Apple events are always full of little details that don’t make it into the main presentation. Some tidbits are buried in footnotes and others in release notes. Yesterday was no exception, so after having a chance to dig in a little deeper, here is an assortment of details about what Apple announced yesterday.
Posts tagged with "September 2020 Event"
Apple’s September 2020 Event: All The Little Things
Apple Fitness+, the Newest Apple Service, Will Arrive in Late 2020 Exclusively for Apple Watch Users
Today alongside the introduction of the Apple One services bundle and new Apple Watch models, Apple also debuted a brand new paid service coming in late 2020: Apple Fitness+.
Fitness+ is designed to work exclusively with the Apple Watch, requiring an Apple Watch Series 3 or later. When it launches, it will cost $9.99/month or $79.99/year, or it’s included as part of an Apple One Premier plan – and no matter how you get it, Fitness+ will offer Family Sharing support. There will also be a 1-month free trial for all users, or three months free for anyone purchasing an Apple Watch from September 15 on.
Apple Fitness+ brings studio-style workout experiences to your Apple devices in a way that uniquely integrates with the Apple Watch. As a workout video plays, live metrics from your Watch will display in the corner of the screen so you can easily keep track of things like the duration of your workout, heart rate, and calories burned. You’ll also see your Activity rings on-screen, providing convenient updates on your progress as you exercise.
The New iPad Air and 8th Generation iPad: The MacStories Overview
During an online-only event from Apple Park in Cupertino, Apple introduced a new iPad Air that looks as though it will rival the iPad Pro in many respects. The company also took the wraps off its 8th generation base-model iPad, which features a faster SoC.
The previous-generation iPad Air was unveiled in March 2019 as a mid-tier iPad between the base model and iPad Pro. That model was essentially a cheaper version of the discontinued 10.5” iPad Pro updated with new internals. The older model Air started at $499 and supported many of the same features as the iPad Pro with the notable exceptions of Apple’s ProMotion technology and the second-generation Apple Pencil.
Apple One: The Long-Awaited Services Bundle Is Coming Soon in Three Tiers
Today during an event in which Apple revealed new Apple Watch and iPad models, the company also had some big services news to share: to increase adoption of the company’s growing slate of services, a new Apple One bundle will be launching soon to bring together multiple paid services at a discounted price.
Although Apple One doesn’t carry an official release date yet besides simply ‘fall,’ Apple did detail the breakdown of pricing and included services across three different Apple One tiers:
- Individual: Includes Apple Music, TV+, Arcade, and 50 GB of iCloud storage for an individual at $14.95/month, a savings of $6/month.
- Family: Also includes Apple Music, TV+, and Arcade, but with 200 GB of iCloud storage and Family Sharing for all services, at $19.95/month for savings of $8/month.
- Premier: This is the big bundle, including Apple Music, TV+, Arcade, News+, the newly announced Fitness+, as well as 2 TB of iCloud storage for $29.95/month, a savings of $25/month.
The Individual and Family tiers of Apple One will be launching in over 100 countries to reach the widest number of users possible. Premier, however, since it includes services like News+ which are only available in limited territories, will only be available in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia at launch.
When Apple One launches, users will be able to try any of the three tiers with a 30-day free trial for services that they aren’t already paying for. It’s also worth noting that according to Apple’s website, Fitness+ likely won’t be available until after Apple One debuts, since it carries a launch window of ‘Late 2020’ while Apple One is ‘Coming this fall.’
Apple One’s tiered structure makes a lot of sense, and the savings seem pretty enticing, especially for the Premier plan. As someone who already subscribes to every Apple service, Premier will be a no-brainer to me as I’ll gain Fitness+ and a higher iCloud storage plan for less than the $38/month I’m paying right now.
You can follow all of our September event coverage through our September 2020 event hub, or subscribe to the dedicated RSS feed.
Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE: The MacStories Overview
Today in what would normally be an iPhone-led September event, the Apple Watch was able to serve as headliner since new iPhones won’t be coming until October. It was a fitting change because Apple had news to share about not one, but two new Apple Watch models: the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE.
These two devices follow Apple’s strategy with the iPhone, where there’s a flagship line plus a more affordable option that uses a mix of old and new parts. The Apple Watch Series 6 includes a new blood oxygen sensor, improved always-on display, S6 processor, an always-on altimeter, and new finishes. The Apple Watch SE also features the always-on altimeter and a similar design, but without the new color finishes, it includes the S5 processor from last year, but it doesn’t get the blood oxygen sensor nor does it include an always-on display. A new software addition is another key incentive for both the Series 6 and SE: Family Setup, which enables children to be Apple Watch users without having their own iPhones.
Both new Apple Watches are available to order now, and will ship this Friday, September 18. Here’s the full run-down on each new device.
Replay Apple’s September 15, 2020 Keynote and iPad Air Video
If you didn’t follow the live stream or announcements as they unfolded at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino today, you can replay it on Apple’s Events site and catch the iPad Air and Apple Watch Series 6 videos on YouTube.
The keynote video can be streamed here and on the Apple TV using the Apple Events app. A high-quality version should be made available soon through iTunes on the Apple Events video podcast or you can watch it on YouTube. New this year is an American Sign Language version of the event, which is available here.
Apple also posted videos introducing the new iPad Air and Series 6 Apple Watch, which are available on the company’s YouTube channel and after the break.
Apple’s September 15, 2020 Keynote: By the Numbers
As usual, Apple sprinkled facts, figures, and statistics throughout the keynote today. Here are highlights of some of those metrics from the event, which was held online-only from the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California.
Apple Watch and Fitness+
- The S6 SoC is the Apple Watch’s 6th generation.
- Apple introduced 8 new Watch faces including the new Nike face, plus 4 new bands.
- Apple will include 0 USB chargers in the box with the latest Apple Watches.
- Apple’s new Fitness+ service features 10 types of workouts.
- Fitness+ features 8 music styles from which to choose, plus Apple Music integration.
8th Generation iPad and iPad Air
- Apple has sold 500 million iPads
- 53% of iPad users are first-time users.
- The iPad has been #1 in customer satisfaction for 10 years.
- The 8th generation iPad features:
- A 10.2” display
- An A12 SoC is 40% faster than its predecessor
- Graphics performance that is 2x faster than its predecessor
- Performs 2x faster than a Windows laptop, 3x faster than an Android tablet, and 6x faster than a Chromebook
- A Neural Engine that processes 5 trillion operations per second
- The iPad Air features:
- A 10.9” display with 2360 x 1640 resolution for 3.8 million pixels
- A chip built with 5 nanometer technology
- 11.8 billion transistors on the 6-core A14 SoC, a 40% increase
- A Neural Engine with 16 cores capable of 11 trillion operations per second
You can follow all of our September event coverage through our September 2020 event hub, or subscribe to the dedicated RSS feed.
Apple Announces iOS 14, watchOS 7, and More Available September 16
Today Apple announced that the latest versions of most of its major OS platforms will be shipping tomorrow, September 16. This includes:
- iOS 14
- iPadOS 14
- watchOS 7
- tvOS 14
macOS Big Sur was not mentioned, and it’s expected to release later this year alongside Apple Silicon Macs.
I can’t recall there ever having been such a short turnaround time from the announcement of OS release dates to those OS versions shipping. Normally following a September event, Apple releases GM versions of its OS updates and the public versions a week or two later. This year, there’s no such delay.
Until now developers haven’t yet been able to submit their app updates to App Review, so when iOS 14 introduces widgets for the Home screen, for example, there won’t be third-party widgets available to try just yet. It’s a very unusual release strategy for Apple, but in a year like this, it seems anything can happen.
You can follow all of our September event coverage through our September 2020 event hub, or subscribe to the dedicated RSS feed.