Apple unveiled the new generation of iPhone and iPad during an event held in San Francisco March 21.
The new iPhone SE, a 4-inch phone with an aluminum design, 64-bit A9 chip and M9 motion coprocessor, is the most powerful 4-inch iPhone ever, according to Apple.
Apple Engineer Greg Joswiak said the iPhone SE is twice as fast as the iPhone 5s, and its GPU processors are three times faster than the previous model.
In addition to faster processing speed, the iPhone SE has a longer battery life, 12 MP iSight Camera, access to Hey Siri, retina flash for better quality photography in the dark and faster LTE speeds.
iOS9, available as a free download, adds features to many apps on the iPhone. These features include password protection for Notes, convenient health suggestions via the Health app and a new Night Shift feature that shifts the colors of the iPhone light to match the time of day.
“The iOS 9 is the biggest we’ve ever done,” Joswiak said.
Joswiak said the new iPhone is also the most affordable to ever hit the market, prices starting at $399 for the 16GB memory model. Pre-ordering began March 21, and the phone will be available by March 31.
The new iPad pro scaled down from a 12.7-inch display to a 9.7- inch display and weighs less than a pound.
“It is a revolutionary device,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president in world-wide marketing.
The new iPad Pro is 40 percent less reflective, 25 percent brighter and has 25 percent greater color saturation. In addition to having the same parts and features as the iPhone SE, it is smart-keyboard accessible and can use the new Apple drawing pencil.
“This is the best lineups of iPads by far,” Schiller said.
The new iPad Pro is being sold for $599 at 32GB memory, $749 at 128GB memory and $899 at 256GB memory. Like the iPhone SE, it will be available March 31.
Apple CEO Tim Cook gave an update on the Apple Watch, saying it was the number one selling smart watch in the world.
The Apple Watch will be receiving an upgraded woven nylon band which will feature in a variety of colors. Apple began selling the watch for $299 on March 21.
Cook said the future of television is applications. The new updates for Apple TV is added folders to help organize your content, dictation command for passwords and access to your iPhoto library.
At the start of the event, Cook addressed the recent conflict between Apple and the federal government over the tech company’s encryption software. In this address, Cook said Apple would not back down from its stance on protecting customer privacy.
“We owe it to our customers and we owe it to our country,” Cook said. “We will not shrink from this responsibility.”
Shortly after, Cook introduced Apple Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson to the stage.
Jackson discussed the company’s environmental efforts in the fight against climate change. More than 93 percent of their facilities worldwide run on renewable energy, according to Jackson, and of those facilities, all are renewable in the United States and China.
In this effort, Jackson introduced a new Apple machine named Liam, who deconstructs older model iPhones and salvages the materials to make new iPhones.
Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams also took to the stage to discuss Apple’s involvement in health. Williams talked about Research Kit, an application on iPhones created to help in this initiative.
With Research Kit, people willingly enroll as participants for studies in different diseases. One such was a study on Parkinson’s disease.
“The goal of Research Kit was to use technology to solve problems affecting our health,” Williams said.
To this end, Williams introduced Care Kit, a framework to build apps for people to take a more active role in their own care. This app tracks a person’s symptoms and helps track their condition. A person can even share this information with their doctor.
“You decide what apps you use and who you share this information with,” Williams said.
The new Care Kit launches in April.
This would be the last event held in the San Francisco town hall, as Apple’s CEO also announced they would be moving into the company’s new headquarters currently under construction. Cook said they plan on moving by next year.
“We’re always pushing forward and innovating,” Cook said.
