Five big takeaways from Apple’s ‘Far Out’ keynote
The company’s new iPhone 14 lineup will bring a couple of key hardware changes, with its new iOS 16 operating system also overhauling your iPhone’s aesthetic
Apple just wrapped up its long-awaited “Far Out” keynote event, with the company’s CEO Tim Cook and a number of other executives taking to the stage in Cupertino, California on Wednesday to reveal some of Apple’s newest products including the iPhone 14, overhauled AirPods and Apple Watches and more.
Below, Quick Mobile Repair compiled a list of five of the biggest announcements and revelations from the event to help you stay up to date with what’s going on in the world of Apple. And in case you missed the event, which the company has typically held at its West Coast headquarters every September for nearly 15 years, you can also rewatch the livestream by clicking here.
The iPhone 14 has finally arrived
People have been speculating about the iPhone 14 for nearly a year, and Apple’s recent announcement has confirmed many of the rumors about the upcoming smartphone. Most importantly, there will actually be three versions of the device: the iPhone 14 with a 6.1” display and starting price of $799; the iPhone 14 Plus, featuring a larger 6.7” display and price tag of $899; and the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, which include some extra hardware and have storage capacities of up to 1TB, which start at $999.
While the regular iPhone 14 and its Plus variants will use the same A15 processing chip found in their predecessors, the smartphones will be getting improved camera functionality and have eliminated a physical SIM card tray in favor of using “e-SIM” technology, among other changes. However, the Pro lineup will be powered by Apple’s best-ever A16 chip, and crucially, the devices’ controversial “notch” that cuts into the top of the display will soon be replaced by a pill-shaped cutout.
Apple Watch and AirPods get a major upgrade
In addition to unveiling the new iPhone 14 and its variants, Apple also used its keynote event this week to introduce other updated products. Chiefly, the company’s leaders announced the Apple Watch Series 8, SE and Ultra, the first two of which contain major upgrades from their predecessors and the last of which is a brand-new name in the Apple Watch family. The Ultra has a fairly large face with its rectangular display clocking in at 49mm, though it does have a couple of fitness-minded features and a truly flat screen, making it more durable for active users.
The Series 8 and SE are less significant changes, though both have become larger and include some potentially life-saving features, like the ability to detect if you’ve been in a car crash. All three devices will be available online and at Apple Stores nationwide in the coming weeks.
In addition to the Apple Watch news, the company also unveiled the next generation of its top-of-the-line wireless earbuds, the AirPods Pro. And while they look nearly identical to the previous generation of AirPods and still only come in white, Apple promises that its built-in H2 chip will deliver better noise cancellation. Plus, its case now includes a loop that you can attach a lanyard to, and a speaker on the bottom to allow better compatibility with Apple’s Find My app.
iOS 16 will be dropping next week
Apple has been testing its new iOS 16 operating system for months now, with early reports suggesting that it would feature a major overhaul of the lock screen’s look as well as include the ability to edit and unsend texts, allow Apple Pay to support “buy now, pay later” systems and more. And in addition to those features, which Apple confirmed on Wednesday, the release of iOS 16 will bring back an always-visible battery percentage to the top display bar, introduce intelligent photo cropping tools, and allow users to customize their lock screen with individual widgets—something many Samsung and Android phones have supported for years. Apple will launch the software update for compatible iPhones on September 12.
‘Dynamic Island’ may be coming to your screen
The “notch” on the iPhone 13 has been one of the most significant design challenges the former flagship device has faced and was expected to be a major talking point during Apple’s “Far Out” keynote—and as anticipated, Apple has delivered something of a solution: “Dynamic Island.” Called that because it appears to float at the top of the display and is somewhat interactive, with users able to tap it and expand it across the entire width of the phone, it can adapt depending on how you use your iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max.
There’s no new iPad… for now
While Apple revealed a number of new products at its keynote event on Wednesday, one product line notably absent from the discussion was the iPad, the company’s top-selling tablet that has since branched into iPad Air, iPad Mini and iPad Pro models that come in a variety of sizes. Despite some rumors about a new entry-level iPad, Apple has so far remained silent, with the announcement of any new additions to the company’s tablet lineup unlikely to come before the end of the year.
Similarly, the upcoming iPadOS 16 operating system is also said to have hit a few roadblocks and won’t make it out of beta testing until October at the earliest—despite iPhone and iPad software updates traditionally being released simultaneously.
