introduced a lower-priced Apple Watch called the Apple Watch SE. It has many of the same features as the Series 6, including a built-in accelerometer, gyroscope, always-on altimeter, and fall detection, but it’s powered by the S5 chip used in last year’s Series 5 model. Notably absent is an always-on display, which the Series 5 had.

The Apple Watch SE starts at $ 279 and you can pre-order it today before it’s available on Friday. But there is an even cheaper version of the Apple Watch: Apple will continue to sell the Series 3, which starts at $ 199.

Apple said it is removing the USB power adapter from Apple Watch boxes to help reduce its environmental impact. Apple has been heavily rumored to be removing the charger from the boxes of upcoming iPhones, but the company officially made the move with the Apple Watch today.

Image: Apple

Apple announced a new Family Settings feature that lets you manage multiple Apple Watches from a single iPhone. However, the feature requires Apple Watches to have a cellular connection and will only work with Series 4 or newer devices. From an iPhone, you can manage which connected contacts Apple Watches can communicate with, as well as receive automatic location notifications.

Image: Apple

Apple revealed a new iPad Air with a full-screen design, much like the company’s iPad Pro. It has a larger 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with a 2360 x 1640 resolution. And the company has moved the Touch ID button on the front of the device to the top of the sleep / wake button.

The new iPad Air also has a new Apple-designed chip: the 5nm A14 Bionic. Apple says it has a 6-core CPU, a new 4-core GPU architecture, and a 16-core neural engine. Camera-wise, it has the same 12-megapixel rear camera on the iPad Pro but with improved video stabilization, and it also has a 7-megapixel FaceTime HD front camera. The Lightning port has also been changed for USB-C.

The new iPad comes in five colors: Sky Blue, Green, Silver, Space Gray and Rose Gold, and starts at $ 599. Apple says it will be available next month.

Image: Apple

Apple announced a new eighth-generation iPad that has the same design as its predecessor, with the large top and bottom bezels and a Touch ID button on the front. It has updated the internals as it now has an A12 Bionic chip. It starts at $ 329 and you can reserve it today. It will be available on Friday, September 18.

Image: Apple

Apple is launching a new premium subscription service called Fitness Plus. Although it integrates with iPhones, iPads, and Apple TV, Apple says it is designed for the Apple Watch. There are 10 different types of exercises, including yoga, cycling, and dance, and the company says new workouts will be added each week. The service will launch before the end of the year. It will cost you $ 9.99 per month, or you can subscribe for a full year for $ 79.99.

Image: Apple

Apple announced new “Apple One” subscription packages that bring together many of the company’s services at different price points. The cheapest package is $ 14.95 per month with Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage. The family plan adds 200GB of iCloud storage to that line for $ 19.95 per month, and can be shared by up to six people. The Premier package adds Apple News Plus, Fitness Plus, and 2TB of iCloud storage for $ 29.95 per month, and can also be shared by up to six people.

Apple will release a series of software updates tomorrow, September 16, including iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, and tvOS 14. The company also said that all hardware products announced today will have the new software on board.

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