#appleeventnotes
Tim and company decided a couple of weeks ago that today was the day that they wanted to get up on a stage somewhere in Cupertino to talk about new things they’re about ready to sell.
I’d like to think that I’m a bit of an Apple fanboy, so go ahead and take what you’re about to read with a grain of salt.
Apple Arcade
I can say the last release that I was looking forward to on mobile was Fire Emblem Heroes and that’s because I’m a sucker for Fire Emblem games. Before that, it was a little Kickstarter project called RÉPUBLIQUE. And before that…
Arcade’s purpose doesn’t seem to be all about making it about adding a subscription service. I mean — it is, but it’s not at the same time.
Capcom shared a decent demo.
Apple TV+
Five bucks and for a handful of shows? They’d really have to keep the pace of releases up. Starting with a narrow range of content and expanding out doesn’t seem to be the brightest of plays. Where’s the comedy? What about documentaries? How about a good panel show?
iPad (7th Generation)
Bringing the Pro’s smart connector through to the lower end of Apple’s tablet range was inevitable in the wake of the device getting Pencil support. I wonder if they’ll drop the Pro moniker from their larger tablet in the future.
Keeping the $329 price point is pretty nice, though it’s a shame they couldn’t knock off that final $29 in the price. Maybe bundling the keyboard in as an additional SKU?
Apple Watch
Testimonials like the montage shown during the presentation of Watch customers is pure gold. I don’t care if it’s a cherry picked collection of stories, it’s still awesome.
Allowing the public to contribute their Watch data towards scientific health studies sounds like a win to me. The hint at the privacy of the information being shared might miss a lot of customers.
And then they announced a new series Apple Watch with an always-on display. LTPO sounds like a pretty nice technology, especially the refresh variability functionality. I’m still skeptical on the battery life, though.
Another nod at the fact their aluminum casings are made from 100% recycled sources. I suppose this is the new green statistic being shared around.
Series 3 Watches being given the price cut to $199 is nice. That might end up being my upgrade once I decide my Series 0 has stopped being useful.
iPhone 11
Why are Apple even bothering sharing the customer satisfaction numbers for their old models just as they’re about to reveal new models?
iPhone 11 seems like the XR level replacement. A variety of colors and aluminum. Still using an LCD at this lower price point. An ultra-wide lens this time around instead of the telescoped lens.
Adding additional capture modes to the front-facing cameras is something that’s been overdue. The ad for the slomo functionality in the front camera was cute, though. Slofies, though?
iPhone 11 Pro
Okay, so perhaps the Pro moniker isn’t going away any time soon.
A stealth model drop, with the Max version simply being given some screen time and not even an acknowledgement. Didn’t expect that.
Also “Midnight Green” looks… weird. And maybe it’s just me, but the Space Gray appears slightly red. Silver still looks the best.
Plenty of attention being paid to the camera system, here. It’s too bad there’s no version of the iPhone with the upgraded display technology without the improved camera capability.
Apple then used a 60Hz movie to demonstrate the device’s video tech. Yikes. However, they bring actual filmmaker on stage to talk about a new app and YEAH THAT APP LOOKS AWESOME.
After all of that and a small update on the retail front, we’ve still got about twenty minutes til the top of the hour. Just over an hour and a half.
And that’s it. No SE refresh. No definitive iOS 13 update.
