As it happened
Apple's bid To regain the innovation lead
Ever since the launching of the very first iPhone ten years back, Apple has been able to mesmerize the world with their mind-boggling technology and cutting-edge design. In these ten years, Apple has launched eighteen different models of smartphone, three generations of watches, seven different models of iPad and countless other devices. Each and every time, soaring number of audiences followed the Apple events – just to see what new gizmo has the tech giant build now. For the last several years, thanks to the high-speed internet, most people can enjoy the event live and every year the number rose staggeringly. In 2013, the number of people live streaming the event was estimated to be more than a 'one million'. If you are one of those who missed the event this year, then not to worry. Here we crammed every important announcement Apple made last week:
iPhone X
Firstly, and most importantly: this is pronounced iPhone Ten not iPhone 'ex' and this is probably the most anticipated Apple device ever in its history. This phone has shattered every design speculation the fans had (till the leaks started to appear online) and is indeed a true testament of Apple's design and engineering marvel. All though, Xiaomi and Samsung have been doing edge-to-edge bezel-less screen for years now- but it was the first time for Apple. The phone has a "Super Retina Display," measuring 5.8 inches and Apple used OLED for the first time on any of its phones.
This is the first iPhone without any sort of home button at all. To wake up the phone you need to tap on the screen. Instead of Touch ID fingerprint, this phone has Face ID. Using the infrared scanner and depth of field sensors, iPhone X will map its users face. The phone also comes equipped with a dual 12-megapixel camera on the back. It can take much better pictures with higher resolutions compared to the previous generations. The front facing camera here supports portrait mode as well. The powerhouse of iPhone X is Apple's home-grown A11 Bionic chip with neural computing features. The phone also supports wireless charging which isn't a groundbreaking feature in even Apple universe. Still, we are actually happy that Apple thought about going with wireless charging. How well the battery will fare- that's something we can comment on right now but according to Apple it's going to run at least two hours longer than the iPhone 7. The iPhone Xs will be made available in 64GB and 256GB memory and a starting at $999 (roughly BDT 80,000/-).
iPhone 8 & 8Plus
Well, besides the anniversary special iPhone X, Apple also announced iPhone 8 and 8 Plus which looks and feels almost identical to iPhone 7 series. The iPhone 8 series did have some refinements though, but we don't consider them exactly as a showstopper. Rather at best we can say these features are just 'good-to-have'. The design got just one face-lift: glass back. Apple is now selling them in three different colours: silver, space gray, and gold (although it says gold, we think it should have been called rose gold, thanks to the pinkish hue). Just like the iPhone X, this too now comes with 64GB and 256GB models. The base model price starts from $699 (roughly around BDT 57,000/-).
Apple Watch Series 3
Apple's premium wearable device, the Apple Watch got an upgrade too. The newest lineup is called 'series 3' and supports phone calls and LTE. This means your phone won't need to access the phone data making it one of the most usable wearables now in the market. The OS of the watch got an upgrade too. Now it functions much smoother and the heart rate monitor delivers more accurate results. It supports wireless charging like its predecessors and looks almost identical to the series 2. The base model of the Apple watch series 3 starts from $329 (roughly around BDT 28,000/-).
Apple TV 4K
Apple has already been operating in the set-top-box market for several years now and this year it has unveiled another incremental update: Apple TV 4K. This device will be now streaming videos from Apple partners in 4K. Not only it will stream 4K video, it has enhanced HDR option to make the videos much more vibrant and colour accurate. Powered by A10X Fusion chipset, this set-top-box can process high-quality video streaming from games as well. The 32GB base model of Apple TV 4K will cost you around $200 (roughly will cost you BDT 17,000/-)
What else
Even the venue itself was a wonder to many. The unveiling event was held in Apple's Spaceship campus called the 'Apple Park' in Cupertino, California. The main event took place in the new Steve Jobs Theater. The all-glass design of the exterior combined with white marvel stone was reeking Apple's design principles.