In Touch with iOS 034 Apple Watch and iPhones in September
Do you remember the 21st night of September? Well, you will because that's when new iPhones will be available! Apple Watch aims to help us when we've fallen down and can't get up. Full show notes are at InTouchwithiOS.com
Recap of Apple Event Announcements from September 12th Apple eats a bit of "humble pie" in the opening film to their "Gather Round" event which is a spoof on Mission Impossible. They know they haven't been able to keep their product announcements so secret anymore, so they made it look as though there was going to be some really extra special super secret product in a briefcase and it turned out to be...well, you can watch it here: September Keynote 2018 — Opening Film and view all of the announcements here.
This keynote was especially polished. The opening graphic as Tim Cook walked out on stage was that of a rose gold circle to represent the architectural design of their new digs. Throughout the event, you see that circle design prominently featured on product close-ups like the back of the new Apple Watch and on the single camera of the iPhone XR. They're really emphasizing soft and curvy edges.
Apple Watch Series 4 was announced first with even more health features including the built-in ability to take an ECG (electrocardiogram) and Fall Detection. The digital crown now has haptic feedback when turned and the surface of it is a sensor where you place your finger to take an ECG. The speakers have been improved and the microphone was moved to the other side to make using Siri more effective. There are two hardware configurations available in two sizes. The entry-level aluminum 40mm GPS model starts at $399. For an additional $100 you can get the GPS + Cellular model and leave your iPhone at home. Add on $30 more for an additional 4 mm of watch to get the 44mm if you like to live large. Upgrading the bands or case material to stainless steel adds to the price and overall fashion statement you can make with an Apple Watch. It should be noted that you will be able to use all of your existing bands with the new hardware. Here is a link to Apple's shopping page where you can experiment with combinations to find the right Apple Watch for you or someone special. You can also still get Apple Watch Series 3 which is now down to $279 for the base aluminum GPS model. Adding cellular costs $100 more plus whatever your carrier charges you per month for that ability.
Earth Wind and Fire Watch Faces In addition to Earth, we'll now have "Wind" (in the form of "vapor" and "breathe") and Fire watch faces from which to choose.
Here are four new watch faces coming to existing Apple Watches with watchOS 5 — 9 to 5 Mac watchOS 5 is coming to an Apple Watch near you on September 17th and it's available on all models except the "Series 0." Here is Apple's complete watchOS Feature Availability listing.
Good Things Come in Threes Including New iPhones There are now three new iPhone offerings in addition to all the previous models still available. There's now more choice than ever before with a price point and form factor for just about anyone. Despite all the hardware offerings available, by making iOS 12 available on 28 models of iPhone and iPad going back the span of FIVE years, we still can't really call Apple's device lineup "fragmented" because of how they are managed and updated so elegantly. Each base price begins at the 64GB size which has become the sweet spot of hard drive sizes for the budget-minded and storage-conservative users. Even the beloved iPhone SE is still available in 32GB for $349 at authorized resellers for comparison on the low-end and even more budget-friendly.
iPhone XS 5.8 inch display $999 and iPhone XS Max 6.5 inch display $1099 — both are available in Silver, Space Gray, and Gold finishes.
iPhone XR 6.1 inch display $749 is the "budget" model of this year's lineup. It's a vast improvement on the iPhone 5c from the last time they designed a "fun" phone. (Preordering begins October 19th at 12:01 PDT) It is available in White, (PRODUCT)RED, Coral, Yellow, Blue, and Black finishes. We Spent Some Time With Apple's Colorful iPhone XR. Here's What You Should Know — Time
Melissa's Budgeting Breakdown When iPhone 8 Plus came out, it was $799 which is $50 more than what iPhone XR costs now. If you're in need of an upgrade and are on the fence between the now $699 iPhone 8 Plus yet really want the iPhone X experience, consider that for $50 more, iPhone XR has a faster chip and Face ID. It's also a smaller, more pocketable form factor with a slightly larger display so there's no sacrifice there. While it only has a single camera system, it's still capable of snapping pictures that feature Portrait mode and Depth Control. You'd be sacrificing telephoto and wide-angle capabilities of iPhone XS, so if you're a traveler or birdwatcher, you may not want to lose out on those features. There is no 3D Touch, but many would argue it's an underused and underappreciated feature that may end up being replaced with Haptic touch in the future anyhow. There's also no need to be concerned about picking out a black or white front with that edge to edge screen. If you're trying to decide between iPhone XR and iPhone XS, an extra $250 ($999 iPhone XS compared to $749 iPhone XR) will get you:
- Best camera to date: wide angle and telephoto vs single camera
- Best display to date: 6.5 inch Super Retina HD (OLED) vs 6.1 inch Liquid Retina HD (LED)
- One additional meter of water resistance depth (2m vs 1m)
- Even longer battery life
- 3D Touch vs Haptic touch
It's like buying a really good phone but then paying an extra $250 for the luxury and convenience of not also needing to carry a bulkier DSLR camera. You're actually buying a camera that makes phone calls and enables you to have a mobile office. You have to ask yourself what you want and need in a pocket supercomputer capable of performing actual work tasks vs a camera that makes phone calls vs a phone that takes decent pictures.
$569 iPhone 7 Plus 32GB is still available through Apple unlocked. $349.99 iPhone SE is the lowest priced iPhone at the smallest size of 32 GB. Apple is no longer selling it unlocked from their site so you'll need to purchase from an authorized reseller now like your cell carrier and know that this model is no longer being manufactured.
I love this reference sketch of different iPhone sizes posted on Twitter by Kate Matthews The Green Report Lisa Jackson's report on all Apple is doing for the environment and introduces Daisy the Recycling Robot. Apple makes products that last.
Why it's a big deal that Lisa Jackson spoke at Apple's iPhone XS event — Cult of Mac
Apple's new recycling robot Daisy will rip apart iPhones — Cult of Mac HomePod update: Stereo pairing is now available. AirPlay 2 now makes it possible for you to: search for your favorite songs by lyrics, create multiple timers (a long-awaited feature), and make and receive phone calls right from your HomePod. You can now use HomePod to ping your devices to help locate them using Find My iPhone just like you can from your Apple Watch. Siri shortcuts will provide flexibility to more apps coming to the HomePod in the future. AppleCare+ now adds loss and theft prevention
Apple Debuts New AppleCare+ Theft and Loss Plan Priced at $299 for iPhone XS and XS Max — MacRumors Other Device Updates tvOS update on September 17th will provide a Dolby Atmos update to the 4K model and macOS Mohave will be available September 24th.
Apps & Gear Compare all three iPhone X models — AppleSee ALL models – Apple Meta: 034 Apple Watch and iPhones in September was recorded September 13, 2018. Any pricing listed is in US dollars and what was available at the time of this post. "Please Listen Carefully" by Jahzzar is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. In Touch with iOS or "ITWIOS" is an independently produced podcast, publication and social identity and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. iOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. All other Apple Inc. trademarks discussed are the property of Apple Inc. A full list of Apple trademarks is available here. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc. We may use affiliate links for products in show notes. When appropriate, software, products, or services provided for review purposes will be disclosed. Unless otherwise noted, these products or services are not a sponsor. Your patronage helps to support our content production at no additional cost to you and does not alter our honest opinion of said product or service.