AT Apple’s iPhone 7 unveiling in San Francisco on Wednesday, the tech powerhouse revealed a host of new and updated hardware and software, including a new type of headphone jack and souped-up camera. Here’s a rundown of the biggest announcements:
Apple airpods. Apple is removing the standard analog headphone jack on the iPhone and forcing headphones to use its “Lightning” connector, which plugs into the phone’s charging port. The AirPods are shipping in late October and cost $160.
IPhone 7 and 7 plus. Apple’s new iPhone is getting a faster processor, an updated home button and water and dust protection. The iPhone 7 will have stereo speakers for the first time. Apple estimates that the new iPhones will have one or two hours of additional battery life over last year’s models.
Camera. Other camera improvements include a new flash with four LEDs, rather than two, for greater brightness. The iPhone 7 Plus will have two lenses to boost the zoom capabilities of the camera.
Pricing and storage. The iPhone 7 will start at $650, the same as the 6S it replaces. The larger Plus model is increasing to $770, instead of $750. The new phones will ship on September 16, with orders that started on September 9.
iOS 10. The latest software update, available on Tuesday, will add more intelligence to Apple services. Apple is also allowing developers to build apps for iMessage, although the options so far appear to mostly involve sending payments or ordering food.
Apple watch series 2. Apple introduced a “swim-proof” watch, the Apple Watch Series 2. The new watch has built-in GPS, a brighter display and faster processor than the previous Apple Watch. There’s also new ceramic watch-face. The price starts at $370. Apple is phasing out smartwatch models made with 18-karat gold. The ceramic versions will start at $1,250, just a tad cheaper than the gold model, which started at $10,000.
’Pokémon Go’. A “Pokémon Go” app is coming to Apple Watch. The app lets you collect items from Pokestops, hatch eggs and alert you to nearby Pokémon (you still need your phone to catch actual Pokémon). It will be shipping before the end of the year.
New Mario game. Nintendo debuted a new Super Mario game for iOS called “Super Mario Run.” It’s the first iOS game featuring Nintendo’s Mario characters.
Apple Pay. Apple Pay will come to Japan in October with a new wireless technology called Felica to be included in iPhones and Apple Watches there. Apple Pay will also come to New Zealand in October and Russia in the fall.
iWork in real time. Apple iWork suite of software, including word processing, processing, spreadsheet and presentation programs, will include real-time collaboration features for the first time. It’s something Google and Microsoft already offer in some form.
Image credits: AP