Apple has unveiled the latest generation of the iPhone, which will go on sale 16 September. New features on the iPhone 7 include a water- and dustproof casing, brighter screen, the faster 64-bit quad-core A10 Fusion chip, stereo speakers, the introduction of wireless headphones and the return of black models in shiny or matte finishes.
As rumoured earlier, the iPhone loses the standard headphones jack and will come with headphones that connect to the Lightning charging port on the phone, as well as an adaptor for the Lightning port for using standard headphones. For wireless use, Apple introduced the Airpods, which alongside listening to audio wirelessly from the phone can activate Siri with a double tap. The Airpods will launch in late October for USD 159, and Apple's Beats brand will also launch wireless headphones for the iPhone 7.
Apple also delivered a better camera on the new phone, adding optical image stabilisation and a quad LED flash. The larger iPhone 7 Plus will come with a dual-lens back camera, offering a choice of wide-angle shots or a telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. The 7 Plus camera also can use both lenses and machine learning technology to vary the depth of field in the picture, a feature that will be introduced later this year in a software update. In addition, the front camera on the iPhone increases to 7 megapixels.
The new phone also adds support for LTE at up to 450 Mbps and the contactless standard Felica. The latter will allow the launch of Apple Pay in Japan in October along with the iPhone 7.
In terms of design, the aluminium body and curved edges of the iPhone 7 are similar to last year's model. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will be available in a choice of gold, silver, black and rose gold in 32 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB models, starting from USD 649. The shiny black finish will be available only on the 128 and 256 GB models. Apple is also expanding its upgrade programme to the UK and China with the new release, allowing customers to buy an unlocked phone on installment.
Apple also presented an update of its smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 2, and said it's now the second-biggest seller of watches in the world, behind Rolex. The new range targets the fitness market more, adding a waterproof exterior, GPS, an updated Activity app for tracking movement and workouts and the new Breathe app for stress relief and relaxation. The watch is also faster, with the new S2 dual-core chip and an updated GPU, and comes with a brighter display. With the latest watchOS 3, the company is putting a greater focus on apps on the watch and introduced the Dock, a charging station with an updating display for background apps.
Apple Watch Series 2 will be available in gold, rose gold, silver or space gray aluminum, or silver or space black stainless steel cases paired with a variety of bands starting at USD 369 from 16 September in select countries. Apple also updated the Watch Series 1 with the new CPU and GPU and will offer the refreshed model from the reduced price of USD 269. In addition, the company introduced the Apple Watch Nike+, a sports watch targeting runners and starting at USD 369, and new models of the luxury Apple Watch Hermes from USD 1,149.
Apple is also bringing games to the watch, with the launch of a special edition of Pokemon Go. In addition, Nintendo announced at the Apple press conference the first Mario mobile game, with 'Super Mario Run' launching first for the iPhone.
Pre-orders for all the new products start 09 September in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UAE, the UK and the US. The phones and watches will be available in shops from 16 September and another 30 countries from 23 September. Sales in India start 07 October.
