Apple announces Apple Watch Series 10

The company said its Apple Watch Series 10 will be able to alert users to sleep apnea, which is a disorder that can cause people to stop breathing while they are asleep. The condition affects more than one billion people worldwide. 80% of people with sleep apnea are undiagnosed. Apple’s Series 10 uses an accelerometer to measure breathing disturbances while users are sleeping, and it analyzes this data every 30 days.

This feature was built using an extensive dataset. Apple expects clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulators very soon. The company just announced the Apple Watch Series 10 with the thinnest design ever, 10% thinner than Series 9 and the biggest display yet. The company is building on the advanced technologies pioneered with Apple Watch to make it even more useful, essential, and intelligent.

The Watch Series 10 will have the biggest wearable display the company has ever built, even bigger than the Apple Watch Ultra and has up to 30% more screen area. Apple Watch Series 10 will also have an additional line of text visible for messages, mail, or news. Both the display and case have a wider aspect ratio and rounded corners. The Series 10 display will also be up to 40% brighter when viewed at an angle in order to improve visibility.

The display will update once per second when in “Always On” mode instead of once per minute like before.

The company also introduced the first-ever glossy aluminum finish for Apple Watch in jet black. It is polished using silicon nanoparticles to result in a specialized surface shine. Other options for the device include rose gold and silver aluminum. The aluminum finishes weigh up to 10% less than the previous generation. A new titanium finish option weighs up to 20% less than previous models and is carbon-neutral.

It is replacing the stainless steel finish in previous generations. The device also still incorporates up to 50 meters of water resistance. In 30 minutes, users can charge their watches to up to 80% battery, making Series 10 the fastest-charging Apple Watch to date. It also has 18-hour battery. To improve phone calls, Apple incorporated a neural network into Series 10 that suppresses background noise to make conversations sound clearer.

When it comes to fitness, Apple Watch introduced new ways to track workouts. For kayakers, canoers, and rowers, Apple Watch’s workout app can track routes and rowing activity, introducing a Tides App and new depth and water temperature sensors. Prices start at $399, and customers can preorder on September 10th 2024. The Series 10 will be available on September 20th 2020.

Many features of the company’s new artificial intelligence capabilities were already announced at Apple’s developer conference in June 2024, and the first set of features will be available in a free software update in October 2024.

Apple Intelligence is available on the new iPhone 16 phones and the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Apple Intelligence operates across language, images, action, and personal context. Data is never stored or shared with Apple, and independent experts can verify this privacy promise. One feature highlighted is the new generative emoji feature, which will allow users to create custom emojis by typing in a few words.

Users can also type in words to pull up photos and videos they want to find. Apple Intelligence also marks the start of a new era for its voice assistant Siri. Users can prompt Siri with text, ask questions with their voices, pull up specific details from text conversations, and more. Features such as generating emojis and a new Visual Intelligence feature will come later.

Visual intelligence lets you do things like take a picture of a dog to find out what breed it is. In January 2024, Apple announced the launch date for its highly anticipated Vision Pro Augmented Reality headset. Set for release on February 2nd 2024, Apple began accepting pre-orders for the new Vision Pro Augmented Reality headset on January 19th 2024.

The Vision Pro, retailing at $3,500, is poised to deliver an immersive media experience with cutting-edge features such as eye and hand tracking, allowing users to record and view content in three dimensions.

In a departure from its usual high-profile launch strategies, Apple has opted for a more subdued marketing campaign for the Vision Pro. The company is forgoing major launch events and instead is banking on technology reviews and commercials to generate buzz around the product. This approach reflects a strategic move to let the product’s advanced features and the experience it promises speak for themselves.

Despite stepping into an Augmented Reality market that experienced an 8.3% drop in the last year, Apple is looking to carve out a niche by emphasizing spatial computing capabilities and steering clear of the metaverse label that has been attached to some competing products. To bolster the Vision Pro’s appeal, Apple is actively collaborating with developers around the world to refine the product’s offerings. Enhancing the content ecosystem for the Vision Pro, Apple has forged a content partnership with Disney.

This alliance aims to create exclusive movie experiences for users on Disney’s streaming app, enriching the headset’s entertainment value. On the other hand, Netflix has decided against creating a native app for the Vision Pro. Instead, Netflix will be accessible to Vision Pro users through a web browser version, indicating a more cautious approach from the streaming giant towards this new Augmented Reality platform.

As Apple gears up for the launch of its Vision Pro Augmented Reality headset, the company’s financial metrics and market performance provide a backdrop to its strategic decisions.

With a formidable market capitalization of $2.99 trillion, Apple stands as a titan in the tech industry. Its P/E ratio, currently at 31.42, suggests a premium valuation that reflects investors’ confidence in Apple’s profitability and growth prospects, despite a slight dip in revenue growth by -2.8% over the last twelve months as of Q1 2023. Apple has established a pattern of raising its dividend for 12 consecutive years, underscoring a commitment to shareholder returns.

Additionally, Apple’s stock is known for its low price volatility, which could be a reassuring factor for investors amidst the excitement of the new product launch. In October 2020, Apple’s iPhones just got a lot faster. During its virtual event, the company unveiled its iPhone 12 lineup, and all four new devices come with 5G, including the ultra-fast millimeter wave version.

The company’s 5.4-inch iPhone 12 Mini, 6.1-inch iPhone 12, 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro, and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Max pack in some of the biggest advances Apple has made in years. The starting prices range from $699 for the Mini, making it one of the cheapest premium 5G phones on the market, to $1,099 for the Max. All international versions of the iPhone come with 5G, but only the United States versions have mmWave.

The entire iPhone 12 lineup features a new design, reminiscent of Apple’s iPad Pro tablets.

The flatter sides give the iPhones a new feel for the first time in three years. All models come with a new, ultra-strong, Corning-designed front cover display, dubbed “ceramic shield”. It is tougher than any smartphone glass and is four times less likely to crack if you drop it. The new phones come with Apple’s updated A14 Bionic, the same chip that is in the new iPad Air.

They also get bumps in their camera capabilities. Apple has nixed the free EarPods and power adapter that previously came with iPhones. But the new devices do support Apple’s revamped MagSafe charger, which uses magnetic pins to connect the charging cable with the back of the gadget. It is not just for charging but serves as a magnetic attachment system for different accessories, all of which can snap right onto the back of the iPhone 12.

Included in the box with each new iPhone is a Lightning to USB-C connector. The addition of 5G connectivity is a first for Apple’s device lineup. The most noticeable improvement with 5G over what the iPhone offers today is faster download speeds, hence Apple’s “Hi, Speed” event invite. 5G can run between 10 and 100 times faster than your typical 4G cellular connection, making downloads and video streaming snappier than ever.

5G is also more responsive than 4G, making gaming, video streaming, and other tasks much smoother.

Overall, 5G is expected to change the way we live, much like 4G brought about apps like Uber. But it is still early days with the technology, and most consumers are not using 5G. All three major United States carriers now have nationwide 5G networks, though they are built on the slower version of 5G. The iPhone seamlessly switches between 4G and 5G to conserve battery power.

When 5G is needed, it will automatically tap into that network. Otherwise, the device will activate 4G connectivity. 5G processors, which are still new, are power hungry, and they have also caused early devices to overheat. By switching between 4G and 5G, Apple aims to prevent those problems. Apple showed off its new products during a virtual event, unveiling a new $99 HomePod Mini smart speaker before talking about its 5G iPhones.

The premium iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max devices feature stainless steel bands and come in four finishes: silver, graphic, gold, and Pacific blue. The 12 Pro packs in a 6.1-inch display, while the Pro Max features a 6.7-inch screen. Both devices have three rear-facing cameras and have LiDAR for depth mapping, AR, and low-light autofocus. The 12 Pro gets a new telephoto lens with an optical zoom of 2.5X, while the Pro Max gets a 5X optical zoom, a big jump from the 2X optical zoom of older generations.

Both get other camera tweaks and come with 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage options.

The iPhone 12 features an aluminum frame with new antennas all around the device to connect to the 5G networks. The iPhone 12 will come in black, white, green, blue, and Product (Red), and it features a 6.1-inch, Super Retina XDR OLED display with smaller bezels than its predecessors. The iPhone 12 is also 11% thinner, 15% smaller, and 16% lighter than the older iPhone 11.

There are 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage options. The iPhone 12 also has dual, 12MP camera lenses with an f2.4 ultra wide and f1.6 wide. It also can capture photos using Night Mode, as well as night time lapse. The 5.4-inch iPhone 12 Mini is nearly identical to the iPhone 12 aside from its screen size and weight. The iPhone 12 Pro will start at $999, while the 12 Pro Max will retail for $1,099.

Apple kept the prices of its premium phone the same as previous year’s despite packing in 5G connectivity and other improvements. Apple also unveiled an iPhone 12 Mini, which has a 5.4-inch display and will cost $699. Apple also introduced its $399, 4.7-inch iPhone SE in April 2020, appealing to people looking for a budget iPhone with a small screen.

That device runs only on 4G networks.

Apple’s iPhones are arriving about a month later than normal, a delay attributed to the pandemic. Covid quickly spread across the globe, causing cities and entire countries to issue lockdowns to slow its advance. While many regions have begun reopening, life is not back to normal. As a result, consumers have been postponing phone purchases in favor of other work-from-home equipment.

But Apple is likely to see huge demand for its newest iPhones. Apple has not changed the overall design of its phones since 2017’s iPhone X, its first device that ditched the physical home button in favor of a bigger screen and Face ID. By expanding into 5G, Apple is likely to see a surge in sales for its latest smartphones. The iPhone has never been more indispensable than it is now.

5G started rolling out across the globe in 2019 and picked up speed in 2020. Now that Apple is jumping into the fray with its 5G-enabled iPhone 12 models, the buzz about 5G is only going to get louder. Apple is expected to immediately be a huge player in 5G. There s a so-called “Apple effect”, whatever the company does, it almost immediately becomes a success.

To get on the superspeedy new networks, Apple fans will need to upgrade to a device in the iPhone 12 lineup.

There were also increasing signs that Apple will show off a new HomePod Mini, offering a cheaper take on its $299 smart speaker to more directly compete with Amazon and Google’s Nest. The new iPhone or iPhones will replace the $799 iPhone 11, the $999 iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max, which started at $1,099 when it launched in 2019. The prices were expected to largely remain the same, but Apple is expected to upgrade the features, including better cameras and faster chips.

When Apple jumps into the 5G market, it is expected to immediately become a huge player. Hardware and software is fundamental to everything Apple does. It will take Mac to the next level. Still, people will likely be most interested in the iPhone, and with good reason. An interesting study of Apple iPhone users across all carriers in the United States has discovered that 49% of them believe that their handset is rocking 5G connectivity.

29% of all smartphone users who took part in the survey said that they did not know whether their phone could access a 5G signal. And speaking about 5G networks, 38% of the 5,000 consumers who were questioned do not know whether or not the wireless carrier they subscribe to offers 5G service where they live. With download data speeds 10 times faster than 4G, consumers with 5G will be able to download movies in seconds instead of minutes.

New businesses and industries will be created and the faster download and latency speeds will lead to self-driving vehicles and more.

But for many, it is hard at the moment to see the benefits that 5G will bring to the public. That could be due to the fact that the faster data speeds available from mmWave 5G signals do not travel long distances. As a result, both T-Mobile and AT&T are using long-traveling low-band 5G spectrum for the foundation of their 5G networks. The only issue with these so-called sub-6GHz airwaves is that they do not deliver the super-fast 5G speeds as mmWave signals do.

Of the three major United States carriers, T-Mobile is using a “layer cake” 5G build consisting of 600MHz low-band spectrum at the bottom to provide depth of coverage throughout the country. The 2.5GHz mid-band spectrum acquired in the Sprint transaction will be deployed in rural areas of the country to make sure that Americans who live in this neck of the woods are able to access the faster data speeds. T-Mobile will eventually add more mmWave spectrum giving its 5G layer cake some sweet icing.

Verizon, on the other hand, has been pretty much sticking to mmWave spectrum. The shorter distances that such high-band airwaves travel is responsible for the slower 5G build out that Verizon customers have been dealing with. Verizon will introduce its own low-band nationwide 5G network joining both T-Mobile and AT&T. Those answering the survey say that they are most excited about the faster data speeds expected from 5G with that feature capturing the attention of 54% of the respondents.

16% said that they are excited about the improved HD video calling/conferencing with 13% pumped about the video streaming quality that should take place with 5G.

And 8% can not wait to play video games with the better gaming experience that 5G brings. The big payoff for consumers will not take place until the faster 5G signals are more readily available. Consumers say smart cities will be the biggest beneficiary of 5G. A majority of those taking the survey say that the timeline for 5G deployment should be sped up because of the public health crisis that Americans face today with the pandemic.

Apple will likely include Face ID in the cheapest new iPhone. It looks like only Apple will take full advantage of those future options. For now, Apple is solely marching forward with 3D facial biometric security on smartphones. Throw-in its depth-scanning LiDAR technology and there is a chance Apple will not only extend its already considerable lead, but also embark on a radically different hardware path to its rivals.

The differentiating factor between these iPhone 12 models will be the camera technology. The 5.4-inch iPhone 12 and 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Max are expected to feature dual-lens camera set-ups on the back, while the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will feature triple-lens camera arrays on the back with an all-new LiDAR Scanner as well. Other features of the iPhone 12 lineup include OLED displays across the board as well as 5G connectivity.

The iPhone 12 lineup will reportedly support mmWave 5G as well as sub-6GHz 5G.

In terms of design, the devices are expected to feature flat edges similar to the iPhone 4, iPhone 5, and the latest iPad Pro. Besides popular features like widgets, default browser selection, and Picture in Picture support, iOS 14 features fundamental changes to the way the Home Screen works. iOS 14 features some of the biggest changes to the way the Home Screen works since the iPhone’s inception.

Cycling between Home Screen pages is easily accomplished in iOS 14 by swiping on the page indicator dots that rest above the Dock. This allows you to quickly transition between Home Screen pages in the fastest way possible. Entering jiggle mode allows you to edit your Home Screen app icon layout, move apps, add and remove apps, add widgets, and more. There are several ways to enter jiggle mode in iOS 14: Long-press anywhere on the Home Screen for a few seconds.

Tap and drag any Home Screen app icon. Long-press on an app icon and choose Edit Home Screen from the quick actions shortcut menu. To exit jiggle mode, tap the Done button in the upper right-hand corner or tap any blank area on the Home Screen. Swipe up from the bottom of the Home Screen. To move an app, enter jiggle mode, long-press and drag the app icon to the desired location on the Home Screen, and release your finger.

Apps will automatically position themselves on the Home Screen grid.

To move apps between pages, slide the app to the edge of the page until the next page appears. You can also long-press an app and use another finger to cycle between pages.