Luca Romeo ’22
Contributor
On September 14, 2021, Apple held a Keynote event showcasing their lineup of new Apple products set to launch in the coming weeks. These products included the new iPad, iPad Mini, Apple Watch Series 7, and, of course, new iPhones. These devices have both major changes and improvements and some more subtle, unique tweaks when compared to their predecessors.
Apple opened the Keynote by unveiling the new iPad, marketed as a budget-friendly tablet with some benefits previously exclusive to the iPad Pro and iPad Air. Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard support come with the new iPad. The device shares the same A13 Bionic chip as the iPhone 11 generation of devices. In comparison to the previous generation of iPads, the new one has a 20% boost to the CPU (central processing unit), GPU (graphics processing unit), and Neural Engine. The new iPad features a 12MP (megapixel) ultra-wide front camera (if you ever need to take high-quality selfies with a tablet), and an 8MP Wide back camera that lets you take both photos and videos. Center Stage was a feature that is new to the base model iPad, focusing on certain points in a video and panning to that spot automatically. Overall, the new iPad is a solid device that can do about everything you ask of it, but don’t expect anything out of this world. It’s budget price tag at 429 CAD should make it stand out in the eyes of the public, especially for educational purposes.
Up next, Apple announced the iPad Mini, showcasing an all-new look, featuring an 8.3-inch liquid retina display, ultra-slim bezels, and four sleek colors. The iPad Mini uses the all-new Apple A15 Bionic chip, boosting CPU performance by 40% and GPU performance by 80% in comparison to last year’s model. Touch ID has been included on the new iPad Mini, which claims to have all-day battery life. The iPad Mini supports 5G data connections, which can come in handy if you don’t have your phone on you 24/7. The cameras are nearly identical to the new iPad, with a slightly better 12MP back camera included. This new iPad Mini is a big improvement on last generation’s model. It should be able to handle just about every task you throw at it from productivity, taking notes, and even mobile gaming if that’s your forte. Starting at 649 CAD, the new iPad Mini is the perfect device for anyone looking for a powerful tablet, with a small form factor.
Apple unveiled another iteration of the Apple Watch with a slightly bigger screen, five new aluminum colours, and 33% faster charging. Apple claims that the Apple Watch Series 7 is the most durable Apple watch yet but take that for what you will. With such a small upgrade from last year’s model, hold on from buying this Apple product.
The big finale of Apple’s September 2021 Keynote was the reveal of the iPhone 13. The latest and greatest line of iPhones featured a sleek contemporary design, a decrease of the notch size. There are four new models: the iPhone 13, the iPhone 13 Mini, the iPhone 13 Pro, and the iPhone Mini Pro Max. The iPhone 13 and 13 Mini come with a 6.1-inch, and 5.4-inch OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display, respectively. They also have the all-new 6 core Apple A15 Bionic chip, which provides a boost in CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine capabilities. The cameras are shifted diagonally on these models to accommodate the new sensor-shift capabilities. There is a 12MP wide lens that captures astonishing low-light photos well and a sensor-shift that tracks objects in videos phenomenally. All these new iPhones feature a ‘cinematic mode.’ This mode allows the depth of field to focus on one subject and be switched to another subject just by pressing on them. This process will help for shooting high-quality videos, and will ensure you get the right object in frame. The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max have all the features previously mentioned and more. They sport a Super Retina XDR display with a ProMotion refresh rate. This can scale from 10Hz to 120Hz, making for much smoother interactions. There are three cameras on the back of the Pro models: the telephoto, ultra-wide, and wide-angle lens are from the previous generation, but now have better low-light capabilities. The battery life on all these phones has increased significantly. The max lifespan of the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s battery is now an incredible ten hours of screen time. The prices for these new devices range from 600 CAD all the way up to over 2000 CAD. The baseline storage is now 128 gigabytes, and the max is 1 terabyte.
Apple’s September Keynote did not disappoint with three out of the four releases being big improvements in their field or attracting specific audiences. If you care about the new Apple Watch, all the power to you, but the ‘upgrade’ was so minimal, it should not be considered one. The new iPad has a great price tag with average features. The iPad mini looks gorgeous and has the specs to compete with the iPad Pro. And the new iPhones should be a huge improvement in all fields from the previous generation of iPhones. The Apple Ecosystem received some major upgrades and will hopefully be getting more in the near future.
Photo Credit: Apple
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