Apple’s latest lineup offers helpful updates

On Sept. 12, Apple hosted its “Gather Round” keynote, revealing the latest devices in their iPhone and Apple Watch lineups. This was the second keynote hosted at the company’s Steve Jobs theater, located on site of  the new Apple Park campus.

The first reveal of the event was the Apple Watch Series 4. While the design has been updated with a slimmer profile, and an almost bezel-less display that is 30 percent larger, there were a lot more impressive additions under the hood.

Apple’s main focuse for the watch this time around were connectivity, health and activity.

The activity tracking has been improved with automatic workout detection, and a more accurate heart rate sensor on the back of the watch, using both optical and electrical sensors. These improved sensors are what Apple uses to better keep an eye on your health.

There are actually 2 electrical heart sensors on the watch. Alongside the one located on the back, there is now a sensor located in the improved “digital crown.” The action of having one finger on the crown, and the watch on your wrist, actually completes the circuit needed to capture an ECG, or electrocardiogram. With these new features, the watch is capable of detecting if the wearer has signs of atrial fibrillation, or an abnormal heart rhythm.

Add the fact that the watch has fall detection, automatically offering to call 911 if a fall is detected(and actually doing so if theres no response within 1 minute), and there are going to be a lot of lives saved thanks to this new device.

As far as connectivity improvements go, the Apple Watch series 4 features improved speakers, greater cellular reception, and a new walkie-talkie mode. Prices for the Apple Watch Series 4 start at $399.

Three new iPhone models were also announced at the keynote. iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and iPhone XR. The iPhone Xs and Xs Max, are this years premium models, with the Xs Max boasting a larger 6.5-inch display.

While most improvements this year were minimal, one welcoming change was the new A12 Bionic chip. The new chip allows for better visuals and graphics on screen, all while extending the battery life compared to last years model. The A12 Bionic also improves the pictures taken with the phone by using artificial intelligence to process data in the photographs, allowing for greater dynamic range with better motion freezing, excellent noise reduction in low light, and more.

Along with the silver and black colors, a new gold option was also announced. Prices for the iPhone Xs and Xs Max start at $999 and $1,099.

The iPhone XR is this year’s budget model, however, there is nothing “budget” about it. Featuring the latest A12 Bionic chip, and getting all of the internal benefits of the premium models, the only differences with this phone are slightly cheaper exterior features, and the removal of “3D Touch.” The iPhone XR has an LCD display, and an aluminum frame. Compare this to the higher quality of the OLED display, and stainless steel frame of the premium iPhone Xs and Xs Max models. Most shouldn’t even be able to tell a difference between the two.

The iPhone XR also comes in six colors; White, Black, Blue, Yellow, Coral, and Red. The iPhone XR will be released a little later this year, on October 26th, and will be priced starting at $749.

While the Apple Watch Series 4 definitely seemed to steal the show, the new iPhones should be great upgrades for anyone coming from one of the older models. With that said, the release of their latest operating system iOS 12, has actually improved the performance of older iPhones, going all the way back to the iPhone 5s. Users have reported their older devices operating up to twice as fast with the new update.

So if you don’t have the money to upgrade your iPhone this year, don’t fret, simply update your phone and it should feel like new again.

For more information on the latest Apple devices, check out their website.