Less than a week ago, Apple hosted its Apple Special Event in which the company unveiled a slew of new products, features and technologies to the world. Apple has been rebuilding much of the marketshare it has lost to competitors over the last few years. In fact, Patently Apple reports that between May and July of this year, 27 percent of European and 9 percent of American smartphone owners left their Android devices behind and switched to iOS. With all of the new products and features to talk about, this quarter is looking bright for Apple. Here is a look at the biggest stars of the Apple Special Event:
iPad Pro
With the biggest screen of any iOS device to date, the new iPad Pro shows Apple is taking a different direction with its tablet device. With a 12.9-inch screen, the iPad Pro is practically the size of a laptop; however, it still is only 6.9 mm thick and sports a 5.6-million pixel display, both of which stick to Apple’s original standards. It can support an optional full-sized keyboard, which helps it stay focused on professional use. The Verge reports that the iPad Pro features an A9X memory chip that is 1.8 times faster than the A8X chip in the iPad Air 2. It also has a four-speaker audio system that balances its output based on how the iPad is held.
Additionally, Apple revealed the Apple Pencil, a dedicated stylus for the iPad Pro. Like the iPad keyboard, there has been a rich third-party market for these accessories, but this announcement marks the first time Apple has produced them in-house. With a 10-hour battery life, keyboard, stylus and a focus on professional use, the iPad Pro looks like it may become a laptop killer for other developers.
iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
The Apple Special Event was primarily focused on the new iPhones, which should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with an Apple event. The new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were the stars of the show. The 6s will have the same 4.7-inch display as the iPhone 6, but it will have an updated and lightning fast A9 processor as compared to the A8 and will be built from aluminum alloy. It also will have the new 3-D Touch (formerly known as Force Touch), which senses how much pressure you are putting on the screen. Even though the 6s won’t be a huge difference from the iPhone 6, it is a jump from the 4-inch display and A6 processor in the iPhone 5.
New to this generation of iPhones, Apple has created its own version of the popular Vine app, called “Live Photos.” With this feature, a second and a half of footage is captured before and after you take a picture. Then, when you tap a photo, it animates with the short burst of footage, which can easily be posted to Facebook and other social media. With a crystal clear, 12 megapixel iSight camera and 5 megapixel Facetime camera, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are welcome additions to the iPhone family of devices.
You won’t have to wait long to get them, either. Digital Trends reports that both devices will be available to consumers starting September 25.