Apple CEO Tim Cook once again took to the stage today to unveil the latest from Apple. Below is a summary of today’s event:
- iOS7
- Apple putting the final touches on the latest version of iOS
- Cook promised it will become the world’s most popular operating system with hundreds of millions of people to download it
- 700 millionth iOS device to ship next month
- New and improved features like multitasking view, Control Center, Notification Center and improved camera software
- iTunes Radio, described as “the best way to experience new music” with channels much as Pandora and other streaming services already do
- Compatible with iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation).
- iWork
- Cook: “the best-selling mobile productivity apps on any platform”
- Includes iPhoto and iMovie
- Will be free on new iOS devices (any new iPad, iPhone, or 5th-gen iPod touch)
- Apple iPhone
- Apple replacing iPhone 5 with two new designs: Apple iPhone 5C and Apple iPhone 5S
- Apple iPhone 5C to be available in green, white, blue, pink, and yellow with back and sides made of a single piece of hard coated polycarbonate with a steel frame that doubles as the antenna
- 4-inch Retina display with integrated touch
- Apple A6 processor
- iOS 7
- Higher capacity battery
- 8MP rear camera with BSI and five-element lens
- Improved FaceTime front camera
- LTE with support for more bands “than any other smartphone in the world”
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (dual band) and Bluetooth 4.0
- US$99 for 16GB model and US$199 for 32GB model with two-year contract
- Phil Schiller: “Yes, and Android free.”
- New silicon rubber case with pattern of holes to show iPhone colour beneath to sell for US$29
Apple iPhone 5S to be available in “space gray”, gold and silver
- Made of high-grade aluminium with chamfered edges
- New 64-bit Apple A7 SoC: A first for smartphones
- Native 64-bit kernel
- Can run both 32-bit and 64-bit apps
- Runs OpenGL|ES 3.0
- Significant performance improvement over previous SoCs
- To come with M7 motion co-processor which focuses on motion data (eg, accelerometer)
- Battery life: 10 hours of 3G talk time or LTE browsing
- New camera with a five-element Apple-designed lens with f/2.2 aperture, two LED flashes (clear and amber) and larger pixels (1.5 microns).
- Improved software to take advantage of the new sensor.
- Burst mode able to take up to 10 shots per second.
- Slo-Mo mode able to capture 720p video at 120FPS.
- New Touch ID puts a biometric fingerprint scanner in the Home button. Capable of reading in any direction and able to sense 500 ppi and scan sub-epidermal skin layers. Can also be used for other functions such as iTunes purchases.
- Home button now made of sapphire glass
- US$199 for 16GB model, US$299 for 32GB model and US$399 for 64GB model (with two year contract)
- New cases available in multiple colours for US$39
- Apple to continue to offer iPhone 4S in 8GB configuration. Will be free with contract.
- Pre-orders begin on September 13th and sales on September 20th in Canada, U.S. and a number of other countries including Australia France and the UK.
- New iPhones to be available in over 100 countries and 270 carriers by December 2013.
And that’s it… Time for the rumour mill to get fired up for the iPhone 6 – Oops, that’s already started.