The IT Nerd

Apple had an event today to make a bunch of announcements. But they also made a point at taking a shot at the FBI seeing as they’re trying to get Apple to unlock an iPhone and Apple isn’t too keen on doing so. But they quickly went back to announcing product. Here’s a list of what was announced today:

• Apple announced CareKit which is a framework for developers to build apps that “empower people to take an an active role in their care.” CareKit on iPhone has a care card, symptom and measurement tracker, and the ability to share your information with family and medical professionals. CareKit is open source and available in April.
• There are new woven nylon bands for Apple Watch in multiple vibrant colors. Pink, orange, blue, black. There are also Apple Watch sport and leather bands in new colors for spring. Plus Space Black Milanese Loop as well.
• There was a price change for the Apple Watch. It is now starting at $299 USD.
• Apple introduced the iPhone SE in four colors. Big changes include a 4-inch screen, A9 chip (which makes it the same as the iPhone 6s and double the speed of the iPhone 5s) , 12-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera, 150 Mbps LTE, Wi-Fi calling,  Bluetooth 4.2 Always-on “Hey Siri”, and Apple Pay among other features. iPhone SE pricing starts at $399 USD for 16GB, $499 USD for 64GB, and pre-orders begin this Thursday. It ships March 31 in the following countries: U.S., Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, U.K.
• iOS 9.3 was officially announced and is available today as a free update. It has new features such as Night Shift which makes the iDevice easier to read at night, and improvements to CarPlay. Speaking of CarPlay, Apple did point out that 100 vehicles have CarPlay with more coming.
• Apple introduced the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. It has the same display materials as the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It is 25% brighter than the iPad Air 2. It also has 25% greater color saturation than iPad Air 2. Plus it has four speakers and comes to the table with an A9X chip under the hood which Apple claims has more power than an XBOX 360 which is a clear shot at Microsoft and their Surface Pro ads. It also has an M9 motion co-processor which give it always on “Hey Siri” support. The new 9.7-inch iPad Pro has a True Tone display. Two new four-channel ambient light sensors that measure the color temperature of ambient light, and adjusts the display to match. It 12MP iSight camera and a 5MP front camera. It will come in four colors and costs $599 (32GB Wi-Fi), $749 (128GB Wi-Fi), and $899 (256GB Wi-Fi). Shipping begins March 31 with pre-orders this Thursday.
• 12.9-inch iPad Pro is also now available in a larger 256GB size for $1,099 USD.
• Pad mini now starts from $269 USD. iPad Air 2 from $399 USD

So, what do you think of today’s Apple announcement?

UPDATE: If you missed the announcement live, here’s link to the recording that will be available shortly. I’ve also updated this story with links to the products that were announced.

This entry was posted on March 21, 2016 at 2:09 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Apple. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.