iPhone 11 and more: all the announcements from Apple’s September 10th event
Attention everyone who spends more time with their phones than their significant others: the newest iPhone is here. Tim Cook and the Apple team debuted 3 new iPhones to spend your savings on, during the company’s yearly press convention. Apple unveiled two high-end iPhones -- the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max -- with four-figure price tags, as well as a cheaper iPhone 11. The models replaced the similarly priced iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, respectively.
In typical Apple fashion, the company played up improvements to the battery life, camera system and hardware under the hood of the new phones. But on the surface, the new iPhones look the same as last year and not that exciting. No foldable phone, sorry
The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max models feature an improved camera system, with three cameras on the back of the phone (I think Steve Jobs would cry if he saw this), and better battery life than previous models.
As expected, the new iPhones are largely upgraded versions of last year’s hardware, with a particular focus on the camera systems. First up to join the fruit fam is the iPhone 11, which features the “toughest glass” ever, a new dual camera setup, adding an ultra-wide camera to the XR’s single lens, 36% brighter flash, and a front-facing camera that can do slow-motion video. And in case sad grey isn’t your favorite color, the new phones (which start at $699) come in green, yellow, purple, red, white, and black. Because maybe having a high-resolution selfie is worth eating PB and J for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
For those who feel like giving their credit cards and SO an even bigger heart attack, Apple also introduced the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, which boast three cameras instead of two ( a telephoto, a wide angle, and an ultra-wide), four more hours of battery life, and a super fancy camera feature called “Deep Fusion.”
Both phones are also getting Night mode for improved low-light photography, too.
These phones were dubbed, "the most powerful and most advanced iPhones we have ever built, with a stunning design..." and let's just say the company is asking customers to pay up for them. Cough cough.
Aggressive pricing for iPhone 11? There was a price drop: $699. Not quite a mic drop but the new iPhone 11 reduce price from last year's XR price of $749. The iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max will start at $999 and $1,099, respectively -- the same as what Apple charged for the previous iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.
The decision to hold tight to these prices comes as Apple's iPhone business has experienced double-digit percentage sales declines in each of the last three quarters. The company is contending with consumers taking longer to upgrade and a trade war denting demand in China, once one of its most promising markets. Everyone owns an Android outside of the US. The reality is that Apple will have to fight several negative trends this holiday season. The latest iPhones are not cutting edge or all that exiting, especially not something because so many people already like the phone they have. Research shows smartphone owners now keep their phones for an average 33 months. That’s up from 27.5 months in 2018.
The new iPhones will be available for pre-order on Friday and go on sale in stores on September 20.
What I'm excited about?
The newest addition to the iPhone Pro fam will include three camera lenses, the ability to record slow-motion videos using the selfie camera, and improved Face ID facial recognition (so basically, it’ll know it’s you even if you’ve had a long night).
The iPhone 11 Pro features three rear cameras and is made of a surgical-grade stainless steel- aka less dropping and shatter.
There’s an upgraded A13 chip, which Apple claims is both the “fastest CPU in a smartphone” and the “fastest GPU in a smartphone.”
AirDrop on the iPhone 11 will let you point at people to share photos
Battery life for the iPhone 11? Apple says it will have an hour more than the iPhone XR.
On the front is a 12MP TrueDepth camera, and the option to capture 4K video and slow motion video. Apple has also dubbed the term "slofies," short for slow motion selfies.
Series 5 watch
The Apple Watch Series 5 offers improved battery life and power management to keep its display lit for an entire day. Previous models of the smartwatch preserved battery life by only showing the display when users raised their wrists.
$399 start price for Apple Watch Series 5 w GPS, $499 for cellular. Pre order now, available Sept 20. Series 3 continues on, now $199 permanently.
Apple Arcade
Apple also announced Apple Arcade video game subscription service is launching later this month, alongside iOS 13. Arcade games span Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac. For mobile platforms, all titles are exclusive to Apple Arcade and not available through the regular App Store. It's priced at $4.99 per month. This includes up to six members in your family. You can try Apple Arcade with a one-month free trial.
Other notable additions include a new 10.2 inch iPad with Retina display for $329 ($299 for students), the Apple Watch Series 5 for $399 (or $499 for cell models), and a $4.99/month Apple Arcade subscription service. Which you definitely will not use during meetings.
The game offerings are impressive, but nothing mind blowing. People are content with their phone, so the biggest things that are going to drive completely new iPhone purchases is major leaps forwards in tech and hardware. Also, 5G, and obviously that didn’t happen. Apple passed on 5G this year.
What’s the next big thing for Apple? Augmented reality is a way for them to remain a dominant player in tech, especially with their ever decreasing iPhone sales.
My advice to Apple? Make more big acquisitions! Stop sitting on $225B in cash and wasting it on pointless stock buybacks, while the rest of the industry is leaping forward.
The new iPhones will be available for pre-order on Friday and go on sale in stores on September 20.
