Apple's New iPhone: A New Apple Watch With Cellular
• Apple TV, the company’s set-top box that has never been a blockbuster hit, got an upgrade. The device will now be able to stream so-called 4K resolution, which refers to screens with two times the vertical resolution and twice the horizontal resolution of older high-definition TVs.
• Apple took the wraps off a new Apple Watch. Called Apple Watch Series 3, it has cellular capabilities. There’s also a new Watch OS.
• Apple’s chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, presided over the iPhone event at the new Steve Jobs Theater at the company’s campus in Cupertino, Calif. Mr. Cook said the new auditorium was named after the Apple co-founder because “he loved days like this.”
• To watch the Apple event live on Safari, iOS devices or through Microsoft Edge on PCs, use this link.
• If you have questions about the new models, send them our way. Brian X. Chen will be answering some of the most notable entries.
Apple Watch can now work without an iPhone.
The Apple Watch has been a sleeper hit for the company. Though early reviews were mixed, Apple has steadily improved the device, and now the smartwatch is the best-selling watch in the world, according to Apple.
Today, Apple unveiled the third version of the device. It looks identical to the old version, but the new one carries a much-requested feature for the first time: It will come with a cellular chip, meaning it can access the internet even if it isn’t connected to your phone. Among other capabilities, the cellular version can make calls, send texts and stream music when you’re on the go.
“Now you have the freedom to go anywhere with just the Apple Watch,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer.
The cellular version completes a long-term vision for the Watch — to be able to leave the house without your phone, to liberate you, in some small way, from Apple’s best-selling phone. In a demo, an Apple employee made a live call to the keynote address from a paddle board in the middle of a lake.
This is a slightly risky strategy, of course; Apple doesn’t want to kill its golden iPhone goose. But the new cellular watch is unlikely to be a replacement for the phone, just a high-priced complement.
The new cellular version sells for $399; a WiFi-only version of the new version sells for $329, and you can still buy the older version for $249. The new watch will begin shipping on Sept. 22.
— Farhad Manjoo
Apple’s new corporate campus is a sight to behold.
Apple is set to unveil several new gadgets later this morning, but the highlight of today’s event isn’t something you can buy. It’s Apple Park, the company’s new $5 billion spaceship-shaped campus, which the company is showing off to the media for the first time.
The press were penned off just out of range of the main building, at the Steve Jobs Theater, the 1,000-seat venue with a commanding view of the spaceship. A quick review: This place is just what you’d imagine an Apple-designed campus would look like. Think of the aesthetics of an Apple Store — lots of wood and glass, everything in muted tans and greys, all signage in white-on-black Apple Sans type — set on an otherwise barren landscape.
It is, unsurprisingly, very pretty, but its beauty comes with a deliberate touch of fright. Nothing here is to human scale, and the overall impression is one of being overwhelmed by Apple’s sheer might.
— Farhad Manjoo
The iPhone still dominates after 10 years.
Since Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007, the company has sold more than 1.2 billion of the devices, making it one of the best-selling gadgets of all time. And sales show no real signs of slowing. How has it managed that?
Several factors have played major roles. The iPhones have strong security, for example, and Apple offers a strong technical support system, including the Genius Bar at Apple retail stores. But there is also Apple’s tight ecosystem — the iPhone works well with other Apple products — and, over time, Apple has gained people’s trust.
The device has also changed how we live, cementing an always-connected way of life. It certainly wasn’t perfect from the start, he says, but over time “the iPhone wasn’t just a shiny bauble. It was useful. It could mimic just about any other gadget you had, from your Game Boy to your flashlight. And apps could do things no other gadgets could do.”
— Joseph Plambeck
What’s the future of the smartphone?
For the last decade, smartphones have gotten thinner and faster. But the gadgets are still evolving in more interesting ways. As we wrote two weeks ago, some of the latest new tricks involve the cameras and sensors.
New cameras are starting to enable face scanning, allowing people to unlock their phone just by looking at it. There remain sizable limitations to some of this technology, but some aspects seem primed to enter the mainstream.
In addition, the new hardware will enhance augmented reality, in which digital objects can be placed on real-life objects. Apple, among other technology giants, have been bullish on augmented reality — which relies on advanced camera technology and is aided by motion sensors.
— Joseph Plambeck
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/12/technology/apple-iphone-event.html