Web training courses

Develop your digital skill set

Share

Apple's newest tech

So, the launch started with a tribute to ex-CEO Steve Jobs and the attention was then moved over to the Apple Watch. The Apple watch is now the number 1 watch in the world, surpassing even Rolex.

As part of the Apple Heart Study, Apple has three new updates being added to the heart monitor in all Series 3 Watches. The first is an enhancement to the heart rate app, which you can now see on your watch face and for the first time, tracks resting heart rate. A second new feature notifies those who don’t appear active but have an elevated heart rate. And finally, Watch Series 3 also tracks heart rhythm, a tool that could provide early detection of arrhythmia — specifically atrial fibrillation, a leading cause of stroke.

The even bigger announcement though was that the watches now have built in cellular. This was very heavily anticipated and a development that we didn't think we would see this year from Apple. But luckily the new edition to the watch doesn't require a second phone number, much like the Android models. And you can also make calls from your Apple Watch which is extremely handy!

Another edition to the Apple watch is that Siri now talks.

The watches come with new bands and new exclusive colours.

The presentation then fades into the new Apple 4K TV's.

Apple’s newest streaming box features upgrades designed to optimise performance for its 4k HDR content. It starts with an A10X fusion chip, the same one that currently powers the iPad Pro. From there, you’ll see 2x CPU performance and 4x GPU performance,

So far, 4K with HDR is available on iTunes from 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate and Paramount. And for the time being, 4K films will be the same price as HD. If you have purchased a HD movie recently, Apple’s going to upgrade your purchase to the 4K version for free.

Live sports, tighter integration with Photos and HomeKit, and thousands of games and apps on the App Store.

But let's be honest, everyone came for the iPhone 8.

The iPhone 8 will come in three colour options: Space grey, silver and new pale gold. The phones have a 50% deeper strengthening layer that's microscopically sealed for dirt and water resistance.

Powering Apple’s newest iPhone is the A11 Bionic chip, a 6-core CPU with 64-bit performance. It also has a 3-core GPU which stands to benefit the upgrade to Metal 2 in macOS High Sierra for better gaming, specifically games in 3D and VR.

At every Apple iPhone release, there are always new exciting updates to the camera and this time It's an all new 12-megapixel sensor with advanced colour filters that provide better colour satuation and deeper pixels with a higher dynamic range of colour. Video gets an upgrade too, now allowing you to shoot in 4K at 240 frames-per-second.

Wireless charging has now been added to the iPhone 8, which is another great addition to the iPhone 8. We just wished that they released this for the iPhone7. Both iPhone 8 models use wireless Qi charging.

As rumours suggested, Apple had a third phone to announce at today’s event, the iPhone X. As Tim Cook said, it’s “the biggest leap forward since the original iPhone.”

It’s engineered to be both water and dust resistant and comes in space grey and silver.

iPhone X also features the new Super Retina Display. It’s 5.8-inches, with 2436 x 1125 resolution, and 458 ppi — the highest pixel density in an iPhone. The OLED screen has great contrast, it’s thin, and offers some of the best resolutions on any flagship device.

Dolby Vision, 3D Touch, and over 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio make this device a sight to behold. Behind this gorgeous screen is a tap to wake feature that gives you a new way to wake the iPhone, a much-needed feature since iPhone X no longer has a Home button. 

As for Siri, there’s a larger button on the side to wake her, or you could always just use “Hey Siri” to summon her.

You don't need the fingerprint sensor anymore as Face ID needs only to look at you to unlock your device, no fingerprints required. Every time you glance at your iPhone one of several front-facing sensors scans your face and creates a mathematical model in real-time. As we reported previously, the feature is quite advanced and could be a real game-changer in the industry.  It’s also highly adaptable. It works during the day, or at night. With the fingerprint sensor, Apple claims the chances are 1 in 50,000 that someone with a similar fingerprint could unlock your device. With the Face ID, it’s now 1 in 1,000,000.

Apps like Mint, OnePassword, and eTrade will all work with Face ID, much like they did with its fingerprint-sensing predecessor.

Another super fun and cool thing that you can do on the iPhone X is creating an Animoji. Animoji is emoji that use AR to move realistically with your facial movements.

As far as cameras, the iPhone X features two 12MP sensors as well as the same tuning for AR and lighting features of the iPhone 8, including Portraight Lighting on the front-facing camera. If that gets you excited to take more selfies, it gets even better: Portrait Mode now works with the front-facing shooter as well.

If you’re worried about a hit to battery life, don’t be. Apple claims the iPhone X has two hours of additional battery life than the iPhone 7. But with the price tag of £999.0, we're OK with our iPhone 7's for now. 

18a Editorial
by 18a Editorial

Would you like to give your digital knowledge a boost? Join our mailing list.