Top 3 Reveals from Apple Keynote – iPhone 6s, iPad Pro, and Apple TV

Tech Report

By: Nick Gambino

Apple’s keynote or address was held last week where the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were announced as well as other exciting product upgrades.

At the Bill Graham Civic Center in San Francisco Apple CEO, Tim Cook, took the stage to unveil several new Apple products which either confirmed or denied several months of rumors. The keynote has long been a platform for Apple to brag and show off their innovative new gadgets. It was made popular by Steve Job’s “one more thing” roll-outs starting in 2003.

This year may not have been one of the biggest years but there’s enough there to satiate any Apple fan. That is, until next week when we’re already drumming up rumors about next year’s keynote reveals.

iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

Rather than ditching the 6’s design for a whole new look, the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus instead concentrate on upgrades in durability and hardware.

The new phones will apparently be able to withstand more knocking about from daily use because of their new, more durable aluminum casing as well as a stronger glass. The casing is the same that they use for the Apple Watch.

They now contain an A9 processor making for a faster brain. 3D touch is also incorporated into the new phones making it so it can distinguish between a tap or a normal press. This opens a whole new avenue for shortcuts where you can just peek at an e-mail instead of having to fully open it.

The two cameras have been upgraded with the ability to now shoot 4K video. Huge! The front-facing camera also known as the “selfie camera” can now take 1080p videos and 5mp images. By the way, you night owls who’ve been complaining about the lack of a flash for selfies, can now rest easy, they’ve solved that too.

The new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus can be pre-ordered now and begin shipping September 25^th.

iPad Pro

The long rumored iPad Pro is official! Apple referred to its announcement as “The biggest news in iPad since iPad.”

It has a 12.9-inch screen and is only slightly thicker than the iPad. It contains an A9x processor which is a leg up on the iPad Air’s A8x.

Four built-in speakers improve the sound output tremendously over the iPad Air while the visual output is much improved with 5.6 million pixels fitting on the display.

Two other accessories were also announced as part of this unveiling, the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard.

The Smart Keyboard is simply that, a keyboard that automatically connects up to your iPad Pro through a 3-dot magnetic connector that allows the transfer of data and power. That means no need for a separate charge of the keyboard.

The Apple Pencil is the first stylus Apple has ever released (Steve Jobs swore off the stylus). It looks as though it will come in handy if you want to draw on the iPad as opposed to just typing. It detects movement like tilting as well as the amount of force you’re applying and your position.

The iPad Pro will be available in space gray, gold and silver starting in November.

Apple TV  

Boy, did this need an upgrade. I love my Apple TV but somehow it felt like it was the kid being left back every year unfairly. The last time they released an Apple TV was in 2012 which in tech years is around 25 BC.

The newly announced Apple TV is about 10 mm taller than the earlier model but that’s about it on size so it’ll still fit beautifully amongst your consoles.

It’s the hardware and software that really impresses. It runs on a new operating system titled tvOS which runs on an A8 processor.

The new remote (thank God!) is Bluetooth and consists of five buttons, a mic for voice control and a touch surface for motion control. The mic of course is so you can boss Siri around and get her to locate what you want to watch. One cool trick that Siri has picked up: if you say “What did she say?” Siri will rewind your streaming content 15 seconds.

The new Apple TV will be available towards the end of October.

So that’s it for this year. Now I’m off to start a rumor about the new Apple hoverboard being announced at the next keynote. Until next time!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nick Gambino is a regular script writer and tech beat reporter for NewsWatch.  He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and daughter.