Today, Apple announced a slew of new hardware products at an event held at its corporate campus in Cupertino, California. The highlight, of course, was the iPhone 11. Apple detailed three successors to the current lineup of smartphones, focusing heavily on new photo and video capabilities. The company also unveiled a new iPhone trade-in service, announced new models of the Apple Watch and iPad, and gave more details on its upcoming streaming video and game services. If you missed the event, here’s what you need to know.
The headliners of the event were the 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro and the 6.5-inch 11 Pro Max. These high-end iPhone models have improved OLED displays, which Apple has dubbed Super Retina XDR display. They come in four colors, with a matte finish on the case.
Apple execs spent most of the presentation talking about improvements to the phone’s cameras. Each Pro model will feature a triple-lens system: one telephoto (52mm, f/2.0), one wide (26mm, f/1.8), and one superwide (13mm, f/2.4). The multiple lenses fire simultaneously, so when you snap a photo, you’ll be able to switch between the images instantly to get those different shots. This also works in video, as Apple demonstrated onstage. Each camera focuses automatically in the background to enable smooth switching between shots. Other new modes include a low-light Night Mode and the ability to take slow-motion selfie videos with the front-facing camera.
Battery life has been improved as well. Apple claims that users will get four more hours out of the Pro than last year’s iPhone XS. The Max version gets five hours over its older counterpart. The Pro is $1,000, and the Pro Max $1,100.
Apple also announced the slightly more budget-friendly 6.1-inch iPhone 11 for $699. It has a Retina display and dual-lens camera setup. (It’s missing the telephoto lens found on the Pro.) It has the same internal camera options as the more expensive phones. All the models also come with improvements to Face ID, allowing the user to unlock the phone more quickly.
Compared to the austere Pro models, the 11 gets more variety to its potential wardrobe, with six color options. Battery life is improved as well, though not by much—Apple says it’s an extra hour boost when compared to last year’s iPhone XR.
Along with the announcements of its shiny, new, high-priced devices, Apple also unveiled a trade-in program. Available at Apple retail stores, the policy allows customers to swap their newly outdated phones for a discount on one of the new iPhone 11 models. The discounts can be sizable: Bringing in an iPhone XS Max could knock a few hundred dollars off a new iPhone 11 Pro Max. Apple touted the plan as a way to reward its loyal customers and reduce waste by recycling resources. (This came alongside announcements that its newest devices would be made from 100 percent recycled aluminum.)
Apple led its pitch for the newest iteration of the Apple Watch with a pretty simple argument: If you don’t have one, you could die. That’s because, in addition to a new compass function, the wearable has improved health-monitoring functions and the ability to access international emergency calling without a phone on hand. Apple’s foray into LifeCall territory came alongside new features meant to make the Watch more usable in general. Series 5 Watches will have a low-energy, always-on display that dims instead of shutting off when you drop your arm, and it will have a new battery with a claimed 18 hours per charge. A larger collection of watch bands and a new titanium model make the wearable easier to accessorize.
The latest seventh-generation iPad announced today starts at $329. The entry-level model now comes with a larger 10.2-inch retina display, a slightly outdated A10 fusion chip, and an included keyboard to appeal to the education market. (A $299 price for education customers helps, too.) It also has a new 100-percent recycled aluminum body and will come with a free year’s subscription to Apple TV+.
Speaking of Apple TV+, today the company revealed its plan to join the crowded streaming service market on November 1. For $5 a month, customers will be able to watch the variety of exclusive shows that Apple has been hyping over the past few months. The latest was a trailer for a new Jason Mamoa–helmed show called See. Whether it will be enough to extract customers from Netflix, Hulu, or the upcoming Disney+ service is still a puzzle.
Announced back in March, this subscription service gives customers access to a ton of exclusive games, available across mobile, desktop, and TV platforms. Apple said there will be over 100 titles when Arcade launches on September 19. Onstage, developers from Konami, Capcom, and Annapurna Interactive came out to introduce games they had developed for Apple Arcade. As with Apple TV+, Arcade is $5 per month. The strategy for Apple seems to be using low prices and a bizarre new version of Frogger (the frog has to dodge a baby; yes, seriously) to lock customers into its ecosystem.
For more in-depth looks at everything Apple, follow WIRED’s coverage here.
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